The True Problem With DEI
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been a target for right-wing influencers over the past year as the craze over Critical Race Theory in schools was unseated as the primary outrage du jour by progressive gender ideology.
Now, DEI has essentially become to the right what the term “racism” is for the left: A way to label anything they don’t like. Conservative and libertarian influencers have railed against DEI ad nauseam on the airwaves and interwebs, portraying it as a form of reverse racism.
Many have taken to blaming any natural or man-made disaster on DEI, such as the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, and various airplane malfunctions. It seems that any negative occurrence is somehow tied to DEI in the world of conservative media – even though they have yet to actually prove that these unfortunate events were caused by the practice.
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk stated earlier this year that DEI has made him nervous about flying on a plane with a Black pilot. “If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like ‘boy, I hope he is qualified,’” he said on his show.
When the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed after a collision, right-wingers on X took to calling Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott a “DEI Mayor,” even though he was elected by the people.
It is already easy to see why this misclassification of DEI is foolish – especially for conservatives and libertarians who are passionate about winning over the culture. Not only are they engaged in peddling inaccurate outrage porn, they are also distracting us from the real dangers of DEI.
The truth is that DEI is dangerous not because of airplane malfunctions and Black pilots. Instead, it has become a vehicle through which the elites seek to force their ideology on the rest of the populace by keeping us divided.
DEI began as a well-meaning but misguided initiative aimed at fostering inclusive environments for historically marginalized groups. Its original goal was simple: ensure fairness and empathy across workplaces, schools, and other institutions. But over time, the movement has been hijacked by far-left Marxist ideologues who have turned DEI into a tool for division, hostility, and authoritarian control.
A groundbreaking study from the NCRI (Network Contagion Research Institute) details how certain DEI narratives actively promote hostility and divisiveness in various settings. The study examined the impact of DEI materials from organizations like Equality Labs, which focused on caste, race, and religion, and found they often exacerbate intergroup tensions rather than alleviate them.
One striking example focused on race and religion. In hypothetical scenarios where no evidence of discrimination existed, those exposed to anti-racist and anti-Islamophobia DEI materials were significantly more likely to perceive bias and call for punitive measures.
One notable example involved a fictional terrorism trial featuring two defendants, one Muslim and one non-Muslim. Participants who read anti-Islamophobia materials rated the Muslim defendant’s trial as significantly less fair despite identical facts for both cases. These narratives, while ostensibly aimed at fighting prejudice, produced distrust and unwarranted assumptions of systemic bias.
“These findings mirror those of our other DEI studies, where participants exposed to anti-racist narratives or to ostensible anti-Islamophobia narratives perceived more injustices (when there was no evidence of injustice) than did those exposed to a neutral scenario,” the researchers noted.
In another experiment, NCRI examined how anti-racist DEI material influences perceptions of bias in neutral scenarios. Participants were split into two groups: one exposed to excerpts from prominent race hustlers Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, and the other given a neutral essay about U.S. corn production.
The anti-racist text included statements such as, “White people raised in Western society are conditioned into a white supremacist worldview. Racism is the norm; it is not unusual. As a result, interaction with White people is at times so overwhelming, draining, and incomprehensible that it causes serious anguish for People of Color.”
Both groups then evaluated a scenario about a university applicant being rejected after an interview. The scenario provided no racial details, ensuring neutrality.
The findings were striking but not surprising. Participants exposed to the anti-racist materials were 21% more likely to perceive discrimination, 26% more likely to believe harm was caused, and 35% more likely to detect microaggressions. They were also more punitive, being 12% more likely to support suspending the admissions officer, 16% more likely to demand a public apology, and 12% more likely to mandate additional DEI training.
Notably, the experiment did not exactly cultivate positive intergroup attitudes. As the report stated, “Educational materials from some of the most well-published and well-known DEI scholars not only failed to positively enhance interracial attitudes, they provoked baseless suspicion and encouraged punitive attitudes.”
This is not accidental.
The way DEI has been used in these areas serves a particular purpose. A fractured society is easier to control. By pitting Americans against each other along racial, religious, and social class lines, those who run our society can distract us from their machinations.
Meanwhile, the government grows larger and more intrusive in our lives. Those controlling the government from within and without benefit at our expense while they continue consolidating their control.
While we argue over who is most oppressed, these people often face little resistance to their policies, including unconstitutional surveillance, corporate bailouts, restrictions on free speech, police misconduct, and plenty of others. After all, if we are all at each other’s throats, it is much easier for the government to grow more corrupt, is it not?
There is nothing wrong with promoting diversity in various areas of society. Making sure that people of all backgrounds have a fair shot at success is definitely warranted on many levels. Unfortunately, authoritarian leftists have hijacked this idea to pursue a sinister agenda under the guise of seeking equality, and it has worked.
Today, America remains a divided nation in large part because of this ideology. To change this, people must realize that the battle isn’t between Black and White, straight or LGBTQ, men or women. The true fight is between the elitists who control our government and those they exploit. The reason for fostering so much division is to prevent us from realizing who the true enemies are. At some point, we might find ourselves realizing how badly we have been played. However, if our understanding does not change, it will be too late.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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The only fair path to true equality for all people regardless of race, religion, gender or culture etc., - is merit based competition. Race in particular should be completely taken out of the equation - permanently. DEI needs to DIE - and be eliminated. It does needless harm to all society and promotes denigration under the guise of equality.
'By pitting Americans against each other along racial, religious, and social class lines, those who run our society can distract us from their machinations.'
This manufactured culture war by the US ruling class has so successfully gotten its citizens distracted from important class-based issues and perspectives.
And I'd say that those behind this whole DEI campaign are truly right wing, neoliberal capitalist in nature.... but are portraying themselves as leftists to appeal to the people.