Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are the modern-day equivalents of yesteryear’s discriminatory policies—only this time, they’re neatly packaged in government and corporate doublespeak and sold as progress. What was once a push for meritocracy, where individuals rose based on hard work and talent, has been replaced by a bureaucratic circus where skin color, gender identity, and sexual orientation matter more than competence. It’s a tragic irony that a movement ostensibly designed to end discrimination has itself become one of the most discriminatory frameworks of our time.
In the not-so-distant past, policies that excluded people based on race, sexual orientation, and cultural background were rightly condemned as relics of bigotry. Fast forward to today, and DEI programs have flipped the script: now, being a straight white male in many institutions makes you about as welcome as a mosquito at a picnic. Forget merit—the new golden ticket is identity politics, where checkboxes trump qualifications.
One of the most glaring failures of DEI programs is their impact on hiring practices. Many employers now are forced by DEI policies to prioritize “diverse” hires, even if it means passing over more qualified candidates. The logic? Whites have had their turn, thank you very much. In this brave new world, a talented engineer with a stellar track record may be less valuable than someone who checks the right demographic boxes. And woe unto the company that dares to question this madness—HR departments, armed with woke talking points, will descend upon them faster than a Twitter mob. Ask the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Sen. Elizabeth Warren; she checked the Native Indian box a couple of times as a pre-DEI candidate.
Consider academia, where DEI zealotry has taken root like invasive kudzu. Universities once prided themselves on intellectual rigor and the pursuit of truth. Now, they resemble indoctrination camps where professors must pledge allegiance to DEI dogma or risk being canceled.
Admissions processes have also fallen victim to this lunacy, with standardized tests and academic achievements being de-emphasized in favor of vague “holistic” criteria that conveniently align with DEI objectives. Merit is so 20th century.
Then there’s the absurd spectacle of men competing in women’s sports—all in the name of inclusion. DEI advocates cheer this as progress, but when it comes to sports, it’s hard to ignore the unfair advantage biological males have over female athletes. Girls who have spent years training and sacrificing are now forced to compete against opponents with greater physical strength and endurance. But hey, at least it makes the DEI crowd feel virtuous.
And let’s not forget the Democrats’ enthusiastic embrace of this insanity. The party that once championed working-class Americans has morphed into a woke cult where rational thought takes a backseat to identity politics. Instead of focusing on policies that benefit all Americans, they’ve become obsessed with quotas and representation. DEI has become a political litmus test, with anyone who dares to question its efficacy labeled as racist, sexist, or transphobic.
The tragic irony is that DEI was supposed to foster fairness and equality. Instead, it has created new forms of discrimination and resentment. When you reduce people to their demographic characteristics and treat them as interchangeable tokens, you rob them of their individuality and humanity. Worse, you undermine the very principles that have driven human progress: merit, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence.
If we truly want a fair and just society, we need to abandon the DEI experiment and return to a merit-based system where individuals are judged by the content of their character and the quality of their contributions—not the color of their skin, their gender identity, or their sexual orientation. Progress is not achieved by flipping the script on discrimination; it’s achieved by tearing up the script altogether.
Larry Clifton is a former print reporter and Florida native based in Hernando County.
