vive la différence

From French, literally, "long live difference," used as a celebration of diversity, as between sexes, cultures, aesthetics, etc. Embracing the aspects of a foreign culture that are at first shocking or uncomfortable is a valuable way to expand your own way of thinking about the world. Vive la différence! I owned a rundown 1997 sedan for most of my adult life. After driving a new, modern car with all the high-end specs, well, vive la différence!

Hurray for the difference (between men and women). This jocular approval of diversity dates from the mid-twentieth century, at least for use by English-speaking individuals. The New York Times had it in an article on men and women jockeys in 1969: “The male riders . . . continue to bellow ‘Vive la Différence.’” It also has been extended to differences other than gender, as in the Manchester Guardian’s seeming truism (1964), “‘Vive la différence’ Tories are recognizably Tories, and Socialists are demonstrably Socialists.”