“DEI” is commonly and carelessly used as if its three components were equivalent. They are not the same. This three-part series of essays explains and distinguishes among the three terms: diversity, equity, and inclusion. These terms would never have been used if there were not some sense in which each has a positive meaning.
This first installment explores the primary meanings, which are themselves good. This second essay will explore how each has been used in a negative or even foolish way. The final essay demonstrates how these concepts can be twisted to be evil — hence the title.
The BAD of DEI is the second installment
- Diversity
AI overview excerpt:
While diversity offers benefits, it also presents challenges. These can include increased conflict due to differing perspectives, communication barriers, difficulties in building trust and cohesion, particularly in the short term, resistance to change, difficulties in integration, and tokenism.
Downside of diversity A Harvard political scientist found that diversity hurts civic life.
By Michael Jonas | Aug. 5, 2007
“IT HAS BECOME increasingly popular to speak of racial and ethnic diversity as a civic strength: our differences make us stronger.
“But a massive new study, based on detailed interviews of nearly 30,000 people across America, has concluded just the opposite. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam — famous for “Bowling Alone,” . . . has found that the greater the diversity in a community, the fewer people vote and the less they volunteer, the less they give to charity and work on community projects. In the most diverse communities, neighbors trust one another about half as much as they do in the most homogenous settings. The study, the largest ever on civic engagement in America, found that virtually all measures of civic health are lower in more diverse settings.
“We can’t ignore the findings,” says Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “The big question we have to ask ourselves is, what do we do about it; what are the next steps?”
The BAD in Diversity is made clear by the experiences of Dr. Kendall Conger with Duke Hospital. Please read the link to get the full details:
I Challenged Duke’s DEI Dogma — and Paid With My Job | RealClearInvestigations
Duke covered itself in shame by its treatment of this doctor who just wanted to provide the best medical care that he could in the Emergency Room. Duke sacrificed excellence in medical care to the whims of groupthink in its quest to become as diverse as the world. The collateral consequences to Dr. Conger and to Duke’s patients will take a long time to heal.
Duke was not alone. UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine was in the grip of the diversity queens for years. Hopefully cooler heads will now prevail.
But we must be careful. While much DEI in medicine is foolish, there are aspects that must be respected because they are based on real biological differences. Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition for African Americans. It can be treated with power red blood cells. Some conditions are unique to women. Yet much medical research is performed on men. To ask for more research on women’s medical problems is not “woke” but reality.
2. Equity – a bad attempt at Equity
THE CODE OF HAMMURABI (c. 1780 BC)
229
If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.
(The Code of Hammurabi, translated by LW King (1910) is linked here.)
3. Inclusion
Set asides or quotas for appointees to committees, admissions, commissions, and contracts with a major qualification being identities of those concerned.
Admissions to public universities and publicly supported private universities were addressed in the US Supreme Court case of Committee for Fair Admissions vs Harvard University and University of North Carolina. The ramifications are still being felt. How this will apply to private secondary schools and military academies is not yet known.
In 1970, the author entered Michigan State University. The student body organization had three seats set aside for women. I ran for election to one of the seats — not pretending to be a woman — but protesting set asides and quotas. Although I did not win, I set a standard and garnered many votes.
DEAR READERS
The final installment of DEI – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly will cover DEI – The Ugly.
Send your nomination of words that confuse policy to paulstam@stamlawfirm.com. This is the seventh installment in a series. The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY is broken down into three parts. Parts I, II, III, IV, V, and VI explore corruption, liberal/conservative/ progressive, legalize/decriminalize, nonprofit, bipartisan, democracy/republic, forgive, mandate, fascism, Marxist, traitor, treason, gaming, gambling, amnesty, politically motivated, fraction of, decimate, honor and privilege, profanity, cursing and swearing. For more information, see Parts I – VI under Articles for 2025 at www.paulstam.info.