At Obsessive Compulsive Designers | OCD, we’re obsessed with multicultural- ism, and have made it an integral part of our culture. In short, that means we respect diversity . More than an abstract concept, diversity helps us look at and understand the world in different ways. It adds a richness and depth, not only to our personal lives, but also to our designs. Most importantly , our understanding ofdiversity allows us to help our clients bettercommunicate with their diverse audiences. So where does this passion come from? T o understand this, you need to understand me and my wife, the founders of OCD. My name is Jontie Karden and my wife is Kung Pik Liu. While we come from different backgrounds, we share a passion for better understanding our world and the varied groups with whom we share it. I was born in a small town in New York State, and like many small towns it was predomi- nantly white and Christian. The people were good, honest and hard-working. However, among them, were some who saw other racial, ethnic and religious groups as a threat. There was this distinction between “us” and “them.” Born and raised in this environment, I found myself somewhere in the middle. I was white, so when people looked at me they saw “us.” At the same time I was also a member of “them.” Myfamily is ethnically Circassian, a group of Muslims from the Caucasus Mountain re- gion of present-day Russia. Because of wars with Russia, there is a large Circassian dias- pora spread across more than 50 countries around the world. My father immigrated to the US from Syria, and my mother’s parents from Russia and Germany. In addition to the ethic differences, there was the religious difference. Being Muslim was something verySo what’s all this talk about multiculturalism? Why is it important? Is it even relevant? MULTICULTURALLY OBSESSED
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LOVE ME 006: Jontie + Pik = Multiculturally Obsessed
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8/6/2019 LOVE ME 006: Jontie + Pik = Multiculturally Obsessed