Thanks for another great post. I’m surprised to hear you say that you don’t see much value in DEI trainings. Did I understand that correctly? I had a fabulous professor for a cultural diversity class I was required to take in grad school, and it helped me come to grips with “white privilege” in a more powerful way than ever, very uncomfortable but unforgettable. The agency where I work now has DEI trainings every year or so, and those seem very superficial. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on this.
I'm not sure that I flat out said that I don't see much value in DEI training. " I’m not even particularly a fan of DEI training. If it’s voluntary, it only attracts people who already belong to the tribe. If it’s required, I struggle to envision a person entering the training as a racist and leaving as an anti-racist."
I just read today that DEI training cast people as either oppressed or an oppressor. I am sure that's true in some cases and not true in others. But where that is true then I see the training doing no more on the one hand than reinforcing being a victim and on the other, simply annoying people. In both cases I see that widening and not closing the dangerous political and ideological divide that we all live with.
The other problem that I see with DEI training is what exactly is a participant "trained" to do? Become an active anti-racist? Probably not. I think the number one thing that we Americans could do - all of us - is push back against politicians who use race - or any other tool - to divide and conquer us.
A few days ago I came across a quote by famed anthropologist Margaret Mead that the purpose of education should be to teach students how to think, not what to think. I'd be a big fan of that type of DEI training.
The American Narrative, the Texas Narrative, creation stories from every society and religion, etc. are deeply ingrained in our collective psyche and passed down in tribal lore and formal education. When an error or inconsistency in the story is brought forth, I believe that there’s an unconscious reaction of denial. It’s too difficult to accept that our elders and educators may not have been as wise as we thought they were or that, even worse, we were lied to. As well, once we have been made aware of the error, we may be too embarrassed to admit we believed the lie/fell for the scam. And then we continue to share the narrative, possibly with even more vigor, doubling-down by making things harder for the denialist and easier for the believer.
Thank you again for your thoughtful post. I agree if we truly "held these truths to be self evident " our country would look very different. I feel a changed perspective can lead to a change of heart and behavior. However, institutions must also change policies to support hiring and attracting people who are willing to hold the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness available to all. Our institutions must hold accountable those who are not willing or able to share these unalienable rights. This is the challenge we face personally and nationally.
Thanks for another great post. I’m surprised to hear you say that you don’t see much value in DEI trainings. Did I understand that correctly? I had a fabulous professor for a cultural diversity class I was required to take in grad school, and it helped me come to grips with “white privilege” in a more powerful way than ever, very uncomfortable but unforgettable. The agency where I work now has DEI trainings every year or so, and those seem very superficial. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on this.
"Hi Asra,
I'm not sure that I flat out said that I don't see much value in DEI training. " I’m not even particularly a fan of DEI training. If it’s voluntary, it only attracts people who already belong to the tribe. If it’s required, I struggle to envision a person entering the training as a racist and leaving as an anti-racist."
I just read today that DEI training cast people as either oppressed or an oppressor. I am sure that's true in some cases and not true in others. But where that is true then I see the training doing no more on the one hand than reinforcing being a victim and on the other, simply annoying people. In both cases I see that widening and not closing the dangerous political and ideological divide that we all live with.
The other problem that I see with DEI training is what exactly is a participant "trained" to do? Become an active anti-racist? Probably not. I think the number one thing that we Americans could do - all of us - is push back against politicians who use race - or any other tool - to divide and conquer us.
A few days ago I came across a quote by famed anthropologist Margaret Mead that the purpose of education should be to teach students how to think, not what to think. I'd be a big fan of that type of DEI training.
The American Narrative, the Texas Narrative, creation stories from every society and religion, etc. are deeply ingrained in our collective psyche and passed down in tribal lore and formal education. When an error or inconsistency in the story is brought forth, I believe that there’s an unconscious reaction of denial. It’s too difficult to accept that our elders and educators may not have been as wise as we thought they were or that, even worse, we were lied to. As well, once we have been made aware of the error, we may be too embarrassed to admit we believed the lie/fell for the scam. And then we continue to share the narrative, possibly with even more vigor, doubling-down by making things harder for the denialist and easier for the believer.
Thank you again for your thoughtful post. I agree if we truly "held these truths to be self evident " our country would look very different. I feel a changed perspective can lead to a change of heart and behavior. However, institutions must also change policies to support hiring and attracting people who are willing to hold the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness available to all. Our institutions must hold accountable those who are not willing or able to share these unalienable rights. This is the challenge we face personally and nationally.