Say the words out loud: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The opposite of DEI is SIE
Words are important in nearly every endeavor, but they certainly are critical in journalism. I think all of us, including journalists, have gotten lazy about using the letters DEI as an acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s easier to object to three letters than it is to object to the concepts they stand for. Aren’t diversity, equity and inclusion all good things?
Since this debate started, I have not been able to figure out what DEI opponents object to. What reasonable person would object to a workforce that is diverse, equitable and inclusive?
Maybe we need a new acronym that is the opposite of DEI, so I just made one up: SIE. Sameness, inequality and exclusion. Is that what DEI opponents want?
Sameness
I debated calling this whitemaleness, another word I made up, but that’s what the opposite of diversity is. It’s ignoring how our country’s racial makeup has changed - and changed for the better. Those opposed to diversity are trying to drag us back to an era when white males occupied all positions of power. Maybe they envision the 1950s as some golden era in society. And maybe it was for white males. But if you were a woman with career goals, you faced difficult odds. If you were a minority seeking an education or a good job, the ‘50s were definitely not the golden age. If you were raised in poverty, it was difficult to escape the cyclical trap that dragged down successive generations.
A workforce made up of “sameness” results in a work product that suffers from sameness. A workforce that is diverse brings perspectives and experiences that the average white guy does not bring.
Diversity is vitally important in newsrooms. As a white male newsroom manager, I knew how to assign many of the topics journalists typically cover - government, politics, business and the like. But I had no experience and limited ability to cover issues of importance to minorities, to women, or to the poor. That’s why it’s important to have a diverse staff who can bring ideas to the table that didn’t occur to me, to advocate for issues I likely would miss, and to have contacts in the community to interview about these topics. A diverse newsroom is a stronger newsroom that creates a stronger news product.
Inequality
Is that what DEI opponents want - inequality? Maybe they do. Maybe they want an advantage when applying to schools and jobs. Maybe they want more money for themselves without worrying about those who have less. Maybe they want to close their eyes to the centuries of racism in this country that has contributed to minorities being at a disadvantage and gender discrimination that results in women earning 84 cents for every dollar earned by men. If so, it’s incredibly selfish.
Equality doesn’t mean everyone in society has the same house, the same paycheck, the same car. It means having the opportunity to achieve those successes. It means removing barriers that have long existed for women and minorities. It’s an equal shot. A fair shot. Isn’t that a good thing?
Exclusion
The opposite of inclusion is exclusion. It’s achieving a standard in life and then pulling up the ladder to keep others from achieving the same thing. It’s living in a mansion and building a wall to keep others out. (Trump loves walls!) It’s belonging to Augusta National when minorities were not admitted. Until a year ago, it’s belonging to the United Methodist Church, which forbade same-sex marriage and kicked out openly gay and lesbian pastors.
How can anyone prefer exclusion to inclusion? Somebody explain it to me, because I don’t get it.
Meritocracy is the goal?
Trump, Musk, Vance and Hegseth like to say federal jobs should be awarded solely on merit, not one’s skin color, gender or sexual preference. Speaking after the DC air disaster, Trump said air controllers have to be “…the smartest people. It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job.”
Leaving aside for the moment whether Trump would recognize a genius if he ever found one, it’s pretty tough to take this from a guy who has named unmeritorious people to top jobs in the government. If Trump truly judges people based solely on their merits, would we have the woefully unqualified Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, RFK Jr. leading our nation’s health effort, and Kash Patel as FBI director? Would we have his son’s girlfriend as ambassador to Greece?
The only “merit” these people bring to the job is their ability to praise Donald Trump.
What kind of “merit” does Musk, the guy who approved the design of this monstrosity, bring to slashing our federal government to pieces?
Say the words!
I urge journalists, and all of us when discussing it, to ignore the acronym DEI and say the actual words out loud: Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. And let’s say the actual words out loud to diversity opponents: Sameness! Inequality! Exclusion!
And ask those opponents exactly what they DO object to?
This week, I recommend Iowa Writers’ Collaborative colleague Bob Leonard’s column with Iowa state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, who has introduced a bill to fund agencies helping legal refugees in Iowa after the Trump administration has pulled the rug out from under them.
Meet the full roster of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative here.
Thank you for crystallizing the exact thoughts I have had about this subject. I am so tired of people(men) talking about how great the country was when everyone(women, blacks, others) knew their place and stayed in it.
Great thoughts, Dave. I think that many of those who oppose DEI are simply parroting the “Trump line”, aligning themselves with a so-called leader who consistently demonstrates a total lack of human compassion, empathy, and rational thought. Their cognitive biases, fueled by a narrow and self-serving worldview, often prevent them from recognizing what’s truly reasonable, fair, and just. When asking, “what reasonable person would object to a workforce that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive?”….I think we need to face the uncomfortable reality that many of these individuals may not even be capable of discerning reason at all, at least on this subject. Their opposition is rooted in ignorance and a refusal to acknowledge the systemic inequalities that DEI aims to address, and no amount of rational debate will change their deeply entrenched, prejudiced mindset.