America’s Largest And Most Expensive DEI Program Is About To Go Up In Flames
'I think it signals a broader shift'
Damning study reveals what DEI does to people — and unsurprisingly, it's really bad
Few public and private institutions proved resistant in recent years to infection by the race-obsessive ideology underpinning the diversity, equity, and inclusion movement. The body politic appears, however, to be experiencing a belated immune response.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard/UNC, for instance, helped pave the way for the dismantling of DEI on college and university campuses nationwide. Lawsuits and federal civil rights complaints targeting companies' DEI initiatives immediately followed. Likely keen to avoid similar legal challenges and facing pressure from normalcy advocates, multiple American organizations once captive to the race-obsessed program, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, Jack Daniel's, and Walmart, have abandoned DEI.
A study published Monday by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University provided strong justification for why Americans should dismantle the remainder of the DEI regime sooner rather than later, noting that race-obsessed programming is divisive, counterproductive, and helps create authoritarians.
'Some DEI programs not only fail to achieve their goals but can actively undermine efforts.'
The study, titled "Instructing Animosity: How DEI Pedagogy Produces the Hostile Attribution Bias," noted at the outset that a Pew Research Center study found in 2023 that over half of American workers have DEI meetings or trainings at work.
While the re-education that the majority of American workers are compelled to undergo is supposedly intended to increase empathy in interpersonal interactions, cultivate inclusive environments, and maximize diversity on the basis of immutable characteristics and sexual preferences, the study indicated that there is evidence to suggest "that some DEI programs not only fail to achieve their goals but can actively undermine efforts."
"Specifically, mandatory trainings that focus on particular target groups can foster discomfort and perceptions of fairness," said the study. "DEI initiatives seen as affirmative action rather than business strategy can provoke backlash, increasing rather than reducing racial resentment. And diversity initiatives aimed at managing bias can fail, sometimes resulting in decreased representation and triggering negativity among employees."
The researchers collected various DEI education materials used across three groupings — race, religion, and caste — in "interventional and educational settings," excerpted rhetoric from the materials, then employed the excerpts in psychological surveys "measuring explicit bias, social distancing, demonization, and authoritarian tendencies." Participants in the study were also tasked with reviewing the materials or neutral control materials.
The results were damning.
The researchers found that across all three groupings, participants "engendered a hostile attribution bias, amplifying perceptions of prejudicial hostility where none was present, and punitive responses to the imaginary prejudice."
In one test, researchers split 423 Rutgers University students into two groups. One group read an apolitical control essay about American corn production while the other read an essay incorporating racist CRT propaganda from Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo.
After each group completed reading their assigned materials, participants were presented with a "racially neutral scenario" — where a student's application to an elite East Coast university was rejected following his interview by an admissions officer — and asked questions about their perceptions of racism in the interaction. The scenario did not mention the race of either the hypothetical student or the admissions officer.
'Exposure to anti-oppressive narratives can increase the endorsement of the type of demonization and scapegoating characteristic of authoritarianism.'
The group previously provided with propaganda from Kendi and DiAngelo reportedly "developed a hostile attribution bias ... perceiv[ing] the admissions officer as significantly more prejudiced than did those who read the neutral corn essay."
According to the researchers, "Participants exposed to the anti-racist rhetoric perceived more discrimination from the admissions officer (~21%), despite the complete absence of evidence of discrimination. They believed the admissions officer was more unfair to the applicant (~12%), had caused more harm to the applicant (~26%), and had committed more microaggressions (~35%)."
Simply put, Kendi and DiAngelo had students seeing racism and unfairness that wasn't there.
In the other groupings, participants provided DEI materials similarly turned out nastier than the control group.
For instance, in the caste study, Adolf Hitler quotes resonated with participants who were exposed to DEI materials when the word "Jew" was swapped out for "Brahmin."
"These findings suggest that exposure to anti-oppressive narratives can increase the endorsement of the type of demonization and scapegoating characteristic of authoritarianism," wrote the researchers.
"When DEI initiatives typically affirm the laudable goals of combating bias and promoting inclusivity, an emerging body of research warns that these interventions may foster authoritarian mindsets, particularly when anti-oppressive narratives exist within an ideological and vindictive monoculture," said the study. "The push toward absolute equity can undermine pluralism and engender a (potentially violent) aspiration of ideological purity."
The paper concluded, "The evidence presented in these studies reveals that while purporting to combat bias, some anti-oppressive DEI narratives can engender a hostile attribution bias and heighten racial suspicion, prejudicial attitudes, authoritarian policing, and support for punitive behaviors in the absence of evidence for a transgression deserving punishment."
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Walmart Agrees To Dump Policies Pushing DEI Racism, Gender Ideology
When a conservative activist confronted Walmart executives, the company agreed to roll back its policies pushing DEI and gender ideology.'Wokeness is on its deathbed': Walmart kicking DEI, LGBT activism to the curb
Normalcy advocate Robby Starbuck and other conservatives keen to depoliticize corporate America have gone online to celebrate a massive victory in the war on woke this week: Walmart, which employs roughly 1.6 million workers nationwide, is scrapping its divisive DEI initiatives and curbing both its customer-facing and worker-facing LGBT activism.
"This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America," said Starbuck, who has successfully pressured a number of other American companies, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, Jack Daniel's, and John Deere, to abandon their race-obsessive policies, embrace of gender ideology, and other alienating leftist commitments.
"This won't just have a massive effect for their employees who will have a neutral workplace without feeling that divisive issues are being injected but it will also extend to their many suppliers," continued Starbuck. "Companies like Amazon and Target should be very nervous that their top competitor dropped woke policies first. I think Target specifically will suffer serious sales problems as a result and Walmart will benefit."
Following "productive conversations" with Walmart executives, Starbuck announced Monday that Walmart committed to ending its participation in the LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, a "national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees" used strategically to crush dissent and maximize conformity.
Walmart once again secured a perfect score on the index last year by engaging in LGBT activism and outreach and by providing sex-change guidelines; at least one additional transvestite "inclusive policy or practice for its employees"; and LGBT training elements and an "intersectionality" training session.
'The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality.'
Starbuck noted that Walmart has also committed to: identifying and removing "inappropriate sexual and/or transgender products marketed to children"; reviewing all funding for LGBT events to ensure that kids are not targeted with inappropriate sexualized content; letting its Center for Racial Equity initiative expire; ensuring that supplier diversity programs are not discriminating on the basis of race; eliminating the term "LatinX" from official communications; discontinuing "racial equity training"; and ditching the use of the term DEI.
The company has confirmed its change of course, telling the Guardian in a statement:
Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since our founding 62 years ago and continues to guide us today. We can deliver on it because we are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America. We've been on a journey and know we aren't perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers, and to be a Walmart for everyone.
Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman told CNBC that the company will no longer permit third-party sellers to sell various LGBT-themed items on the Walmart website, especially products, such as harmful chest binders, that target confused children.
Chest binders are pieces of compression clothing that flatten a woman's chest to make her more "male-presenting." They reportedly can cause breathing difficulties, chronic back pain, headaches, skin infections, broken ribs, and malformations of the spine. According to a 2021 study in the journal Pediatrics, 97% of those who use them suffer health problems as a result.
While Walmart is taking steps to shield children from LGBT propaganda and deformative apparel, it will continue to award grants and funding to LGBT events such as Pride parades.
Blakeman also confirmed that the company will no longer share data with the HRC and will wind down its Center for Racial Equity.
"Our campaigns are now so effective that we're getting the biggest companies on earth to change their policies without me even posting a story outlining their woke policies," wrote Starbuck. "Companies can clearly see that America wants normalcy back. The era of wokeness is dying right in front of our eyes. The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality. We are now the trend, not the anomaly."
'Keep up the pressure.'
Starbuck was deluged with congratulatory messages and thanks for helping Walmart find its way back to common sense.
"Great!" wrote Elon Musk.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, recently nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as American ambassador to Israel, tweeted, "Standing ovation for @robbystarbuck who is perhaps the most influential person in America restoring our culture & country to sanity! He is [fire emoji]! And thanks to @Walmart for focusing on the core business of retail. It's a gift to the customers & shareholders."
Andy Puzder, the former CEO of Hardee's, similarly thanked Starbuck and noted, "The list of actions Walmart is taking to walk away from DEI is impressive! The #1 US employer’s labor policies will once again be based on qualifications, merit and character not sex or skin color. A true win for US workers of every race & both sexes!"
"Wokeness is on its deathbed," tweeted All-American swim star Riley Gaines.
Starbuck appeared to agree with the sentiment, noting elsewhere, "Wokeness is on life support. We just have to keep up the pressure."
The Bud Light boycott demonstrated the vulnerability of corporate giants to conservative boycotts. While the threat of a repeat performance may be enough to prompt companies to act, some organizations may also be responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's June 29, 2023, decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard/UNC banning race-based college admission. The high court held that it is unconstitutional under the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause and a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for colleges and universities to factor race into the admissions process.
While some legal experts have indicated that the decision has no direct legal impact on private employers, it has nevertheless paved the way for numerous lawsuits and federal civil rights complaints targeting companies' DEI initiatives, such as the complaint America First Legal filed in September with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the kitchenware retailer Williams Sonoma.
Just weeks after the Supreme Court ruling, the attorneys general of 13 states wrote a letter reminding Fortune 100 CEOs of their obligations as employers under federal and sate law to "refrain from discriminating on the basis of race, whether under the label of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' or otherwise."
It appears that companies that depoliticize their offerings will not only maximize their market reach but possibly also minimize their legal liability in the face of increasing effective backlash.
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Biden Admin’s ‘Woke’ Housing Agenda Faces Rude Awakening Under Republican Control
'DEI programs masquerade as fairness while instead fostering division, inefficiency, and discrimination,' said Rep. Michael Cloud.Campus Crusade for Christ’s ‘Diversity Team’ sent a ridiculous post-election note — to BIPOC only
Campus Crusade for Christ, also known as Cru, is a college organization whose mission is reportedly to connect people to Jesus Christ. However, as of late, it seems that it's been more interested in connecting students with the woke agenda.
“They were basically presenting theological liberalism, political liberalism, as a viable option for their ministry leaders, things like pronoun politeness, they even presented affirmation of transgenderism, not as Cru’s own position, but as a position that some Christians might hold, and, of course, they have been very supportive of the social racial justice movement over the past few years,” Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” comments.
After Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, things got even stranger — specifically with Cru’s “Oneness and Diversity” national team.
“After the election, they kind of played this mushy middle role that they’ve been playing for a while, pretending that voting for Kamala Harris is like a viable option for Christians and that we should refer to the sadness of Christians and feel for the sadness of Christians who are disappointed that Kamala Harris — who rabidly and enthusiastically supported abortion through all nine months of pregnancy — lost,” Stuckey says.
This “Oneness and Diversity” team also reportedly sent out a post-election letter, reportedly addressed only to its list of minority and BIPOC staff members. The letter was titled “Oneness is a truth and a journey.”
“The letter sought to help them with the spectrum of feelings following Trump’s victory but mostly focused on feelings of anger and grief. So the problem is first that they sent it out to racial minorities only, and this is just something that we see in the legacy of 2020,” Stuckey explains.
“A lot of Christian leaders doing this, pretending that black and brown Christians have to get one message, and it’s a message of comfort and I would say coddling, and then the white members have to get another message and that is a message of ‘You bear all of the sins and the responsibilities of everyone who has roughly the same skin color as you,’” she continues.
“Which, of course, is just not the gospel. The truth is that both sides need to hear, ‘You are responsible for your actions, you are not responsible for the sins of your ancestors, you’re not responsible even for the victories and successes of your ancestors, you are not judged by these things, but you are judged by your own heart,’” she adds.
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Getting on a plane for Thanksgiving? You might want to read this first
Last week, a new Blaze Originals dropped. Titled “Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster,” the documentary exposes the internal rot of America’s aviation industry. The reality is, our skies aren’t as safe as they used to be. In the last year alone, the number of “close calls” — meaning that planes narrowly avoided crashing into each other — surged to three per week.
What happened?
While there are numerous factors contributing to this decline, there’s one issue that stands out among the rest — the Federal Aviation Administration has infused DEI into its hiring system.
Stu Burguiere tells Glenn Beck just how insane the policies are.
Because of DEI policies that unfairly weed out qualified would-be air traffic controllers, our current air traffic controllers are “overworked” because nearly every control tower in the country is severely “understaffed,” Stu explains.
Further, these policies are specifically “blocking white males from getting these jobs,” he tells Glenn.
Flying an aircraft “is a matter of life and death,” says Glenn. “This DEI stuff ... it's death! It should be [spelled] DIE.”
“In the end, [death] is what happens when you have unqualified people building bridges, flying planes, being your eyes in the sky,” he adds.
“I talked to a guy in the documentary who took the merit-based test to become an air traffic controller and got a 100 on it — a perfect score. Then they added another test called the biographical exam,” says Stu.
“It had really weird questions,” like, “Did you perform well in science in high school?” and, “If you say, ‘Yes, I did well in science in high school,’ you get penalized,” he explains. “To [the FAA], you're less likely to be a minority if you did well in science in high school, so you get punished for doing well in a subject that obviously would relate to what you’re doing.”
The man who made a perfect score on the merit-based test ended up “not getting the job,” likely because the biographical exam pinned him as a white male.
“Now [he’s] suing the government over it,” says Stu.
Glenn is horrified but not surprised by all of this. In fact, he was just on a flight that nearly crashed into another plane. To hear the harrowing story of how his plane suddenly “rocketed up” unexpectedly, watch the clip above.
“Blaze Originals: Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster” is available now on BlazeTV. If you’re not already a subscriber, go to BlazeOriginals.com and start a seven-day free trial. Use code DEI for $30 off your first year of BlazeTV+.
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