When Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris recently announced their senior White House communication team appointees, pro-equality proponents heralded it as a great step forward in their never ending quest for “diverse perspectives.”
But here’s the thing.
The team couldn’t be any less diverse
In fact, each of the seven appointees is a woman.
Yes, two are lesbians and two are African Americans, but they’re all liberal and female, which begs the question…
Is “diversity” really the aim?
“Diversity” Defined
According to Dictionary.com, diversity is defined in part as:
But as you may have noticed, one painfully obvious metric of diversity is conspicuously absent – GENDER.
Though the folks who crafted the definition probably aren’t in cahoots with Biden’s transition team, their omission is particularly telling.
One wonders how those who purport to champion “equality” and “diversity” can’t (or won’t) see the obvious hypocrisy.
America the Diverse
According to a recent Pew Research Center study, the gap between left and right leaning men and women has been widening for decades.
It found that about:
- 55% of women identify as Democrat
- 44% of men identify as Democrat
At the time of the last census, the male population in the United States was approximately 166 million (49.4%), while females numbered just shy of 170 million (50.6%).
A little elementary arithmetic reveals that Biden and Harris’ “diverse” communications team relegates the following swaths of the American electorate to voiceless obscurity:
- More than 94 million voting age Republican or non-party affiliated women
- More than 117 million voting age Republican or non-party affiliated men
In other words, more than ⅓ of the population is excluded, and that’s not taking into account other groups like:
- Asian Americans – 17 million
- Native Americans – 5 million
- Veterans – 17 million
One Giant Step for Womankind?
In a recent self-congratulatory statement, Joe Biden said that his appointments mark the first time in history that top White House communications roles will be filled exclusively by women.
Translation – a total lack of diversity is okay as long as it’s skewed toward women.
In a November 2019 article in Forbes.com titled Why Your Lack of Diversity Is Hurting Your Business, author Lisa Curtis makes the following statements –
- Intuitively, we know that diversity is important for human progress
- Different perspectives lead to better innovation and create a more interesting, happier world
- Diversity isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have for businesses that want to stay competitive
Few would argue that her statements aren’t true, but couldn’t (and shouldn’t) the same principles apply to government?
Shouldn’t human progress, innovation, a happier world, and competitiveness be key elements of every government’s platform, regardless of which party is in power?
Sadly, it comes as no surprise that Curtis is an avid Biden and Harris supporter, as evidenced by the following Tweets:
And this:
I’d love to interview Lisa Curtis.
Though I’ll never get the chance, if I did I’d start with the following statement and questions:
From your Forbes article it’s clear that you consider diversity an imperative element of successful businesses.
(Here I’d pause for affirmation)
That said, isn’t diversity good for presidential communication teams as well?
(Here I’d pause for either affirmation or waffling)
And if it is, will you put politics aside and call Joe Biden and Kamala Harris out for the striking lack of diversity in their communications team?
Gosh, I wonder how she’d respond.
Just What Barriers Are Being Shattered?
In yet another example of their willingness to pander to her oblivious supporters, Kamala Harris recently Tweeted the following:
Most of her statement is spot-on, but to what kind of “barrier-shattering” is she referring?
Plenty of women have held positions of much greater power than the aforementioned communications appointees.
Here we’re talking about –
- Janet Reno – the first woman Attorney General from 1993 until 2001
- Madeleine Albright – the first woman Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001
- Condoleeza Rice – first black woman Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009
- Nancy Pelosi – the first woman Speaker of the House in 2007
It’s clear that the only barrier Biden and Harris really shattered, is one that shouldn’t be shattered at all.
More Examples of What Diversity Isn’t
1. Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team
On December 19 the official Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Twitter account Tweeted the following message:
Today, President-elect Biden announced additional members of the White House communications & press staff.
These talented individuals demonstrate the president-elect’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America & is day one ready.
“Looks like America”?
Sorry Joe and Kamala, but America isn’t 100% liberal and female.
2. Barbara Simon
In November 2020, Barbara Simon, news and campaigns head at LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD, said the following in a statement to The Wrap:
“Including queer women of color in the history-making, all-female communications team shows a commitment to a White House where all are welcome at the table.”
But clearly all aren’t welcome at the table, especially men.
3. Rita Sampson
In an article titled Driving Toward Diversity: How a Diverse Workforce Makes Us All More Secure from February 2019, Rita Sampson, Chief of IC Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity (IC EEOD) within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said the following:
“When you’re talking about diversity and inclusion in the Intelligence Community, it’s not just a nice thing to have – it’s necessary.”
Yet according to the same article, interagency Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were established to encourage intelligence workers to advocate on behalf of “marginalized” groups through diversity-centered presentations, training, mentoring and panel discussions.
These ERGs included:
- African American Affinity Network (AAAN)
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Affinity Network (APAN)
- IC Pride (LGBTA)
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Network (DHH)
- Women in Intelligence Network (WIN)
- Latino Intelligence Network (LINK)
Again, if diversity is so critical to national security, why are men excluded – even minority men?
Orwellian Logic Applied to Diversity
In George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984, the totalitarian government known as “Big Brother” propagandized the oppressed masses with the following claims:
- War is peace
- Freedom is slavery
- Ignorance is strength
Perhaps if he were alive today and working on a sequel, Orwell would coin a new term:
Exclusivity is diversity.
