DiversityIt’s not just “Bio”
It’s Culture, Language, Religion, Food, Media, etc., etc.
Media Reform Information Centerhttp://www.corporations.org/media/
In 1983, 50 corporations owned the vast majority of news media
In 2004, it was five
Time Warner, Disney, NewsCorp, Viacom, Bertelsman (NBC was a close 6th)
Why do we need diversity in the media?
“As a business proposition, consolidation makes sense. But for a society, it’s like over-fishing the oceans. When the independent businesses are gone, where will the new ideas come from?”

Ted Turner, “Break Up This Band?”The Washington Monthly, July/August 2004, pp. 30-36.
Why do we need hundreds of languages? Why can’t everyone just speak English?
“We should care about preventing the extinction of languages because of the human costs to those most directly affected. . . . Along with the accompanying loss of culture, language loss can destroy a sense of self-worth.”
At War With Diversity: U.S. Language Policy in an Age of Anxiety, by James Crawford, 2000 (p. 63).
Languages currently spoken: 6000
Number expected to survive this century: 600
Source: MIT Indigenous Language Initiative
Why do we need “heritage” breeds and “heirloom” varieties of food?
Genetic resource
Aesthetic and taste value
Cultural value
Connected to language!
See www.slowfood.com
Join the “slow food” movement
“Variety is the spice of life”
The Case of the Tomato
Those in the “tomato club” are planting 400 heirloom varieties. How many varieties are available at Lueken’s or Wal-Mart?
Diversity is good! Why?
Intrinsic value
The right of other species to exist
Instrumental value
Use values: What’s in it for us?
Non-use values
Aesthetic: Beauty and variety
Bequest (think 7 generations)
Existence value (knowing it’s there -- like an insurance policy or a bank account)