We’ve all had notice from several directions about the creep of ideological indoctrination in the hiring practices of major corporate firms, primarily manifest in the proliferation of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) statements in corporate human resource policy, much of which of course is a method of virtue signaling as a defense against shakedowns by progressive activists. This is dangerous enough, but even more so is the growth of such practices in our institutions of higher education and even some high schools, which have an even broader impact on the culture. According to a recent essay for the American Enterprise Institute by Max Eden and Scott Yenor, at least one out of five job candidates in academia are formally evaluated based on their commitment to DEI, and more and more university administrators are formalizing an ideological litmus test for hiring.
The actual words, diversity, equity, and inclusion seem innocent enough as descriptive of social virtues that are attractive to pursue. But academic positions are increasingly requiring candidates for hiring and promotion to exhibit their commitment to DEI when applying for jobs or a promotion, and we are finding that this commitment, usually involving a written “statement on DEI” advocacy, more often than not includes a commitment to some variety of “critical race theory”, however actually branded, and other slippery progressive terms like “equity”. This is sold as principles right out of the liberal order, when in fact and in practice could not be more anti-liberal, as these DEI statements are designed to actually screen out viewpoint diversity.
This indoctrination process should be stopped, and Eden and Scott note that model legislation developed by the Goldwater Institute and the Martin Center would “prohibit public schools and universities from requiring candidates to submit diversity statements or any other statements that promote a specific partisan, political, or ideological set of beliefs”. Every state should adopt such legislation. This DEI march of our institutions to wokeism must be turned back.
Yesterday I saw a flag flying on the property of a major corporation. It is an ‘inclusion’ flag. Immediately I thought about the folly of abandoning the idea of merit, culling the wheat from the chaff and other long standing policies intended to bring the cream to the top.
The present crop of pusillanimous corporate leadership is bowing to the ignorant. The inmates will soon be running those asylums.
These people know what they’re doing.
Many of them have been deeply involved in opposing excellence, rigor, and accountability in education. As a result of their efforts and others, the achievement of low income and other disadvantaged students has slipped, and slipped badly.
Well – if these students won’t be ready for higher education and then qualified for jobs as a result of these new policies, how will these folks get advancement ? Here’s where DEI comes in. Just guarantee them spots!
For the sake of our society and all our people, DEI needs to be replaced with CEM – competence, excellence, and merit.
Well said Sandy!
Borrowing from Coach Lou Holtz:
When asked what is the difference in football players today and 50 years ago, he answered: “Simple, today’s athletes talk about rights and privileges. And the players 50 years ago talked about obligations and responsibilities!” To Lou, ‘that describes society today in all areas including the workplace!”
I will leave it to Jim and those commentators far smarter than I to segue Lou’s comments into todays essay by Jim, but somehow there seems to me to be a connection to be made.
It is termed DEI for a reason, because the alternative is the more appropriate DIE.
Just promote the largely unable 13%, do away with marriage and offspring, turn the country over to unables from elsewhere, and everything will be just fine.
From today’s City (Manhattan Institute) Journal: “Nationally, black males constitute between 6 and 7 percent of the population but are murdered at a rate ten times that of their white counterparts.” By other blacks. Not by right-wingers, Republicans or Oath Keepers!
Why do we want to give this population an undeserved boost?
Sad that no one mentions or stresses excellence or simple being smart anymore. We hire to achieve a quota and do nothing to make our business better or more cutting edge. We hire to make people feel good. A sure recipe for becoming mediocre and ultimately bankrupt both financially and culturally
Fundmentally the left is trying to destroy our country day by day. And the weakness of those at the top of the food chain is the cause.
At this time we probably have less than one generation of our Republic embracing an unworthy philosophy of no borders and lawless citizens defunding police,
Vern,
I do not think there is only weakness at the top. Biden is a totem, it is those under him that are ruining America quicker than fast, people like Buttigieg, Majorkas, Blinken, Austin, Becerra, Regan, Rachel Levine the Trans.
It’s not just corporations, but it also rampant in our military. The last bastion of meritocracy.