Scapegoating an acronym
Regarding “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Texas GOP will ‘wipe out’ college diversity hiring programs,” (Feb. 10): How stupid do they think Texans are? That is the question that came to mind while reading in the Chronicle about the GOP’s new effort to eliminate diversity programs from our state’s universities. Abbott, Patrick and the GOP are now scapegoating another little-known acronym. Today’s conspiracy boogeyman: DEI. Horror of horrors: diversity, equity and inclusion.
What is it? It’s an idea. The idea that employers should be encouraged to solicit applications from a wide
range of people and promote career advancement for those who have traditionally been left out of certain fields. See there, you should be afraid.
Who’s doing it? Our state’s universities are attempting to implement these horrific hiring practices (as is virtually every big business in the nation). God forbid we tolerate a program that, in part, “seeks to make people feel seen, valued and just as important as the next person who may be different from them.” See, now you should be very afraid.
Just who might be doing this manipulation or what laws supposedly “may” have been violated is unstated. You see, in conspiracy world the mere allegation is enough. This is particularly true if the allegation is suggestive of that reliable racist dog whistle: reverse discrimination.
In order to fully burnish this utter nonsense, Patrick attempts to conflate DEI with that other horrific unknown and hitherto wholly unoffending acronym, CRT. You see, you didn’t know it but: “You’ve got a lot of liberal leftists teaching our children … about everything that is bad about America.” If that’s not scary enough wrap it up with a complete non sequitur: Capitalism is good. Socialism is bad. Gasp! Run away in terror!
So, the answer to my question is: very. They think we are very, very stupid.
Tanner Garth, Houston
Regarding “Opinion: Gov. Abbott is brave for taking on DEI,” (Feb. 15): What happened to making government operate more like a business? DEI efforts are used in government, non-profits and leading Texas companies (including some of our biggest, such as AT&T, Dell, ExxonMobil and H-E-B) because a more diverse workforce brings a diversity of perspectives and ideas to the table. These diverse ideas help Texas institutions solve problems faster, create better solutions and serve markets in a more competitive way. That is, they make companies more profitable and more effective, and there’s plenty of research to back this up.
In short, and in language the governor may understand: DEI efforts make Texas institutions and Texans more competitive not because they are “woke,” but because they work. Todd Litton, Houston