Republicans oppose DEI, and their opposition has tainted public acceptance of DEI programs in government, business, and academic institutions. They know what they oppose when they oppose DEI; others are less likely to know. So I shall lead with lightly edited AI definitions of its three terms—diversity, equity, inclusion—, each followed by comments on the political implications of disapproving or opposing what each term means.
Diversity: the representation of individuals with varied identities and backgrounds within a group or organization. It includes, but is not limited to, differences in race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and more. Diversity is about recognizing and valuing the unique perspectives and experiences which each person brings to the table.
This definition of diversity does not explicitly recognize religion among many other factors. The omission might reflect the growing secularization of our times, but I think not. More likely, it seeks to avoid controversy during the Trump administration about the growing Republican belief that America is a Christian nation, regardless of its actual religious composition. It thus skirts Republican deprecation and demonization of Islam and Islamic practices, and support of or engagement in antisemitism, both now sharply on the rise.
To oppose diversity is to discount or dismiss perspectives and experiences of people with backgrounds different from one’s own, and to seek to homogenize the representation of the American population in its variety. The question is which population group is to be the norm for homogenization. The answer is the largest and most powerful group according to its preferred factor or cluster of preferred factors, usually race, religion, or sex. Thus, opposition to diversity amounts to implied advocacy of white Christians. The practical effect of this opposition is the diminution or deletion of non-whites or non-Christians in all cultural formats: books, movies, plays, music, museums, monuments, etc. Indiscriminate deportation of Hispanic immigrants is a step in this direction. Ultimately, the opposition to diversity goes beyond erasures in cultural formats to erasures of minorities, otherwise known as ethnic cleansing.
Equity: fair treatment and access to opportunities for everyone. It differs from equality, which implies treating everyone the same. Equity acknowledges that individuals and groups have different circumstances and starting points due to systemic barriers and historical disadvantages. So achieving equity often involves providing tailored support and resources to address those imbalances and ensure that everyone has what he or she needs to succeed and thrive.
To oppose equity in America, long touted and long touting itself as the land of opportunity and long promising opportunity for all, is to deny those with disadvantages the means to overcome them in education, employment, health care, housing, and nutrition. Republican opposition accepts a division of the population into those having and those not having these benefits. The haves remain advantaged; the have-nots, disadvantaged. Indeed, the gap between the one and the other widens because the advantaged acquire and accumulate the power to secure and increase their benefits at the expense of the disadvantaged. The disparities in the distribution of these benefits create the conditions for disparities in democratic policies and practices, and can lead to the demise of democracy.
Underlying the opposition to equity is opposition to the redistribution of wealth. The haves believe their benefits to be deserved or at least protected by property rights and oppose their reduction by taxation, especially in a progressive fashion, or expropriation. The halves regard talking about their paying a fair share—that is, in proportion to their wealth—as code talk for wealth transfers from the rich to the poor. Republicans view social safety net programs—Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and others—as wealth transfers and thus oppose them. They try to reduce or eradicate these programs or, in the case of Social Security, to privatize it so that they can profit from it. The haves oppose public education because they resist providing benefits to the have-nots and giving them the means to improve their situation. They view funding for public education as a zero-sum proposition, whereby what the have-nots gain, the haves lose, though, in fact, public education increases the wealth of the society.
Inclusion: the active and intentional effort to create an environment in which all individuals feel valued, respected, and supported, and where they can fully participate and contribute their unique perspectives and talents. It fosters a sense of belonging to ensure that diverse voices are heard and considered in decision-making processes.
To oppose inclusion is to refuse to accept the worth of all people, their perspectives and experiences, and their participation in and contribution to society. Republicans believe that, though they are part of the population and among the governed, minorities and women should play a diminished role in society and not participate in government at the federal, state, county, or local levels. Accordingly, they promote obstacles to voting which adversely affect minorities and women (as well as students and seniors). Opposition to inclusion is tantamount to endorsing a two- or multi-class society of all-or-nothing or graduated levels of citizenship. The precedent is the original constitutional provision under which slaves counted for three-fifths of a person only for census purposes. The attacks on women’s reproductive rights and on LGBTQ+ lifestyle rights aim to diminish their proper status in society as welcome, full-fledged members, though women and LGBTQ+ people (wish to) serve in the armed forces to defend the country.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are three ideas enabling democracy, three dimensions of what it means, three components of what it is. They are not, as Republicans regard them, some sinister corrupting influences on the body politic. On the contrary, their opposition to DEI is itself a corrupting influence which distorts the concept of democracy and weakens America. In their opposition to the associated concept of “woke,” also treated as if politically obscene, Republicans declare that awareness of systematic racism (or sexism or some other bigoted “ism”) is a danger to society instead of a challenge to be overcome to its benefit. It does help that those who oppose DEI and woke identify themselves as anti-democratic bigots. Once identified, they cannot hide from those who believe in a pluralistic, multicultural America and from the avenging consequences of their attempted efforts to contaminate or cancel democracy.
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