Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Donald Trump’s executive orders banning Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)-related racial and gender preferencing have ostensibly doomed the DEI industry.
But DEI was already on its last legs. Half of all Americans no longer approve of racial, ethnic, or gender preferences.
DEI had enjoyed a surge following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent 120 days of nonstop rioting, arson, assaults, killings, and attacks on law enforcement during the summer of 2020.
In those chaotic years, DEI was seen as the answer to racial tensions.
DEI had insidiously replaced the old notion of affirmative action—a 1960s-era government remedy for historical prejudices against black Americans, from the legacy of slavery to Jim Crow segregation.
But during the Obama era, “diversity” superseded affirmative action by offering preferences to many groups well beyond black Americans.
Quite abruptly, Americans began talking in Marxist binaries.
On one side were the supposed 65–70 percent white majority “oppressors” and “victimizers”—often stereotyped as exuding “white privilege,” “white supremacy,” or even “white rage.”
They were juxtaposed to the 25–30 percent of “diverse” Americans, the so-called “oppressed” and “victimized.”
Yet almost immediately, contradictions and hypocrisies undermined DEI.
First, how does one define “diverse” in an increasingly multiracial, intermarried, assimilated, and integrated society?
DNA badges?
The old one-drop rule of the antebellum South?
Superficial appearance?
To establish racial or ethnic proof of being one-sixteenth, one-fourth, or one-half “non-white,” employers, corporations, and universities would have to become racially obsessed genealogists.
Yet refusing to become racial auditors also would allow racial and ethnic fraudsters—like Senator Elizabeth Warren and would-be new mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani—to go unchecked.
Warren falsely claimed Native American heritage to leverage a Harvard professorship.
Mamdani, an immigrant son of wealthy Indian immigrants from Uganda, tried to game his way into college by claiming he was an African-American.
Second, in 21st-century America, class became increasingly divergent from race.
Mamdani, who promised to tax “affluent” and “whiter” neighborhoods at higher rates, is himself the child of Indian immigrants, the most affluent ethnic group in America.
Why would the children of Barack Obama, Joy Reid, or LeBron James need any special preferences, given the multimillionaire status of their parents?
In other words, one’s superficial appearance no longer necessarily determines one’s income or wealth, nor defines their “privilege” or lack thereof.
Third, DEI is often tied to questions of “reparations.” The current white majority supposedly owes other particular groups financial or entitlement compensation for the sins of the past.
Yet in today’s multiracial and multiethnic society, in which over 50 million residents were not born in the U.S. and many have only recently arrived, what are the particular historical or past grievances that would earn anyone special treatment?
What injustices can recent arrivals from southern Mexico, South Korea, or Chad claim, as they would know little about, and have experienced firsthand nothing prior from Americans, the United States, or its history?
Is the DEI logic that when a Guatemalan steps one foot across the southern border, she is suddenly classified as a victim of white oppression and therefore entitled to preferences in hiring or employment as someone diverse or victimized?
Fourth, does the word “minority” still carry any currency?
In today’s California, the demography breaks down as 40% Latino, 34% White, 16% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 6% Black, and 3% Other—with no significant majority and Whites fewer than the Latino “minority.”
Are Latinos the new de facto “majority” and “whites” just one of the four other “minorities?”
Do the other minorities, then, have grievances against Latinos, given that they are the dominant population in the state?
Fifth, when does DEI “proportional representation” apply, and when does it not?
Are whites “overrepresented” among the nation’s university faculties that are reportedly 75 percent white, when they comprise only about 70 percent of the population?
Or, are whites “underrepresented” as making up only 55 percent of all college students and thus in need of DEI action to bump up their numbers?
Black athletes are vastly overrepresented in lucrative and prestigious professional sports. To correct such asymmetries, should Asians and Hispanics be given mandated quotas for quarterback or point guard positions to ensure proper athletic “diversity, equity, and inclusion?”
Sixth, DEI determines good and bad prejudices, as well as correct and incorrect biases. “Affinity” segregationist graduations—black, Hispanic, Asian, and gay—are considered “affirming.”
But would a similar affinity graduation ceremony for European-Americans or Jews be considered “racist?”
Is a Latino-themed house on a California campus—that is de facto segregated—considered “enlightened,” while a European-American dorm would be condemned as incendiary?
In truth, DEI had long ago become corrupt.
It is falling apart under the weight of its own paradoxes and hypocrisies.
It is a perniciously divisive idea—unable to define who qualifies for preference or why, who is overrepresented or not, or when bias is acceptable or unjust.
And it is past time that it goes away.
Inherited guilt, including for the racism or sins of prior generations is thoroughly Marxist claptrap.
As Ayn Rand stated over 50 years ago, the way to stop racism is to stop racism.
It’s a complete INJustice to punish someone today from what people no longer alive did or are alleged to have done. Racial preferences and reverse racism are both racism. The only moral and just solution is to not discriminate by race, period. Not to demand revenge.
This applies to the illegitimate idea dog reparations. This is the Same Marxist nonsense. Taking from someone today who never had slaves or was not even in America in past eras , then giving a a black person today who was never a slave – all of this is an INJUSTICE. It punishes people not guilty and its rewards people not oppressed,. So it’s doubly immoral. It’s purpose is to loot from whites and wealthy by opunishing them and to reward blacks for what they didn’t experience or earn.
The entire issue is defined in tribal, collectivist terms. If you are a group of alleged “oppressors” like whites , then you are guilty no matter whether you are racist. Blacks are rewarded not for doing anything to stop racism, but for actually being racist themselves against whites, Latinos, asians, etc.
I am an aficionado and student of history , but certainly not in the league of Prof Hanson. But I have noted some things over the course of many decades perusing the past.
There are some men who wish simply to be left alone to pursue thier interests and professions without meddling, permit their neighbors the same courtesy, live at peace when they can, fight fiercely when they cannot, and embrace ” to each according to his efforts and abilities, and whatever is earned is given. No one takes another’s fruit. From each the courtesy to live together, and no man owes another anything beyond that”
Such people tend to be curmudgeons, not willing to be robbed or coerced into letting another benefit from the sweat they left on the ground. They do make excellent neighbors, and will usually give a hand to a neighbor who has fallen down or a cup of water to a thirsty man. They are few throughout time, and usually considered reactionary old bastards, lacking the heart and compassion of the others, who will generously give away anything that their neighbor has.
These are those who look at the world and see what is, and live accordingly.
Then there are those, clear back to Cain, Lot, Laben, and Plato, who live in a fantasy world of what they think ” ought to be”. These folks consider themselves victims of an unkind world, always fail in Thier fantasy, never learn from thier mistakes, and expect others to do whatever will let them have what they want.
These are terrible neighbors.
https://possum3e0.substack.com/p/the-incredible-racism-of-merit
Affirmative action as I recall was an attempt to throw a big net to avoid missing qualified persons in non-traditional or minority groups. Since change was slow slip and fall attorneys convinced the courts that metrics were needed to achieve proportionality. This was the beginning of putting immutable characteristics over merit and the rest is history or DEI if you will.🤔
I don’t think DEI is waning at all, except for certain universities with a federal-funding teat, and a few companies making a show of DEI cuts. A scan of today’s conservative site headlines, I see that: Democrats are pressing forward with “they/them” in mid-term adverts… that Washington state has a new LGBTQ Business Enterprise program to help gay businesses get government contracts… Even the University of San Diego — a Catholic school — just announced more gender ideology policies, in housing, and staff training, and that “they/them/theirs” pronouns be standard on school forms and appear “all the time.”
It really boils down to this doesn’t it?
To justify their positions conservatives use logic, and progressives use demogoguery. Hence, DEI.
Racism by any other name….
Well said. Yet for some, at least, DEI seems to have continued relevance in a now seventh matter: antisemitism. The privileging of one group by oppressing another–‘equity’, in the new sense of the word–has found expression most hideously in favouring Muslims and Gazans over Jews and Israel.
There is no serious discussion. Indian tribal membership is basically assigned by blood quantum. There is no more racist system for assigning political rights in the US. None of the leading social commentators take account of this form of RACISM. So, continue the false discussion as though it had something to do with reality. No brilliance needed to comprehend dat fundamental truth.
Wonderful analysis, Prof. Hanson. But you make too much sense for a country whose citizens don’t “think”, only “feel”.
What about us Italians? We brought pizza (or did we?) to America. To this day, I haven’t found any bread foreign or domestic that matches the taste of Italian bread! Our society would never know the health benefits of linguini with clam sauce if it weren’t for us! Mafia aside (sorry, there are bad apples in everybody’s culture closet as we have readily seen!) Speaking of desserts, we make the best Rum cake and cannoli’s the world has ever seen!! You don’t see us espousing the pro’s and con’s of DEI or racism do you? You don’t see any of us going around beating up the general population after being called a ‘WOP’ now do you? When we get upset we run our Italian flags up our poles, then sit down to a nice calamari appetizer which immediately does away with our anger. My personal slogan-‘Italian Dads Matter!!’ Stick that up your DEI keister and give us Italians some love for once!! God bless America, our president, our military and Veterans (Victor, Sami and Jack also!) P.S.- we make the best meatballs too!!
Keep up the good work Professor Hanson.
“DEI gained traction when Neptune entered its own sign, Pisces, in 2012 where it remained until March 29, 2025 (13 years). As an outer planet, Neptune powerfully contributes to the cultural zeitgeist shaped by the interaction of its own nature with the sign it tenants. Neptune’s sojourn through Pisces accentuated the unity archetype to an extreme, e.g., emphasis on oneness, breakdown of gender distinctions (trans ideology), heightened sensitivity to victims (cancel culture), suicidal empathy, radical inclusivity (DEI, open borders), the championing of globalism, resurrection of Marxism (oppressor-victim binary), apocalyptic fears (climate alarmism), and general madness of the period epitomized in the weakness and corruption of the Obama-Biden administrations.
The last time Neptune occupied Pisces was 1847-1862, the height of abolitionist fervor (their version of Black Lives Matter) culminating in Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. When Neptune ingressed into militant Aries in February 1862 – the very antithesis of Pisces – young men flocked to the military in record numbers to fight in the Civil War. Today, following Neptune’s ingress into Aries at the end of March ’25, we’re seeing something similar – the rise of a new warrior ethos, idealization of strength and competitiveness, reemergence of traditional masculinity, and a cultural Civil War between red states and blue. Neptune will remain in Aries until 2038. Hang on to your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Dr Hanson,
Thank you for your insightful and succinct analysis of the DEI debacle. Your essay encapsulates ideas that have randomly occurred to many of us over the years since Obama came to power and issued the proclamation that America is not a country founded on Christianity.
Students today would do well to engage in civics, history; and history of religion to get a sense of how America came to be the success that it was, and what it will take to be a success in the future. Certainly Marxism, globalism, anarchy and godlessness will NOT take us where we want to be.
One nation, under God, with liberty and JUSTICE for all.
Sincerely
Diversity football could be a big hit on college campuses. Make teams representative of the student body! It would be much more interesting to see where coaches would play whom, with the mandate that the players on the field conform to the school demographics – women included!
“In those chaotic years, DEI was seen as the answer to racial tensions.”
Only by fools.
“Mamdani, an immigrant son of wealthy Indian immigrants from Uganda, tried to game his way into college by claiming he was an African-American.”
Sounds reasonable. I have friend, Roman-Catholic Italian who was born in Tunisia. I claim he is African-American. Why must a person be black to be African-American. By the same token, Elon is as well. Sounds like race appropriation by the blacks to me.
‘ Are Latinos the new de facto “majority” and “whites” just one of the four other “minorities?” ‘
Most “latinos” are White. This game of creating races out of thin air really needs to stop. It’s dividing the nation along fake categories.
It may have been waning, but democrats/liberals would have still shoved it down our throats if they were in power. If & when they get back in power, you can be assured they will resurrect it again and again and again.