A Yap Session on DEI

Whoops! Not sure if I’m still allowed to use that term nowadays. I’d never want someone to think I’m “woke” or something. Nope, not me. If the government says DEI is bad (just check the official White House website), then surely it must be, right? Wrong. In all seriousness, no matter what your personal/political beliefs are, we live in a time of turbulence, division, and confusion. Do not think that this isn’t by design. Hateful and divisive rhetoric is oftentimes not explicit or clear. Rather, it relies on its ambiguity to embolden those that align with it while preventing those that disagree from properly challenging it. Psychologically, buzzwords are heuristics (mental shortcuts, basically) designed to reduce the amount of critical thinking required to arrive at a conclusion. They can be great when used properly, but they can be unhelpful when mindfulness, care, and intention are needed. So, let’s talk about one of the most common buzzwords we hear nowadays: DEI. DEI is an acronym for “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. Well, when we put it like that, it almost sounds like a good thing. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m going to use the care and intention I just cited to define what DEI is and

why it’s so important.

Let’s start with diversity: the idea of having a wide variety of different characteristics

within a group. From race, gender, sexuality, professional identity, skills, culture, age,

nationality, morals, and many, many more, there are no shortage of traits that a person can have that can add to the overall diversity of a group. Is diversity inherently a good thing? Not necessarily, but there are several advantages that a diverse population is likely to have over a less diverse one. The biggest advantage is the mileage you can get through sharing things like skills and culture. Every one of us is different, and we all have different thoughts and experiences that have shaped how we navigate the world. How cool is it that the experiences of others – experiences we ourselves haven’t even gone through – can meaningfully inform how we see and engage with the world? Diversity is the reason why you don’t have to be good at engineering – there are plenty of engineering experts in our society that’ll ensure the infrastructures we use are

safe and functional. Diversity is also the reason why American culture is trendsetting even globally (the idea of America “having a culture” is a different convo). Without diversity, we wouldn’t have the extensive pool of knowledge to be found in our science, research, and innovation sectors.

Next is equity. Now I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but equity is different from

equality. Let’s say that John and Jane need a certain amount of apples a day; there are 10 total apples. If I were to give them each 5, this would be equality. But let’s say that John’s recommended daily intake is slightly higher than Jane’s, and Jane could get by with less apples. If I were to give John 7 and Jane 3, this would be equity. The main difference here is that equity factors in the individual needs of people before calculating the optimal way of distributing resources. You might think, “Well that’s unfair! How come Jane gets less apples?” Well, like I said, it’s about making sure everyone’s needs are met. Sure, Jane gets less apples, but on the other hand, Jane needs less apples to meet her intake. So, in a system with finite resources, an equitable distribution ensures that everyone gets what they need. Like diversity, this isn’t an inherently good thing; there may be times when an equal distribution is fairer (e.g. when two

people’s needs are identical). But equity is an especially important system to advocate for because the current socioeconomic systems in place often don’t meet the needs of certain demographics of people. I’ll give you another quick example: Susan and Connor both need to be given lunch. To attempt to be fair, they are each given a 600cal meal: a salmon fillet with mixed veggies, and a cookie. However, it would be inadvisable for Susan to consume the salmon as she is allergic to fish; functionally, she really only has a 350cal meal. You tell me: is this fair?

Lastly: inclusion. This one’s fairly straightforward. Inclusion is about cultivating spaces

where everyone feels welcome. It centers community as an important part of both collective and individual success. Society – maybe now more than ever – can feel extraordinarily ostracizing when it comes to general social spaces. With how performative people can be, and with how seemingly unrealistic expectations are about what doing life the “right way” looks like, it’s easy to feel like a failure – like you’re not enough, or that you don’t belong. Inclusion isn’t about making people believe that everyone belongs in all spaces. Instead, it’s about empowering people to find (or even create) environments that make them feel safe, comfortable, and seen. I think back to MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech where he speaks about children of different races holding hands. And I see that in so many ways now. But I also see many ways in

which children are instead taught to hate those that are different from them. DEI isn’t some naïve and shortsighted agenda to encourage divisiveness or say that America is all bad. DEI is an answer to the question, “How can we make things better?” MLK was a major pioneer of civil rights, and I’m confident that he would’ve been onboard for DEI all day, every day. So let me assure you that, no matter what you identify as, you do not have to feel shame about who you are. You do deserve to have all of your needs met, and you do deserve access to spaces where you feel like you belong. If I’m being honest with you, the times ahead are likely going to continue feeling scary, feeling uncertain – feeling wrong.

Feel free to reach out for a free consultation if you’d like a safe space to process your thoughts and feelings about the current state of the world. Reflect on what things like “DEI” or “America” means to you. Someone may end up defining those concepts for you if you don’t.