Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst claim that racism is the driving force behind efforts to end DEI initiatives in education and abroad.
Writing in , The Conversation and citing sources quite as NPR, MSNBC, and Axios, the researchers begin by highlighting “right- flap” activists like Chris Rufo who had “helped power” the resignation of previous Harvard leader Claudine Gay.
Some activists even had the guts to claim that Gay got her position in the first place because of higher education’s fascination with DEI. ( Curiously, the scholars make no mention of Gay’s actual plagiarism. )
The researchers choose to highlight crazy DEI theories like the new wreck on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and the election of the city’s mayor, despite acknowledging that those who still believe in discrimination does not always be prejudiced ( such as Utah Governor Spencer Cox ). ( Never mind the mayor’s subsequent ominous comments ).
In their January ballot, the researchers” sought to identify what effect racism may own” on La programs, and found that people with “negative cultural attitudes” were less likely to help them.
They point out that “negative cultural attitudes” are a name “used by scholars of public opinion to identify respondents who hold prejudiced, typical, or prejudiced views of people of colour.”
Note the “used by scholars of public opinion” as the poll’s measure of “negative racial attitudes” is as follows: folks who believe “racial problems are rare”, those not “angry that racism exists”, and those who do n’t think” white people have advantages”.
MORE: Univ. nursing program gets ‘ racial healing ‘ grant for DEI curriculum
With just one exception, no majority of these three “racially negative” groups said that professions such as police, teachers, the military, and medical professionals should have to endure DEI trainings.
Non-academics may wonder how the idea that “racial problems are rare” has a negative impact on racial attitudes. Many people also think that social media has created the impression that race issues are ( a lot ) worse than they actually are. Not to mention, why is not being “angry” about racism a negative? Maybe people consider” concerned” or “indifferent” a better descriptor.
Regarding the so-called” white privilege,” perhaps those who shrugged at the poll’s “advantages” believe that advantages for blacks and other minorities have effectively outweighed those of whites. Why would that be a negative?
Further significance is provided by the UMass pollsters ‘ lack of concrete definitions of what” DEI” means or their serious investigation into the causes of people like Chris Rufo’s relentless opposition to it. This might be a good place to start.
MORE: Researcher exposes harms of DEI trainings after colleague’s suicide
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