Is DEI The New “N” Word?:

There is growing resistance against equality within the corporate workplace that morphs from the disdain against Critical Race Theory (CRT) to the disdain and stigmatisation of the word Woke, to now the attempt to commandeer and rebrand DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) to mean (Didn’t Earn It). This is peddled mostly by unqualified, unintelligent, illiterate and/or uneducated, and easily manipulated Caucasians and people like Elon Musk who strongly believe that any and all accomplishments by minorities equate to a reduction in standards of excellence. They are the same people who Donald Trump convinced successfully that immigrants are “coming to steal their jobs”.

DEI, Diversity Equity and Inclusion are the organisational programs and initiatives set up to provide and promote “the fair treatment and full participation of all people” particularly minority groups who have been underrepresented, marginalised and discriminated against within the workplace and in education. Diversity — through the lenses of race, ethnicity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, and beyond — can help to strengthen organizations, as studies have shown time and again. Quite simply, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is used to describe three values that many organizations today strive to embody to help meet the needs of people from all walks of life. The latest research finds that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. Companies in the bottom quartile in these dimensions are statistically less likely to achieve above-average returns. And diversity is probably a competitive differentiator that shifts market share toward more diverse companies over time. While correlation does not equal causation (greater gender and ethnic diversity in corporate leadership doesn’t automatically translate into more profit), the correlation does indicate that when companies commit themselves to diverse leadership, they are more successful. More diverse companies, we believe, are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision-making, and all that leads to a virtuous cycle of increasing returns. Furthermore, diversity of though helps to dispel all type of falsely preconceived notions from harmless ones such as “Black people enjoy chicken and watermelon” and “Women are too emotional” to harmful ones such as some medical students believed that Black patients had thicker skin or a higher threshold for pain than White people which has been shown to contribute to the fact that Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth.

Right-wing operatives have co-opted DEI, framing it as divisive and contrary to American values, with phrases as the aforementioned “Didn’t Earn It”. This tactic is not merely an opposition to policy but a sophisticated evolution of the dog-whistle strategy, seeking to dismantle or discredit efforts towards racial equality by repackaging them as threats to societal norms. This approach echoes the sentiment attributed to Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), who noted the ease with which racial divisions could be exploited for political gain. By convincing marginalized groups that their cultural or societal inclusion comes at the expense of their status, political figures can maintain power by perpetuating division and animosity. This manipulation of societal divisions for political advantage, a tactic as old as politics itself, leads us directly to a stark observation LBJ made when he poignantly captured the essence of this strategy when he said,

“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”

― Lyndon B. Johnson

In January, the infamous hedge fund manager and billionaire took to Twitter to pretty much rant about how the initiative could lead to “racism against white people.” This notion, although founded in rhetoric and debunked narratives was reiterated by the owner of Tesla Elon Musk. He stated that “DEI is just another word for racism, Shame on anyone who uses it.” Elon further falsely represented that all the problems that Boeing has been experiencing can be directly linked to the fact that they embraced DEI initiatives. To be clear, the problems with Boeing started when they merged with McDonald Douglas and became a profit-driven corporation that happens to make planes. When asked about this in the Don Lemon interviewhe retained the position that standards should not be lowered to allow entry for other people and that people should be judged based on their own merits. When pressed on the fact that he is insinuating that standards are being lowered to include minorities and marginalised individuals and the fact that research shows that he is wrong he stated “Check the comments on X you’d see people posting that research that agrees with me” When you have never experienced oppression, it is easy for you, Elon, to dismiss the very real and very evident struggles that minorities and marginalised people face, and make statements like “Everyone was once a slave.”

“You have to be twice as good to get half as far” This is a statement that rings true amongst the black community which is why the sentiment that black successes aren’t earned and that DEI is racism against white people is not only factually inaccurate but a slap in the face of all the achievements and handwork that the community has. Furthermore, the stats as of 2023 state that in America 47% of employees are women, (10.6% of Fortune 500 CEO’s are women), 77% of the US workforce is white, 18% are Hispanic or Latino, 13% are Black and there are only 6 Fortune 500 CEO’s who are black. Furthermore, research shows that candidates with “Distinctively Black/Foreign Names” are less likely to move forward in the interview process compared to those with distinctively White names.

As the news of a bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland the mayor addressed the press. In 2020, the predominately Black city elected Brandon Scott as their new mayor. One Twitter user who has grown a following by sharing inflammatory posts sometimes referred to as “Rage Bait” (content designed to elicit a reaction from viewers) called Scott a “DEI Mayor.” Many were quick to address the blatant racism the user expressed, with one writing, “DEI is basically just a stand-in for the n-word now.” Of course, a DEI mayor cannot exist because voters must elect candidates for the position. A Harvard Professor, Prof Cornel William Brooks tweeted “Just say it #DEI is the new N-WORD.” When asked about the critics who called him the ‘DEI Mayor’ he said “ We know what they want to say, but they don’t have the courage to say the N-Word” and that black men “have been the bogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight, wealthy White men should have a say in anything.”

Unfortunately, this sentiment is being shared by people who have the power to and are exercising said power to roll back on DEI initiatives. Bill Ackman and Elon Musk are such people and that mentality is representative of the culture within their companies. Nelson Peltz, the billionaire activist investor who is in a proxy war for the control of Disney also criticised the company for deploying “woke” strategy, when making comments about “The Marvels” and “Black Panther” which featured women and black lead actors stated “Why do I have to have a Marvel [movie] that’s all women?” Peltz asked rhetorically. “Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?” Even though “Black Panther” does not have an all-Black cast, nor does “The Marvels” have an all-female cast.“Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman, was a bona fide blockbuster, reaping $1.35 billion at the worldwide box office. [Forbes]