DEI Is No Substitute For Merit
The fundamental flaws of DEI are premised on two immutable facts of life: gender and inequality, which is why the argument by DEI promoter Siyanda Magayana of Free State University (The Mercury, February 25) is nonsense.
The existence of two genders throughout creation is normal, standard, and institutionalised. But nowhere in creation is there equality. Nature knows no equality. Inequality is a fact of life, evident from birth to death.
Insisting, as Magayana does, that those who differ in some or other way should now be regarded as a separate but equal species is not going to fly. The reason is a simple reality: merit. It does not exclude disability or diversity. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, is confined to a wheelchair. He was elected as Governor based on merit.
The marginalised rightly expect merit from those who may administer medical, legal, or some other service to them. They would not appreciate that their doctor or pilot held his post merely on the basis of DEI.
Magayana and her ilk double down on prejudice shown towards DEI. But has it occurred to her that to prioritise DEI in the allocation of posts or positions constitutes prejudice against someone of merit, experience or skill?
US Chief Justice John Roberts, back in 2007, produced the answer to racial discrimination. He said, “The way to end racial discrimination is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
The way to end this nonsense about DEI is to stop discriminating on the basis of DEI and accept that there is no substitute for merit, irrespective of gender, race, religion, or disability.
