Stop Pulling the Wagon

Within certain elements of our society there has become an almost “religious” obsession with the implementation of Diversity, Equity and inclusion.  As it is being implemented it would seem to guarantee “Equal Outcomes”  and universal equity.  On an emotional level it has a very seductive lure to it.  

I believe we have a Constitutional and moral obligation to provide all citizens with “Equal Opportunity” to succeed and to prosper.  

KEEPING IN MIND THAT D.E.I. IS ALMOST ALWAYS WEDDED TO THE WOKE CULTURE

LET US LOOK AT THE LURE AND THE CURSE

The term itself seems almost harmless and at a certain level a worthwhile goal.  Who can possibly object to universal equal positive outcomes?  Hence the “Lure”.

HOWEVER

 The history of mankind has proven over and over that you can provide equal opportunity to individuals but you cannot guarantee equal outcomes.  We simply are not all the same when it comes to goals and ambition and willingness to work to achieve our individual vision.  If we try to implement DEI as a mandated goal the result is always the same.  You get an achievement level of the lowest common denominator.  The “Curse” of reality.  Human nature tells me there is no reason for me to work hard if my outcome is going to be the same as the “guy” who sits on his butt, does nothing and ends up with the same amount of “stuff”.

We often see DEI attempted by forced implementation in places like government agencies which are fertile grounds for DEI because the expectation of efficiency, performance and accountability has such a general low threshold of acceptability that it is easy to claim victory.  In the corporate world  many major corporations that were lured into the D.E.I./WOKE  “World” have found themselves in deep financial trouble and losing market share.  A few examples:  Budweiser, Levi Strauss, Disney, Harley Davidson,  etc.

In the real world of commerce, sports, education, the military and most endeavors it simply does not work.  In sports for example all competition would be very boring as all games would end up in a tie.  

Many writers and “thinkers” have expounded of the failings of D.E. I.  Below is an article I wrote and published in March of 2023.  

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SILICON VALLEY BANK

RIWP

(Rest in WOKE Peace)

To steal an old saying:

Giving Tens of Billions of Dollars to a bunch of WOKE Bankers

is like giving whiskey and your new car keys to a teenager.

The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank has created some level of chaos in the Financial Markets.  I am no expert on banking and my own experience over the years has been that my own bank is not my friend and the most I can hope for is that they would keep my meager savings safe from robbers. 

We are told now that those who had money in Silicon Valley Bank will be reimbursed by the Federal Reserve even if their deposits exceeded FDIC Insurance limits.  The fact that many of these depositors were heavy Democratic Donors and had Millions of Dollars on deposit at SVP is, I am sure, a coincidence and had nothing to do with Joe Biden’s decision.  Our President has said this will happen without impacting taxpayers.  This is code speak to say the Federal Reserve with some smoke and mirrors will fire up the printing presses and simply print the Billions of Dollars to cover the losses of the banks failures.

It is widely reported in the media that the Silicon Valley Bank was proudly WOKE and practiced “Diversity – Equity – Inclusion” as a corporate theme.  I believe their resultant failure is what happens if you let your political and social agenda take priority over a sound business agenda.  Gets me to thinking……..

A new baseball season is starting and teams are forming.

Manager number one calls in his recruiters and scouts and gives them the following instructions:   Go find me players who want to play on a winning team.  Players who are focused on being the best and work hard at it for the good of the team and their fans.   We want players who can excite the crowd with their excellence on the field that will bring the fans back game after game wanting more.  I don’t care what color they are, what their nationality is, what their religion is, what they do in their free time, what their politics are or their sexual orientation.  Keep all that off the field.  Whether we are at practice or in a game we are a team and play as a team with a common goal.  Never lose sight of the fact that we are on that field to play Baseball, not make political statements.

Manager number two calls in his recruiters and scouts and gives them the following instructions: This is the 21st Century and we want to build a team that “looks like America”.  Find players who are an obvious cross section of our Diversity – Equity – Inclusion goals.  Recruit equal numbers of  Black, Brown and White players and be sure to include a token Asian.  We want to show fans a cross section of Transgender, Gay, and physical diversity.  At the end of each inning have the players rotate to new positions so they get the full benefit of “Inclusiveness”. All practice sessions will include Critical Race Theory training as well as Gender Options Studies and, of course, lessons in Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness.  We want players who are socially involved.  Players will be excused from practice to attend important events such as “Climate Change”, Black Lives Matter and similar rally’s.   Players should be encouraged to promote their “Diversity” on and off the field and especially when interfacing with the media.  Players need to understand that it’s not important whether we win or lose a game.  Our goal is to showcase “Diversity – Equity – Inclusion” to educate fans attending the game.

Which team do you think has the best chance to win a championship?

Now apply these same principles to our Military and other public service where real teamwork and common goals are critical.  If your first priority is having a WOKE agenda of Diversity – Equity – Inclusiveness what you end up with is what we in the military used to call a group of monkeys playing football. 

Are you scared yet.

Bob Bandy – October 2024