“Hang on,” she said. “What’s DEI?”
He smiled.
“I guess you’re not old enough to remember,” he said. “It stood for diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“I’ve heard of those things, but not DEI.”
“That’s because, years ago, regulators began to set standards for what DEI means.”
“So ...”
“All of a sudden, organizations that made claims about diversity, equity and inclusion had to show their results in these areas.”
“And they couldn’t?”
“Not many. Organizations had all kinds of programs that sounded good. But for the most part, they were simply virtue signaling.”
“Virtue signaling?”
“They were talking about social issues without really doing anything about them.”
“Why would they do that?”
“To attract customers. To appease employees. They wanted to be seen as progressive. But when it came to actually being progressive, most organizations had very little to show for it.”
“So what happened?”
“Organizations began to reflect on what they really stood for. What was their purpose? What values guided their decisions? That became their focus.”
“But what happened to things like equity?”
“That’s the irony,” he said. “When organizations began to rededicate themselves to what mattered most to them, things got better for a lot of people, and things like equity became more than a slogan. They became real.”
She shook her head.
“You look skeptical,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But you’re telling me getting rid of DEI made the world a better place?”
“Yes. It was a moment of truth.”
He smiled.
“I guess you’re not old enough to remember,” he said. “It stood for diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“I’ve heard of those things, but not DEI.”
“That’s because, years ago, regulators began to set standards for what DEI means.”
“So ...”
“All of a sudden, organizations that made claims about diversity, equity and inclusion had to show their results in these areas.”
“And they couldn’t?”
“Not many. Organizations had all kinds of programs that sounded good. But for the most part, they were simply virtue signaling.”
“Virtue signaling?”
“They were talking about social issues without really doing anything about them.”
“Why would they do that?”
“To attract customers. To appease employees. They wanted to be seen as progressive. But when it came to actually being progressive, most organizations had very little to show for it.”
“So what happened?”
“Organizations began to reflect on what they really stood for. What was their purpose? What values guided their decisions? That became their focus.”
“But what happened to things like equity?”
“That’s the irony,” he said. “When organizations began to rededicate themselves to what mattered most to them, things got better for a lot of people, and things like equity became more than a slogan. They became real.”
She shook her head.
“You look skeptical,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But you’re telling me getting rid of DEI made the world a better place?”
“Yes. It was a moment of truth.”
