OPINION: The U.S. was founded on principles of diversity, equity and inclusiveness, Henry Hamilton III writes for Black Iowa News. DEI antagonists don’t get it.
Resistance to DEI occurs when "Equity" is defined as equality of outcome rather than equality under the law. In your writing, I infer that you mean the former—equality under the law—which I think the vast majority of people agree with.
"Diversity" is a success due to 400 years of immigration and "Inclusiveness" is demonstrated daily in our lives. "E" is the offensive letter in DEI and the cause of its consignment to the dust-bin. Orwell emphasized the importance of precision in use of language 75 years ago. "Equity" and "equality", while sharing the same Latin root, could not be more different in meaning, particularly in our interesting times--to confuse them could be ignorance; to equate them is dishonest; but perhaps "inattention" is a more apt term here.
Equity is a problem for people who think that everything they have, they earned and got on their own, irrespective of their many advantages and privileges due to race, who want every handout, tax break imaginable at the expense of others, but don’t want other people to avail themselves of similar help, who are descendants of those who have unfairly profited off the enslavement and forced labor of other people but have never addressed nor righted the longstanding inequity. So no, equity isn’t a success and won’t be until the persistent racial persecution experienced by the descendants of the enslaved is rectified. It won’t be rectified because isms, greed, corruption and a grotesque immorality blind too many from doing what is so obviously right. #reparationsnow
I didn't write the piece, but resistance to equity is occurring, in part, because it's an agenda being pushed, and the masses don't want Black people to have equity or equality.
It is an agenda pushed by elites, using fear to distract and enflame enough of the masses to remain in conflict with the rest of the masses. It is fear of a limited amount of resources and opportunities. Many falsely being led to believe that any gain by the "other" requires an equal loss of "self", rather than a net gain for both. It is the misplacement of rage against those who would be allies and loyalty to those who continue to hold all the masses down. It is the "bread and circuses" tactics of Roman rule brought forward 2,000 years and employed just as effectively.
It is telling when many in power are less interested in working hard to extend DEI to all persons than in continuing to support the erroneous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United that in essence extended "personhood" to corporations, unions and non-profits. While working hard could include a very heavy lift, possibly even a Constitutional amendment given the Court's decision, it is an endeavor worth doing. The lack of action in that direction and all the actions at federal, state and local levels, including through the courts, to dismantle DEI initiatives places the priority not on persons but on power: who wields it, who distributes it and who will do both for the forseeable future.
Resistance to DEI occurs when "Equity" is defined as equality of outcome rather than equality under the law. In your writing, I infer that you mean the former—equality under the law—which I think the vast majority of people agree with.
"Diversity" is a success due to 400 years of immigration and "Inclusiveness" is demonstrated daily in our lives. "E" is the offensive letter in DEI and the cause of its consignment to the dust-bin. Orwell emphasized the importance of precision in use of language 75 years ago. "Equity" and "equality", while sharing the same Latin root, could not be more different in meaning, particularly in our interesting times--to confuse them could be ignorance; to equate them is dishonest; but perhaps "inattention" is a more apt term here.
Equity is a problem for people who think that everything they have, they earned and got on their own, irrespective of their many advantages and privileges due to race, who want every handout, tax break imaginable at the expense of others, but don’t want other people to avail themselves of similar help, who are descendants of those who have unfairly profited off the enslavement and forced labor of other people but have never addressed nor righted the longstanding inequity. So no, equity isn’t a success and won’t be until the persistent racial persecution experienced by the descendants of the enslaved is rectified. It won’t be rectified because isms, greed, corruption and a grotesque immorality blind too many from doing what is so obviously right. #reparationsnow
I didn't write the piece, but resistance to equity is occurring, in part, because it's an agenda being pushed, and the masses don't want Black people to have equity or equality.
It is an agenda pushed by elites, using fear to distract and enflame enough of the masses to remain in conflict with the rest of the masses. It is fear of a limited amount of resources and opportunities. Many falsely being led to believe that any gain by the "other" requires an equal loss of "self", rather than a net gain for both. It is the misplacement of rage against those who would be allies and loyalty to those who continue to hold all the masses down. It is the "bread and circuses" tactics of Roman rule brought forward 2,000 years and employed just as effectively.
It is telling when many in power are less interested in working hard to extend DEI to all persons than in continuing to support the erroneous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United that in essence extended "personhood" to corporations, unions and non-profits. While working hard could include a very heavy lift, possibly even a Constitutional amendment given the Court's decision, it is an endeavor worth doing. The lack of action in that direction and all the actions at federal, state and local levels, including through the courts, to dismantle DEI initiatives places the priority not on persons but on power: who wields it, who distributes it and who will do both for the forseeable future.
Great piece! Thought provoking.