DEI Blowback - How Self-righteousness Hinders Progress

This started as a comment on #1366520 but I have meaning to pen some thoughts about all this.

The article in that post is worth reading.

DEIDEI

The DEI era is about more than hiring. I remember when it started in my field, tech. In the early 2010s I realized what was going on.

Most people had no problem with women or "diverse" people being encouraged to enter STEM and with those who had something to share from their experience speaking at events. Of course I saw some discrimination and poor behaviour. The thing was, I had seen it in much worse conditions in other industries.

Never the less, I supported diversity efforts in the beginning before it became clear what it was really about for the loudest and most hateful. Control.

I was on committees where no women applied to speak at events. Even when we reached out to them. When we didn't have many women even applying for jobs. Did that matter? Nope. Organizer were shamed and called names. Those that defended themselves were attacked even more.

It became clear that there was an anti male, anti white group that wasn't driven by a desire to have fairness. They wanted to dominate.

Initiatives to encourage diversity turned into quotas. Any event or company that practices non-discrimination was shamed. I was opposed to the small minority of female hating men in tech, but I recall making a prediction back then.

These radicals are going to create what they claim to hate. I don't believe the tech industry is especially discriminatory or sexest. Sure, it has people in it so that does exist. But it was much worse in industrial workplaces and other industries. Tech was actually pretty good considering.

When you start calling well meaning men sexists, homophobes, and racists a certain percentage of them will just say, OK. If this is what I get for being nice. Then why be nice. There people are not good actors. These groups should be excluded.

Of course this is just the mirror of the DEI movement. Many times I have heard nonsense like minorities can't be racist. Having grown up in a very diverse community I knew that was nonsense. Everyone has prejudices and every group has their stereotypes. The urge to be reactionary is hard to resist. That's what the author is pointing out here. Pendulums swing and when you go to far and are uncharitable you poison the well. You often create what you claim to hate.

Self-righteousness Blinds UsSelf-righteousness Blinds Us

I grew up in a very legalistic church environment. It was very critical of other traditions and as I asked more and more questions I discovered many positions opposing other traditions were mostly built on straw man arguments.

Over time I learned that I too was being self-righteous and this was blocking my growth in my faith. It was also blocking growth in knowledge.

I was so focused on my rightness of my beliefs that I didn't care about opposing positions. I had my little comfortable strawmen and that was enough. Eventually my curiosity and God's mercy broke through.

I began to talk to people knowledgable about different traditions and I learned how misinformed I was. I didn't always flip my position but I had a clearer picture. This started to overflow into other areas like politics.

The lesson here is that no matter how much we detest someone or a group there is value in understanding. And understanding is not endorsing or excusing. It's just understanding.

The reactionary impulse is far more common than in this DEI discussion. Every culture has sacred cows. In the US democracy and people like Lincoln are good examples. Seeking to understand these things as well as those they oppose can get you in trouble with their mobs.

There are lessons to learn from 9/11 and why it happened. One of the eye opening events for me was watching Ron Paul get attacked for this and called names. Because he dared to say out loud what the CIA knew. Blowback. It always is something to consider. Fools don't. I don't know about you but I don't want to be a fool. I care less about saying something popular than I being wise and thoughtful.

I believe I am right. But, my rightness isn't an accomplishment. It's a destination that I can't get to unless I have some curiosity and humility. And of course. Courage. If I'm wrong I want to know. That's more important to me.