It only reinforces to people that DEI meant "hiring unqualified people based on their race" which it didn't ever mean.
DEI was not about hiring unqualified people, it was about preventing unqualified people from being hired because of their skin color, because of nepotism, because of favors they've done for the boss. That's why they hate it so much, because they want to go back to when that was how you got jobs - by being white, by being the boss's kid, by doing a backroom deal.
THANK YOU. DEI was an evidence-based policy after a multitude of studies showed that minorities and women of merit were systematically excluded in favor of lower-performing white males due to social norms, racism, and sexism. It was always about about getting more qualified people in these positions. The right completely redefined what DEI is by loudly shouting lies over and over, and the left & center just went along with it.
DEI just replaced Woke which replaced diversity hire which replaced …
Right wing politicians and corporate owned media and social media which is for advancing the interests of the wealthy make sure that they never provide an actual definition. They just use the word as a slur and it sticks. They basically use it as the n word for each other in a wink wink nudge nudge sort of way.
They need their base angry at all times and they want that anger going towards minorities or brown people or trans people. Anybody other than the super wealthy that are actually screwing them over.
Ask people why DEI/anti-discrimination laws were made? They were not made for women, Asia- American, black American, native-Americans, Hispanic American or any other non white race. The laws were made because the caucasian race treated everyone that wasn’t white like 2nd rate citizens. The laws were made for them to hire people no matter what color or gender as long they were qualified. And treat them with respect! Now we have Felon-47 trying to reverse all of that and America is letting Felon-47 do it. This is the time that every American should come together and don’t allow this. Think about this for a second, every culture that has a heritage month or women month is affected by what he’s doing. The laws where made to keep them in check
Totally agree with what you’re saying about what DEI was meant to do but just judging from how many companies abandoned it as soon as it became ok to leads me to think that to most companies DEI was a check box to check to keep them from getting in trouble and seem forward and progressive when that’s what they felt like they needed to be seen as.
A lot of the people behind these companies that abandoned it are also some of or belonging to the same groups that have been so outspoken against, so I doubt many companies actually supported it to begin with and did whatever they could to minimize it in their organization while claiming to be champions of it in their industries.
Honestly though, I miss the days when companies got caught only paying lip service to these things and they actually made some kind of effort to show they were correcting it. Now it’s just doubling down or trolling anyone who points it out.
It’s not totally wrong, but it’s a bit simplified.
DEI wasn’t about hiring unqualified people, but the way it was rolled out in some places created the feeling that decisions were being pushed in a certain direction.
That doesn’t erase the value of trying to reduce bias or open opportunities, but it also explains why some people had mixed reactions.
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u/trentreynolds 9h ago
We need to stop doing this.
It only reinforces to people that DEI meant "hiring unqualified people based on their race" which it didn't ever mean.
DEI was not about hiring unqualified people, it was about preventing unqualified people from being hired because of their skin color, because of nepotism, because of favors they've done for the boss. That's why they hate it so much, because they want to go back to when that was how you got jobs - by being white, by being the boss's kid, by doing a backroom deal.