‘Diversity’ Phrase Silly

Will you please refrain from quoting anyone whose idealism can be summed up in the phrase, “I really like the diversity of the neighborhood” (“Craftsman’s Cradle,” Dec. 13)?

This politically correct phrase belongs on the scrap heap of “some of my best friends are. . . .”

I wouldn’t justify my choice of housing with, “I wanted a ‘diverse’ neighborhood.” I wanted a house I could afford. It turns out that house is in a neighborhood that includes Hispanics, Indonesians, blacks, whites--and so what?

Most people simply want to be left alone, and I respect and honor my neighbors, not for their alleged “diversity,” but for their good manners and honesty.

We all want the same things in the end, and some phony concept of feel-goodism isn’t gonna cut it. Get off it, will ya? It’s a neighborhood, not a social experiment.

DAVID GREGORY

Van Nuys