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MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

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Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#21
post #6

Although the intentions behind DEI are good such a top down approach doesn't seem to get the desired results (i.e optimal use of everyone's talent, irrespective of their colour, sex and/or identify). Unfortunately the name (and perhaps ideas?) are now tainted and I hope this doesn't impact the bottom up approaches (i.e support kids and young adults with extra classes, trainings, and in general just being chill and ac…

Were the intentions behind colonialism good, too, in your opinion?

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Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#22

The American focus on race is a bit insane to outsiders. Putting such a big focus on race in university applications is just weird. Even worse, having top universities openly discriminate against people based on their race or heritage with affirmative action or similar policies, all in the name of equality, is unbelievable to Europeans like me. What the hell is wrong with the US if a person has a worse chance to be a…

I'm European too and I can assure you that non-white people are discriminated at the admission stage to top European universities. Not via race, but via name. It's well known that universities and landlords reject people because they have a Muslim sounding name.

We have DEI in Europe too, but here it's increasingly codified into law.

Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably depends on the colonialist. I expect many were in it for money at the expense of the colonised population, but I expect just as many did it to "civilize and raise up the barbarians as good christians".

Other thought “And clean our cities of the crooked nose vermin” so it’s all good?

In practice both paths were bad in varying ways, it's just that one was paved with a disregard for others, the second paved with good intentions.

eg: Daisy Bates oozed good intentions

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bates-daisy-may-83

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Bates_(author)

and strongly put the case that:

     "As to the half-castes, however early they may be taken and trained, with very few exceptions, the only good half-caste is a dead one."
and a number of other firm opinions that spawned a regime of hugging "the good ones" to death while abusing the "in betweens".

But yeah, good intentions.

Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#25

DEI statements are culty. I see it no different than a religious fundamentalist college asking faculty to sign an oath of allegiance. At least in such a case, you can always know beforehand the BS you'll put up with, unlike secular universities that are adopting DEI statements.

There is a huge difference between trying to counter institutional prejudice in order to improve the quality of the student body and work being done, and whatever you think a religious “pledge of allegiance” is.

A pledge to God?

The mishandling of DEI doesn’t invalidate the need to fix broken systems which fail to select the best people instead of those who score highest in easily gamed and inherently biased metrics.

Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#26

DEI statements are culty. I see it no different than a religious fundamentalist college asking faculty to sign an oath of allegiance. At least in such a case, you can always know beforehand the BS you'll put up with, unlike secular universities that are adopting DEI statements.

There is a huge difference between trying to counter institutional prejudice in order to improve the quality of the student body and work being done, and whatever you think a religious “pledge of allegiance” is. A pledge to God? The mishandling of DEI doesn’t invalidate the need to fix broken systems which fail to select the best people instead of those who score highest in easily gamed and inherently biased metrics.

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Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#27

DEI statements are culty. I see it no different than a religious fundamentalist college asking faculty to sign an oath of allegiance. At least in such a case, you can always know beforehand the BS you'll put up with, unlike secular universities that are adopting DEI statements.

There is a huge difference between trying to counter institutional prejudice in order to improve the quality of the student body and work being done, and whatever you think a religious “pledge of allegiance” is. A pledge to God? The mishandling of DEI doesn’t invalidate the need to fix broken systems which fail to select the best people instead of those who score highest in easily gamed and inherently biased metrics.

> There is a huge difference between trying to counter institutional prejudice in order to improve the quality of the student body and work being done.

This is the Trojan Horse, just like the fundamentalists coming to spread peace and love in society of course.

Fortunately, people are judged by outcome and action, not stated intention, and we can see DEI has failed in this regard.

Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a huge difference between trying to counter institutional prejudice in order to improve the quality of the student body and work being done, and whatever you think a religious “pledge of allegiance” is. A pledge to God? The mishandling of DEI doesn’t invalidate the need to fix broken systems which fail to select the best people instead of those who score highest in easily gamed and inherently biased metrics.

[flagged]

The article actually doesn’t say any such thing. It simply assumes that a Chinese propaganda machine is focused only on “wokeism”. Dog forbid that they should seek to use propaganda to attack both sides - which is far more effective at spreading division.

Re: MIT abandons requirement of DEI statements for hiring and promotions

#29
post #22

The American focus on race is a bit insane to outsiders. Putting such a big focus on race in university applications is just weird. Even worse, having top universities openly discriminate against people based on their race or heritage with affirmative action or similar policies, all in the name of equality, is unbelievable to Europeans like me. What the hell is wrong with the US if a person has a worse chance to be a…

I'm European too and I can assure you that non-white people are discriminated at the admission stage to top European universities. Not via race, but via name. It's well known that universities and landlords reject people because they have a Muslim sounding name. We have DEI in Europe too, but here it's increasingly codified into law.

I can guarantee you this is not the case, at least at the uni where I‘m doing my PhD. There is no name in the admission system, it‘s done automatically by grades or tests most of the time.
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