The Fairness Pledge: An Antidote to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Movement

In recent decades, a new social movement has emerged: the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Movement (DEI). DEI units within educational institutions, corporations, and civil society groups employ thousands of diversity bureaucrats and consume millions of dollars in resources. Increasingly, they act as political advocacy groups, undermining the neutrality of their organizations.

The DEI Movement

Proponents of DEI argue that the most important aspect of every individual is that individual’s membership in an Identity Group, such as a racial, ethnic or nationality group. Proponents claim that certain groups (such as white males and those who hold conservative religious beliefs) are oppressors of other groups (such as people who belong to minority ethnic and racial groups). In this scheme, individual characteristics and histories are wiped away.

I believe that DEI is incompatible with enlightenment values and thus works against the fairness and stability of society.

Despite its public claims, DEI undermines the very values it claims to hold dear.

Diversity: DEI demands conformity of thought. It seeks to recruit and promote some groups over others, in line with the prejudices of its proponents, thus producing less diverse groups.

Equity:  Equity means fairness. But DEI seeks to unfairly advantage groups they feel are worthy, and disadvantage groups they feel are unworthy, with individual worth to be judged by proponents of DEI rather than by objective standards. DEI claims to right historical wrongs. But because it invalidates individual histories, it is ill suited to achieve this goal.

Inclusion: By favoring some groups over others, proponents exclude groups they hold to be less worthy. This is seen, for example, in college admissions policies that disadvantage Asian and Jewish applicants.

The ever-growing army of campus and corporate Diversity Bureaucrats will oppose the ideas outlined here. They will do this by using tactics such as ostracism, threats, impugning the motives of reformers, and punishment via hiring, salary and grading practices. Thus, it will be necessary for reformers to band together to counter this opposition and to promote change.

In order to counter the harms caused by the DEI movement, relevant actors within educational institutions, corporations, and civil society groups can make a commitment to fairness. The following Fairness Pledge is one way to do that.

The Fairness Pledge

I disagree with many of the tenets of DEI. No person should be rewarded or punished based on his immutable characteristics, such as race and sex, nor on his religious beliefs. 

• I pledge my commitment to enlightenment values. These values include the idea that all individuals have equal value, regardless of the circumstances of their birth or their religious, ethnic, racial, national, sexual, or other identity group membership.
• I believe there is an objective reality upon which individuals can agree. I believe in rationality and the scientific method.
• I support individual liberty and tolerance of others.
• I oppose racism of all kinds and will condemn acts that seek to stereotype, blame or demonize people based on their membership in Identity Groups.
• I support civil and human rights and justice for all people.
• I believe that government derives its power from the consent of the governed.
• I believe that the best form of government is a democracy founded in enlightenment values and grounded in secularism, the rule of law and political freedom. I believe that the US Constitution is a foundation reflecting these values. Thus, I support freedom of speech, a free press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and all rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
• I believe these principles are essential to a fair, productive and orderly modern life.
• I support the fair enforcement of Constitutional rights, applied equally to all groups and individuals.
• I pledge to resist efforts to establish and enforce DEI institutions and policies.
• I pledge to resist efforts to make Diversity Trainings or courses mandatory. If I am forced into these trainings or courses, I pledge, during the courses, to speak out in favor of fair policies as outlined in this document.
• I will judge all people as individuals, rather than as members of Identity Groups.
• I will judge all people based on their character, abilities and accomplishments.
• I will join with like-minded individuals and groups.
• I will treat all those who disagree with me with respect and will never engage in or support tactics to impede the free speech of others.

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