Kerby Anderson

Christopher Caldwell explains, “How DEI Destroyed Itself.” He wonders “why more Americans haven’t risen up in rebellion against the Trump administration’s assault on affirmative action.” The reason is simple. The American people have seen what happens when civil rights concepts are pushed to the woke extreme. They didn’t like how the idea of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was used against them and the country.

In his book, The Age of Entitlement, Christopher Caldwell documented how the civil rights movement had significant unintended consequences. One was the establishment of an explicit system of racial preferences. Americans may not have liked the fact that certain races were given preference over others, but chose not to challenge many of the excesses, except in an occasional court case.

Then came the summer of 2020, “while Americans were locked in their houses during Covid, race-conscious youth, enraged over the death of George Floyd in police custody, set several US cities on fire.” He adds that “Americans got a taste of living in the Soviet Union. Your life could be destroyed, your career derailed, if your support for Floyd was less than total.”

Even celebrities were not immune. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had to apologize for his support of the American flag. OSU football coach Mike Gundy apologized for wearing a T-shirt with the name of a conservative television network on it.

Then President Biden took office promising to make DEI hardline. The stage was set for Trump to come into office and issue executive orders against DEI, affirmative action, and other such policies. Politicians and bureaucrats pushed those policies too far, and DEI destroyed itself.