DEI policies, doomed: companies and administrations eliminate them from their structures
Southwest Airlines, Boeing, Walmart, Alabama and Florida will not grant a single dollar more to standards that trivialize individual meritocracy.
They were devised, their bases were established, they were schematized, they were promoted and ended up being integrated into every structure, whether in the private or public sphere. Sometimes, by decree. But dissenting voices began to appear and, little by little, gained more and more followers, mainly because individual meritocracy was being replaced by rules based on a supposed diversity, equity and inclusion standard. Or what is now commonly known as DEI policies.
Since they were forged, numerous institutions, agencies -such as the United Nations (UN), of course- and public and private companies have adopted the DEI policies to, supposedly, present an image of progress, innovation and respect for those who are 'different,' whether because of their sexual orientation, their faith or their ethnicity. However, critics denounce that it is one thing to respect a person's tastes or origins, and quite another to give these aspects a higher value than individual effort and work when hiring a new employee.
With the passage of time, public administrations and private entities - which were forced to make DEI policies a fundamental pillar of their existence - have come to realize that they are nothing more than standards imposed by radical progressivism with a rapidly progressing expiration date. And, as a result, they have made the decision to abandon the whole agenda.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines has been the latest carrier to date to bring and end to DEI policies.
This decision comes after one of the nation's largest airlines was sued by the group America First Legal (AFL), which alleged that Southwest Airlines engaged in "unlawful discriminatory practices" when hiring new employees.
Following an investigation requested about a year ago by AFL against the airline for "alleged failure to comply with the company's contractual obligations under Federal Contract Law" - which has also received more than $330 million in federal contracts, the legal group said in a statement - Southwest Airlines has made the decision to abandon DEI policies.
Boeing
Another company in the airline industry. Boeing put an end to its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office, as, according to people familiar, the department will be merged with another human resources team focused on employee talent and experience.
The move is part of a strategy driven by Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, who reported that the company will execute a 10% workforce reduction.
Walmart
Walmart reported that it will reverse several of its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. For example, it was learned that the company will not renew a five-year commitment to a racial equity center established in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. In addition, it will stop participating in an LGBT rights index.
Society
Walmart steps back from its progressive agenda and reverses its DEI initiatives
Williams Perdomo
As part of its decision, Walmart will also eliminate employee quotas based on race or gender. The company emphasizes that it has always prioritized contributing to the country's economic growth and being a business for all Americans.
Harley-Davidson
In the case of the motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, it announced that it was dropping its DEI policies in the wake of the backlash of criticism it received in pushing them.
In April, Harley-Davidson dropped hiring quotas and were currently preparing to remove any "socially motivated content."
Caterpillar
"The landscape of corporate America is rapidly turning toward sanity and neutrality. No more woke trainings. No more donations to divisive causes: every sponsorship, conference, donation and event must be approved by management to ensure there is no divisiveness or political baggage." These were the words spoken by activist Robby Starbuck when machinery manufacturer Caterpillar announced that it was eliminating DEI policies from its organisation.
The reason given by Caterpillar was that corporate capacity is focused on business operations and that it is the board that made decisions on the matter.
Alabama and Florida
But it is not only from private enterprise that DEI policies have been axed. The state administrations of Alabama and Florida have also decided to get rid of all traces of this progressive agenda by eliminating any public funding directed towards these policies.
In the case of Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey signed a law in March that vetoes DEI programs in public education. The rule prohibits the use of state funds to finance "divisive concepts," defined as discrimination based on "race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin." Among others, any of these conditions imply that "the individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously."
For its part, the Florida Board of Education communicated in January that public colleges will not be able to use state or federal money for DEI initiatives. Two months later, the University of Florida closed its DEI office, laying off all its employees along the way to save $5 million.