Examining'ReverseRacism'fromtheDilemmaofDEIintheUnitedStates_GuangmingOnlineOnJanuary17th,NikkiHaley,arivalofTrumpwithintheparty,saidinaninterviewthattheUnitedStateshasneverbeenaracistcountry.Aftertheinterviewaired,itquicklysparkedridiculeandquestioningfromthepublic.IntheUnitedStates,theissueofracialdiscriminationisaperennialtopic,yetitstillhasthepowertostirupthepoliticallandscape.ThereasonisthatAmericansocietylacksaunifiedansweronhowtoaddressracialdiscriminationandsolutionslikeDEI(Diversity,Equity,andInclusion).Recently,Ackman,aHarvardUniversityalumnusandbillionairedonor,publishedalengthyarticlecriticizingHarvard'sDEIsystemaftertheresignationoftheAfricanAmericanpresidentGuydueto"anti-Semiticissues."Inthearticle,heslammedHarvard'sDEIsystemasaformof"reverseracism"againstwhitepeople.Thislengthyarticlegarnered28millionviewsand73,000likesonthesocialmediaplatformXwithinjustoneday,anditwassharedbyfigureslikeTeslaCEOMusk.DEIstandsforDiversity,Equity,andInclusion.Itisaprogramaimedatpromotingfairtreatmentandfullparticipationofallindividualsinworkplacesandeducationalinstitutions,withthegoalofincreasingtherepresentationofhistoricallymarginalizedgroupssuchasstudentsoremployeesoncampusorintheworkplace.TheCivilRightsActof1964,passedduringtheAmericancivilrightsmovement,becamethelegalguaranteefortheimplementationofthisprogram.Infact,sincethe1960s,thisprogramhasbeenplayingaroleintheUSgovernment,universities,andbusinesses,quicklybecomingoneofthewaysAmericansocietyseekstoaddresssystemicracismandotherformsofsystemicdiscrimination.Inthe21stcentury,theabbreviationDEIgraduallygainedpopularity.In2020,thedeathsofAfricanAmericanyouthssuchasGeorgeFloyd,BreonnaTaylor,andAhmaudArberyledtowavesofprotestsagainsttheunfairtreatmentofAfricanAmericans,promptingmanycompaniestoprioritizeactiveDEIinitiatives.AccordingtoTheEconomist,three-quartersofcompaniesintheSP500indexhaveappointeddiversityofficers,andover40%ofcompanieshavesetgoalstoincreaseracialdiversityamongtheiremployees.However,since2023,themomentumofDEI,whichhadbeenexperiencingasurgeindevelopment,suddenlyloststeam.InJune2023,theUSSupremeCourtruledthatrace-basedaffirmativeactionincollegeadmissionswasunconstitutional,meaningthatcollegeswouldnolongerbeabletogivespecialconsiderationtominoritystudentsintheadmissionsprocess.Thisrulinghadasignificantimpact,with40billsrestrictingDEIinitiativesinpublicuniversitiesbeingenactedin22statesbyJulyofthesameyear.Thehard-wonmeasuresforequalitywerethusevaporated.Atonepoint,theterm"DEI"hasbeenframedbyopponentsastheculpritbehindcurrenteconomicandsocialissuesintheUnitedStates.AsAckmanstatedinhislengthyarticle,DEIonlypursues"equityofoutcomes"ratherthan"equityofopportunity,"resultinginreversediscriminationagainstwhitepeople.AccordingtoFortunemagazine,injust2023,DEIbecamethescapegoatfortheOhiotrainderailment,thebankruptcyofaSiliconValleybank,andtherecentincidentsof"anti-Semitism"oncollegecampuses.Ofcourse,DEIcannotbetherootcauseofallproblems.Inreality,theOhiotrainderailmentexposedissuessuchasinadequateinvestmentininfrastructureandlackofsafetyregulationintheUnitedStates,thebankruptcyoftheSiliconValleybankisrelatedtotheFederalReserve'saggressiveinterestratehikepolicylastyear,andtheturmoilinAmericanuniversitiesisamicrocosmofethnichatredandsocialdivisionintheUnitedStates.IfwefollowthethinkingofDEIopponents,thefocusoftheproblembecomes"equityofoutcomes"versus"equityofopportunity"-whichoneisfairer,trulyfair?However,thinkingabouttheprobleminthiswayleadstoaparadox:minoritieswhoareaccusedofhavingmoreopportunitiesthanwhitepeopleactuallyendurefarworsesocio-economicconditionsthanwhitepeople.Evenwhenlookingatthe"outcomes,"racialwealthdisparityintheUnitedStatescontinuestowiden,withpeopleofcolorhistoricallyfacingbarrierstoemployment.AccordingtotheStatistaGlobalStatisticsDatabasereport,in2021,19.5%ofAfricanAmericansintheUnitedStateslivedbelowthepovertyline,whilethepovertyrateforwhitepeoplewasonly8.2%.InMay2022,scholarsfromPrincetonUniversityintheUnitedStatesandtheUniversityofBonninGermanyjointlypublishedastudypointingoutthatthelargesteconomicinequalitybetweenwhitepeopleandAfricanAmericansintheUnitedStatesisreflectedintheracialwealthgap,whichhaslongremainedstableat6:1.Inrecentmonths,thewidespreadresistancetoDEIhasledtoachillingeffect,withafurtherreductionintheavailabilityofdiversityofficersandsimilarpositionsprovidedbycompanies.Accordingtostatistics,theproportionofventurecapitalobtainedbyAfricanAmericanandLatinxfemaleentrepreneursbrieflyexceededthethresholdof1.05%in2021buthasnowfallenbacktobelow1%.Inthissituation,whatisthepointofdiscussingthemeritsof"equityofoutcomes"versus"equityofopportunity"?(ThisarticleiscontributedbyLinZiou,correspondentatGuangmingDaily)Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.