S4 E2 | The Tide is High: Little Evidence of Ebbing DEI Impacts

The Dissidents

Recent editorial headlines and social media posts suggest the resignation of Harvard's president, combined with shifting public sentiment, are signals that DEI initiatives are losing their grip on education and government. In this week's episode, Mike and Elizabeth discuss why a few small cracks in the DEI facade are unlikely to turn the tide. We are very skeptical that the overall strength and vastness of DEI influences have been diminished and see more evidence of continued vulnerability to a belief system that is baked into the consciousness of so many. Policies, procedures, and commitments have been made that will require institutional compliance with DEI initiatives for many years to come, and DEI administrators, true believers or not, are unlikely to abandon their posts. Mike wonders if shifts in public sentiment will further fuel the skepticism and distrust already reflected in public sentiments about elite institutions. Podcast Notes: Our podcast with Helen Pluckrose and Rio Veradonir: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-033-slippery-slopes-helen-pluckrose-rio-veradonir/id1537516628?i=1000638524042 From the Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-decade-of-ideological-transformation-comes-undone?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_8675282_nl_Academe-Today_date_20240103&cid=at&source=&sourceid=&sra=true Lee Jussim's Substack https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/2023-academic-self-delegitimization https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/victory-lap From the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/05/dei-training-initiatives-consultants-companies-skepticism/674237/ From the Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/04/opinion/dei-college-woke-universities-harvard/ An example of long term commitments to DEI: https://www.michigandaily.com/news/umich-to-invest-79m-toward-hiring-30-professors-as-part-of-dei-program-with-nih/