Nor does merit. This whole DEI argument is based on the claim that competency and merit are passed ver because of color. Competency and merit do not mean white. Everybody white is not always the best qualified. It's never been that way even when whites were allowed to exclude us who were not white by law. The only reason why so many fields are dominated by whites today is due to the exclusion in the past, not superior white competence or merit. This current administration is just another example of 249 years of unqualified whites, specifically white men, who have been put in high offices over far more qualified people of color.
Donald Trump's war on DEI is not about "merit"
Executive orders attacking DEI are about promoting unqualified white men over diverse candidates
onald Trump lies about everything, but the lies strewn throughout his executive order shutting down diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies in the federal government are especially taxing on one's credulity. Efforts to improve diversity, the order reads, "deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement." This paean to the importance of "excellence" and "hard work" comes from a man who, a mere five years ago, looked a row of medical researchers and doctors in the eye and suggested he understood science better than they did, despite having not studied it for a day of his life. He then theorized that Lysol and bleach be used to treat COVID-19 patients "by injection inside, or almost a cleaning, because, you see, it gets in the lungs," aware of the basic scientific principle that painting your lungs with poisonous substances will kill you.
The new executive order insists that recruiting diverse applicants is "diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination." It was signed by a man who has nominated Pete Hegseth, an understudy Fox News host, to run the Department of Defense. Hegseth's only prior administrative experience comes from running two small-time charities into the ground, resulting in his removal from leadership. This ode to the value of skills and knowledge comes from the same half-literate president who also nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run Health and Human Services, even though Kennedy claims cognitive decline from a brain worm and also refuses to accept the overwhelming scientific evidence showing that vaccines are safe and effective. The only reason the alleged testament to "merit" is even readable is because someone other than Trump wrote it. The "merit"-loving president famously can't get through a 240-character social media post without multiple grammatical errors and misspellings.
All three of these men embody the concept of incompetence, but they are white, straight and male. When Trump or any MAGA devotee is talking about "merit" or "excellence," that is what they mean: whiteness, straightness and maleness.
And the more incompetent or ignorant the straight white man is, the more he is held out as the exemplar of "merit" in MAGA-speak. For all the talk about opposition to discrimination and belief in a "colorblind" society, the actions of MAGA show that their true goal is reserving better jobs and opportunities for straight white men, while relegating women, LGBTQ folks and people of color to underpaid and lower-status employment.
Executive orders attacking DEI are about promoting unqualified white men over diverse candidates
www.salon.com
