Diversity, Equity and Inclusion … aka DEI … seems like such an obviously good idea. How can you argue with that principle. Well, just like the Inflation Reduction Act, which did exactly the opposite, the devil is always in the details.
It seems that superficially appealing notions get laws enacted way before anyone takes a close look at how we are going to manage change and minimize unintended consequences. Anyone living in Georgia knows fully well how kudzu was supposed to reduce soil erosion, but no one looked at how it grew taking over forests.
Gender awareness and inclusion is one thing, but nobody seemed to consider how Americans were going to learn to see past definitions of male and female. The “woke” movement focused on something that is abnormal, meaning it happens in a small portion of the population. Therefore, it is NOT normal. This was deeply troubling to those who culturally, religiously, or even experientially believed this life choice was immoral.
And, after all, since the transgender situation is less than 1 percent of the world population, it just made no sense to the average American to focus on that in our children’s education, businesses, academia, and communities. And certainly not in our military. It just seemed to be a massive overreaction.
The woke folks thought they were getting the attention they deserved. Well, this last election gave them a rebuke. And that is sad on many levels. Maybe the next chapter as this form of DEI dies away is toward the commonsense application of the concepts of being kind, showing grace, and walking humbly. See Micah 6:8 if you are Bible people.
Yes, we all do need reminders that we can be biased and unjust in our treatment of those whose personal choices and behaviors are different from ours. But there is something else that is unarguable. We also have a bad habit … we don’t like change … and that is a healthy habit when it warns us to keep asking deeper and broader questions about how we can change sustainably.
So, here’s the rub. Our modern life has become extremely complicated. We are bombarded each day with messages and distractions. As a result, we have become less tolerant of an interest in the details of life. We are told there are easy answers for all our woes, and we would like to trust others to keep us safe and to bring about helpful change.
Our politicians have a real challenge since factual research is not there to support sweeping change, so they get elected on soundbites of superficially appealing notions. Einstein once again was right. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Curiosity, research, peer review, and widespread consideration of the results are essential to truly understanding something. Then, the hard work begins managing change and the unintended consequences. This is not the way politics works today.
Does DEI need these intellectual elements? Of course. It always did. Does it now need to DIE because we ran into difficulties? Of course not … it is the rightful lofty goal of reducing hate and interpersonal abuses … but we have now also learned that the devil is in the details. There is a lot of research, discussion, education, and then some legal protections that need to be carefully written. Let’s research and talk this through with calm heads.
Otherwise, we are certainly going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.