Is Diversity a Job Qualification?

The answer to that question should be an obvious “no” but sadly it has become, in a world of “woke” political correctness, a resounding “yes.”  And yet, what does someone’s identity group membership have to do with whether or not one can perform the tasks of a specific job or enter an institution that will educate one for future jobs?

Back when I was first looking for work in the late 60s, as a woman there were very few jobs available to me, not because I could not do the work, but simply because of my gender.  African-Americans faced similar limitations at the time because of the color of their skin. 

This was frustrating and disheartening, but people worked hard, spoke to their government both softly and loudly and things began to change.  And so, as I really settled into a career I had far more choices open to me and for the most part felt that, as an applicant, I would be judged on the quality of my ability to perform the job and not simply because of my sex.  The same began to be true for people of color and others who had been discriminated against because of some immutable characteristic.

And yes, I realize there is still a way to go in some areas, but the point is that we were beginning, at least in the work force and in higher education to begin judging people not by their gender or the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  We were beginning to move toward that ideal voiced by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  People could work hard and succeed based on that work; their success or lack thereof would not be because of characteristics with which they were born and could do nothing about.

And then something happened.  The progress toward that ideal of Dr. King stopped.  We again began judging people by those immutable characteristics.  We started placing people into identity groups and we wanted to be sure we had enough members from each group in anyplace where we could show off numbers.  It now became different groups who had the advantage and the disadvantage.  Businesses and schools wanted to show their positive numbers of minority groups, to prove their political correctness.  Everyone wanted to show their diversity.

So, now perhaps the White male, fully qualified, will be overlooked for the woman or for someone of color.  The heterosexual female may be less favored than the homosexual or bisexual female or male.  Victimhood becomes a plus.  These become qualifying factors, more important than actual ability.

At least in the past when certain groups were denied jobs or education, it was because, however wrongly so, those in charge believed that something about that person’s immutable characteristic made him or her less capable of performing the required tasks.  Now members of certain identifiable groups are denied simply because they are a member of that disfavored group or not a member of one that is favored by those in charge, those making the rules of political correctness and identity politics.

In Soviet Russia individuals were denied promotions, education, and other benefits simply because they were not a member of the Party.  The need of the Left, the “woke” ones, to make decisions based on membership in this or that identity group in order to further a political agenda is not that different.  Their “wokeness” is a clear form of the discrimination that they claim to detest.  It is detrimental to the individuals who are discriminated against simply because they are in the wrong identity group and also detrimental to the people who will be served by those who may or may not be the most competent for the job but who received their promotion or education or other benefit based on membership and not on valid job criteria.

So, now, rather than “Blacks or Women need not apply” we have “only those who meet politically correct diversity requirements need apply.”  It’s the same thing.  It’s discrimination.  And it has nothing to do with whether or not someone has the skills necessary for that to which he or she is applying.