Althouse: "I don’t think many on the left are actually super enthusiastic about these diversity trainings, but the general sense is also that only a bitter crank would actually complain about them."

November 22, 2021

"I don’t think many on the left are actually super enthusiastic about these diversity trainings, but the general sense is also that only a bitter crank would actually complain about them."

"But there is real evidence that they are at least sometimes making things worse, which strikes me as a big deal. For example, Michelle Duguid and Melissa Thomas-Hunt find that when you tell people that stereotyping is widespread, they stereotype more. This suggests to me that a very underrated step toward progress would be to eliminate the judicial and legal standards that suggest diversity training has litigation-protective effects...."

From "How to be an anti-racist/Diversity training doesn't work — here's some stuff that does" by Matt Yglesias (Slow Boring).

52 comments:

rcocean said...: We don't need any discrimination or antiracist "Programming". The only way to stop this, is to just stop all of it.

But 'muricans love their brainwashing.; 11/22/21, 10:38 AM
mikee said...: To eliminate the vast majority of racism - classical racism, the group stereotyping of people by skin color - mandate that government and academia can take zero notice of skin color. Make government and academia stop being racists and society will take care of itself.

I'm willing, for example, to have police bulletins not ever mention skin color for wanted criminals to achieve this, as stopping all other racial identification and classification by government and academia would be worth the annoyance of that problem, and hey, that problem exists already in the press.; 11/22/21, 10:43 AM
Enigma said...: In the last 20 years political people who didn't understand science completely, utterly twisted and mangled prior research on cognitive biases and biological tendencies (e.g., what was previously known as "instincts"). The older research research built up over a century following Charles Darwin, and it remains repeatable, observable, and testable. However, science is compatible with left/progressive politics only if the findings do not point out that group differences can be immutable or very hard to change.

So, we now have a non-science, wishful-thinking left that preaches "original racial sin" and the need for repentance and the need for confessions to one's priest.; 11/22/21, 10:50 AM
Jaq said...: “I would simply get everyone to care a lot about problems afflicting residents of island nations and low-lying river deltas in the 2080s”

Oceans have been rising for something like 20K years; remember the Bering land bridge? The rate remains pretty steady. During the Eemian interglacial, maybe 150K years ago, the Maldives were under water. There is only model evidence that things are getting worse, and those models have done pretty poorly against the actual collected data we have. So he basically accepts what he is told by people who support his argument that the whole system has to be thrown out, when he thinks it for other reasons, and the denunciation of capitalism by climate scientists is "too good to check."

In other words, why should we believe any of his assertions when he cares so little to check them against the demonstrated facts of the real world?; 11/22/21, 10:54 AM
MadisonMan said...: Diversity training seems to have been a growth industry for a while. Now that growth is petering out. I wonder what will replace it.; 11/22/21, 10:55 AM
rhhardin said...: "it’s not crazy to ask people to try and address" try to address.; 11/22/21, 10:59 AM
rhhardin said...: Diversity training worked with me. I was uninvited to mandatory annual sessions.; 11/22/21, 11:00 AM
Richard Aubrey said...: I have not taken a diversity class formally. Retired just ahead of the issue. I've talked to a few folks who have and read some material.
One issue is that some syllabi for the projects directly or indirectly accuse the white participants of racism or transphobia. This gets people's backs up and adds to resistance to the rest of the training.
This is counterproductive, at least to the presumed object of the exercise. But a certain breed of activist actively wants to condemn and that has to be excised from the training. That could prove to be as difficult as excising from the general understanding of the Rittenhouse case that he shot black guys.
And when people can say, over and over about one or another crime, "When they don't tell you about the perp, that means....."
The diversity trainer has to demonstrate he's operating in good faith or he may as well not show up.; 11/22/21, 11:01 AM
Dave Begley said...: Only bitter cranks complain? The fuck!

CRT training is designed to divide this country into warring tribes. Tribalism is one of those things hardwired into the human brain. On the sports level, think Michigan v. Ohio State etc. On a political level, think Sunni v. Shia.

Identity politics is pure fucking poison and only serves the race hustlers like Merrick Garland's son-in-law and, of course, the Dem party.

One of the elements that makes the TV show Yellowstone so interesting is the Native American angle.; 11/22/21, 11:03 AM
Original Mike said...: "This suggests to me that a very underrated step toward progress would be to eliminate the judicial and legal standards that suggest diversity training has litigation-protective effects"....From "How to be an anti-racist/Diversity training doesn't work — here's some stuff that does"

Or we could just kill all the lawyers, apparently.; 11/22/21, 11:04 AM
Jaq said...: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/node/1496

Even if the Maldives are inundated by the rising ocean, that falls within the range of natural variability. I am not saying that if that should happen, we don't do everything we can to help those who are flooded, I am just saying that the planet doesn't care if you want to live in the Maldives or New Orleans, and there is nothing we can do to make it care.

I would be a lot more convinced that they really believed this stuff if they hadn't shot down all of those nuclear power stations and thereby dumped thousands and thousands of megatons of CO2 into the atmosphere.; 11/22/21, 11:09 AM
mccullough said...: Requiring employees to attend training sessions that tell them they are inherently racist is itself racial harassment by the employer.

A few $1 million judgments might get the employers’ minds right.; 11/22/21, 11:10 AM
Greg The Class Traitor said...: For example, Michelle Duguid and Melissa Thomas-Hunt find that when you tell people that stereotyping is widespread, they stereotype more

Gosh, you mean that The Way to Stop Discrimination on the Basis of Race Is to Stop Discriminating on the Basis of Race?

Who could of thought of that?; 11/22/21, 11:14 AM
CJinPA said...: Yglesias is a good writer on this topic. He was one of the first on the left to write about how white progressives think anti-black racism was worse than *actual black Americans” do. And that white progressives are the only race/ideological group to prefer other races over their own.

Unfortunately, while he sees diversity training as ineffective, and therefore should not be use by companies to defend themselves from race lawsuits, his alternative is for companies to come up with “effective programs” (so far, impossible) as a defense against these often frivolous suits:
Companies that don’t want to get sued would have an incentive to invest money in designing and identifying effective programs because a program that actually reduced bias incidents would still be valuable.

This was interesting. Consuming rhetoric about “white privilege” makes white progressives meaner toward poor whites and is bad for Democrats:
…reading about white privilege causes liberals to adopt “greater punishment/blame and fewer external attributions for a poor white person’s plight.” This is bad on the merits; it’s also incredibly politically counterproductive.

Finally, despite the headline, I don’t think Yglesias ever uses the pernicious term “anti-racist.”; 11/22/21, 11:24 AM
Joe Smith said...: Why would any white person (specifically men) want to sit in a room and be lectured to about how racist and evil they are?

How about spending time providing value to your employer instead...; 11/22/21, 11:24 AM
Kai Akker said...: Consider the source.; 11/22/21, 11:37 AM
n.n said...: Diversity, inequity, and exclusion. Diversity [dogma] (i.e. color judgment) includes racism, sexism, ageism, and other class-based bigotry that denies individual dignity, individual conscience, intrinsic value, and normalizes color blocs (e.g. people of color), color quotas, and affirmative discrimination.; 11/22/21, 11:37 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: The purpose of most "diversity" training is not to teach you to think or say things that will be helpful. It is to force you to say things you don't believe. The diversicrats don't believe them either, but they like to show you who has the power.; 11/22/21, 11:48 AM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: "But there is real evidence that they are at least sometimes making things worse, which strikes me as a big deal."

Ya think?; 11/22/21, 11:49 AM
gilbar said...: i keep hearing and hearing; that as a white male, i am a RACIST User and abuser
And, that NOTHING i can Do or Say (or Think (or Feel)) can change that...
So, I keep wondering... Should i just Embrace my heritage?; 11/22/21, 11:53 AM
gilbar said...: from the article...
when teams are assembled with an explicit diversity goal in mind,
women and Black group members are perceived as less competent,

what the! Who'd a thought? You mean, IF people are picked solely to fill quotas;
others Might NOT think that they were chosen for their competence ???
Let me just see, if i can get my mind around this....

IF some team members are picked; not for their competence, but 'cause of the color of their skin (or 'cause they're female)... Others MIGHT perceive them as 'less competent'?
????????????
SERIOUSLY????; 11/22/21, 12:06 PM
Joe Smith said...: 'We don't need any discrimination or antiracist "Programming". The only way to stop this, is to just stop all of it.'

"We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control."; 11/22/21, 12:09 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The collective left are making people more racist.; 11/22/21, 12:17 PM
M said...: “ The man in custody over the mass casualty incident at the #Waukesha, Wis. Christmas parade has posts on his social media in support of BLM causes, George Floyd & black nationalism. He also has a post about how to get away with running people over on the street.” Andy Ngo

DIVERSITY! Most diversity training is white hate barely disguised.; 11/22/21, 12:22 PM
orthodoc said...: FFS. The Maldives are experiencing an average of 1mm of sea level rise per year. In 1000 years, if nothing is done, most of them will be underwater. But since the Dutch have been building polders for about 1000 years, this can be addressed with existing technology.; 11/22/21, 12:25 PM
Leora said...: I have personally observed the phenomenon of unqualified women who have been promoted above their ability and experience results in increased prejudice and stereotyping. I expect the same thing happens in racial contexts. It's why affirmative action should be limited to outreach and should not include lowering standards for one group.; 11/22/21, 12:27 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Everything the left sells as government benefits is a lie. Raising taxes on workers does not help the economy and never has. Of course "corporate taxes" ae paid by the corporations customers before they have the money to send to the Feds: where did you think the money comes from? Hours of discrimination training does not stop the perps. No matter how many electric vehicles the government encourages, there is no way a majority of cars or trucks will ever be green. "Green energy" is a scam unto itself which violates the laws of physics and relies on displacing the pollution so it is invisible to Tesla owners but not eliminated. Welfare is was and always will be a poor substitute for human compassion, but private "charity" has ben driven out of the market by misallocated tax dollars and concerted effort to turn every "charitable organization" into a leftist activism organization. "Reform" as applied to criminal justice means letting actual criminals out ("no bail!") and putting law abiding citizens in jail for having the wrong ideas (see Rittenhouse trial), even if Media have to lie about the ideas that allegedly motivate them.; 11/22/21, 12:32 PM
NCMoss said...: Color-coding and racial stereotyping divides people - replace the artificial term "White" with the more accurate "Mixed race".; 11/22/21, 12:33 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: "Hate whitey" being the goal of alleged "anti-racist" training, is it any wonder diversity classes don't work as advertised?; 11/22/21, 12:36 PM
Bilwick said...: Before I retired, I used to work in an Atlanta office that went into Diversity in a big way. Mainly a snooze fest for me, since I was from Manhattan and therefore used to a diverse population. But by the time I retired, it was clear that "diverse" was a synonym for "Black." I guess the company was over-compensating for the days when it was run by Good Ole Boys who were known to use the N-word semi-freely.; 11/22/21, 12:38 PM
Luke Lea said...: Fascinating piece. Thanks for linking. Yglesias is much more interesting now that he is completely on his own. I used to think (back when he was on bloggingheads.tv) that he rose to prominence not on the basis of his talent, which seemed minimal, but rather as an insider with influential family and/or connections. That may have been true but even so he is now showing that he does have talent after all, as well as some very valuable research skills. So all is forgiven.; 11/22/21, 12:41 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Pushing everyone thru the same You're-A-White-Supremasicst-And-You-Just-Don't-Know-It play-Doh squeeze-mold is for your own good.
Get in there.; 11/22/21, 1:03 PM
Gahrie said...: I guess I'm a bitter crank.; 11/22/21, 1:11 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: "...[T]he general sense is also that only a bitter crank would actually complain about them."

Well, maybe also someone who
..pays income taxes by quarterly personal check, or
..pays property taxes annually by personal check, or
..otherwise has some "skin in the game."; 11/22/21, 1:14 PM
Jim at said...: "Fine. I'm a racist.
Can I get back to work now?"; 11/22/21, 1:27 PM
Amadeus 48 said...: "But there is real evidence that they are at least sometimes making things worse, which strikes me as a big deal."

A light bulb clicks on in Matty's torpid brain.; 11/22/21, 1:35 PM
Michael K said...: Blogger Can Of Cheese for Hunter said...

The collective left are making people more racist.

I agree. This crap is so obviously to avoid lawsuits and prove legal insurance that it is creating more cynics.; 11/22/21, 1:37 PM
Andrew said...: @Dave Begley,
"Tribalism is one of those things hardwired into the human brain. On the sports level, think Michigan v. Ohio State etc."

https://youtu.be/9sNZbP7jO-0
- Andrew from Ohio; 11/22/21, 1:52 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: The dicta of the progressive left are not in the least about actually making a difference. Diversity training, like mask wearing has virtually no effect on the problems they purport to solve.

No, the true purpose of these dicta is to make you behave, to make you grovel, to make you knuckle under. To make you acknowledge who your masters are.; 11/22/21, 1:54 PM
Skippy Tisdale said...: What happens if ever it is definitively, scientifically proven that one race is inherently inferior to all of the others? Will we still have to take the classes?; 11/22/21, 2:10 PM
narciso said...: he gets 2.7 million for this time of vapidity,; 11/22/21, 2:16 PM
Walter said...: Knowing a person’s skin color tells you exactly nothing about that person, their skill set, or their abilities.

Really, that’s it.; 11/22/21, 3:17 PM
Scotty, beam me up... said...: This is George Orwell’s fictional novel “1984” becoming true in more than one way. First, these trainings are meant to control people by getting them to think alike, usually how liberals want them to think. If employees don’t fall in line with this thinking, there are repercussions for their continued employment. Secondly, “Diversity”, “Equity”, and “Inclusion” are all terms that fall under the definition of Doublespeak, a term created by the influence of similar terms in “1984”. Basically, these three terms as being used by the DEI Commissars in public and private institutions and how they are being used / enforced is the opposite of their meanings in the dictionary. For example, take “diversity”, which means involving a wide range of experiences. The DEI Commissars want the employees to think like they do under a “progressive” system. Yet, if someone says that they are conservative or who have voted for a Republican or even (GASP!) voted for Trump, the DEI Commissars will turn on that person and maybe even harass that person by forcing that person to take even more of this training as a condition of continued employment. If you think about it, “Progressive” should be labelled as a Doublespeak term since those that proudly call themselves that term are actually “Regressive”.

The powers that be all want us to be Winston Smith, who in the end of the novel has his independent thinking replaced by re-education in order to toe the line of society as laid out by the government. I wouldn’t doubt that current teachers and professors with Marxist leanings in educational institutions won’t use Orwell’s novels “1984” and “Animal Farm” in their curriculum since Orwell is warning us in these novels about these very people as well as the people that they have trained who are currently taking over the reigns of government and corporations.; 11/22/21, 3:56 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: I’ve worked with people who could use diversity training, but I doubt it would help them.; 11/22/21, 3:59 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: Iowa’s redistricting process works fairly well. It utilizes a nonpartisan redistricting commission, but vests final approval with the legislature. But it does require Iowans to administer, I didn’t think ordinary Americans could do it.; 11/22/21, 4:12 PM
effinayright said...: Left Behind on the Charles said...
I’ve worked with people who could use diversity training, but I doubt it would help them.
*************

Yeah, we're all really sure that you know best for everyone, especially those you disagree with.

Where is my spray can of Troll-B-Gon when I need it?; 11/22/21, 5:34 PM
Fernandinande said...: Yet another slightly anti-woke article - I sense another MSM propaganda campaign.

Liberal propaganda: "...up to and including the fact that even dramatic reductions in racism wouldn’t make the basic issue go away."

What exactly is "the basic issue"?; 11/22/21, 5:39 PM
Michael said...: Always ask white diversity trainers if they have ever woken up wishing they were black. Even once?; 11/22/21, 6:59 PM
Rollo said...: The point isn't whether it's useful or whether you like it.

The company has to pay the facilitators in order to prove that it isn't racist.; 11/22/21, 7:42 PM
gpm said...: >>But by the time I retired, it was clear that "diverse" was a synonym for "Black."

That point became clear quite some time before I "retired" from (i.e., was kicked out of, though not for any political or ideological reasons, but so glad about it in hindsight) Big Law when the powers that be started talking about "diverse individuals." I was puzzled about how an individual can be "diverse," a term that refers to the quality of a group. OK. maybe Tiger Woods? But it became abundantly clear that a "diverse individual" was one who was black (or maybe shared some other individual quality), and we were once again redefining language and plunging into NewSpeak. Double plus ungood.

--gpm; 11/22/21, 7:55 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: I don't need no stinking diversity training. I'm an asshole to everyone.; 11/22/21, 8:15 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: Before I'd undergo diversity "training" I would need to see some evidence that racial and cultural diversity actually improve a business, or even a country.
Because my 60 years of experience in the US has shown the opposite.

Japan looks to be a more workable model.; 11/22/21, 8:26 PM