What Republicans really mean when they blame 'DEI'
What Republicans really mean when they blame 'DEI'
Referencing DEI is the new rightwing abstraction deployed by Republicans to conceal their anti-Black racism
Summary
The term "DEI" (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) has become a coded way for Republicans to conceal their anti-Black racism, echoing past racist dog whistles.
This parallels with Lee Atwater’s 1981 admission that conservatives used abstract terms like “states’ rights” to mask racism.
Today, figures like Alina Habba, Tim Burchett, and far-right influencers use "DEI hire" to discredit qualified Black figures.
The media's failure to challenge this rhetoric allows racism to persist, making "DEI" a modern substitute for explicit racial slurs.
![[Opinion] What Republicans really mean when they blame 'DEI' | Mehdi Hasan](https://midwest.social/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.guim.co.uk%2Fimg%2Fmedia%2F491468491f3958b039d061fdda531348b8b0f95b%2F0_0_3000_1800%2Fmaster%2F3000.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D630%26quality%3D85%26auto%3Dformat%26fit%3Dcrop%26overlay-align%3Dbottom%252Cleft%26overlay-width%3D100p%26overlay-base64%3DL2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n%26enable%3Dupscale%26s%3Dcd299021b85df3d6b72b23b3156005b2&format=webp&thumbnail=196)
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DEI, Woke, Left, Commie, etc are all the same word to them. There will be a new one too don't worry. It always means "stuff I don't personally like for either a religious or hateful reason and you can't convince me otherwise" and it's just a boogeyman of stories and ideas that never actually happen irl but somehow get quoted and shared around as if it were a real thing and then uninformed people get scared and vote for strong daddy man.
It's so dumb and telegraphed, make it stop already.
Meanwhile, people on the Left will spend weeks arguing the difference between Socialist and Social Democrat.
Yeah... the nitpicking in-fighting from people that spend waaaaay too much time delineating groups rather than working for a common cause was particularly fun in the last election. "We're not the Judean People's Front! We're the People's Front of Judea!"
Yet god forbid you recognize that fascism cones in different flavors than Nazism. Mussolini was not a nazi nor was Peron yet both were fascists
If you're going to put words in my mouth, please serve them with fries and a side salad.
My point is how leftists will spend a lot of time differentiating between the various types of leftism but seemingly don’t get that all fascists are not Nazis.
I think I understand your point now.
I saw a lot of people going off on how Genocide Joe was as bad as Hitler, and they could never vote for him.
Haven't heard too much from them lately.
It’s more how if you point out Trump’s actions are more in line with Orban and Mussolini rather than the Nazis you get called a Nazi sympathizer rather than just being better informed on fascist philosophy/beliefs/delusions.
I wouldn't bother; it's a distinction without a difference.
There’s a significant difference as most fascists do not engage in attempts to eliminate parts of humanity in order to facilitate the creation of a master race. Not all fascists are that level of crazy.
Reminds me of an old joke.
They ask Brezhnev about Stalin. Leonid says that Stalin was completely insane and that he'd let 50 million people die before he changed one of his policies.
"If five million people died because of me, that would make me reconsider."
You're absolutely correct, but I prefer "Nazi" solely because that word specifically has it's own level of disgust to me, and I want to convey that level of disgust for republicans. No other shorthand carries the proper emotional connotation for me.
What's there to talk about? Leftists kept trying to tell you that the Democrats were going to lose the election if they didn't start listening to their base. The Democrats didn't listen to their base, and got walloped everywhere.
And if you're a Leftist and didn't go all in helping the Dems, you've got exactly nothing to be proud of.
I donated to Bernie in 2016 and 2020 and 2024 and every time the Left managed not to organize and get him nominated.