The Perversion of Diversity
“Diversity” is a buzz word you’re likely to hear in the professional and political worlds. In fact, corporations spend millions of dollars in diversity training each year in an effort to show their companies are committed to hiring minority candidates and promote racially tolerant work environments. Unfortunately, what diversity should ideally accomplish has been discarded, and the word weaponized to achieve a different agenda.
Most people would probably agree that in American society, someone should not be disqualified from a job based on the immutable characteristics of race and gender. Conversly, someone should not be hired into a job based solely on the same immutable characteristics. Both statements must be true or the inverse of either statement undercuts the achievement of equality and merit in the workplace. However, diversity, as it is generally applied and understood in most settings, supports the former statement while discarding the latter.
Dr.Richard Lapchik–author of this ESPN article and lead researcher in a related study–published a report card on diversity in athletic college leadership. Contained in the report record–are the grades of C for racial hiring practices and F for gender hiring practices–for an overall grade of D. Thus, Lapchick summarizes his findings,
“A student in any of these institutions of higher education would either be expelled or put on probation with this record.”
Pretty damning stuff. Lapchick quantifies his findings by noting that in positions of leadership (positions are characterized as President, ADs, Commissioners, and Coaches) white men (devils) hold 337 of the available 395 positions or 85.4 percent. Conversely, Blacks hold 29 (7.3%); Latinos 19 (4.8%); Asians 9 (2.3%); and Women 77 (19.5%). Well there it is in black and white (no pun intended) through the prism of sports, we can clearly see the deep racism that permeates the United States.
There’s only one problem, Lapchick is proving that intelligence is not a requirement for a PhD. When analyzing data, the first thing a researcher learns is that correlation does not equal causation. Here’s an example, when ice cream sales go up; crime rates go up. On its face, it may be tempting for someone to infer that ice cream sales are causing an increasing crime rate. However, that would only be a true statement if you control for all the other variables. Namely, the weather. If it’s warm outside, it would stand to reason that people are more active outside and are more likely to commit crime. In additon, more people are likely to buy ice cream in the warm months; thus the two variables are related (correlated), but we can’t say that the increase in ice cream sales are causing the crime rate to go up.
While claiming that his report card is the definitive assessment of hiring practices of women and people of color, Lapchick mistakes correlation for causation. Either Lapchick is in the late stages of cognitive decline or he is willfully ignoring this fundamental principle of claiming generalizations; and the answer is most likely the latter. This is because a segment of our society has perverted the intention of diversity.
Numerous studies have shown that diversity is beneficial in any company or professional setting. However, the question is, what kinds of diversity are beneficial? The studies I’m referring too, are those that bring a diversity of ideas and not a diversity of immutable characteristics. Ask yourself this question; if you had to select a group of people to solve a problem, how would you select the group? Select people possessing the necessary skills to generate different ideas on how to solve the problem or select people based on their skin color, ethnic background, sexual orientation, and gender. If you selected the first option, congratulations, you have a functioning brain. Having a diversity of ideas prevents groupthink, but a diversity based on immutable characteristics creates groupthink. It’s a fundamental principle of intersectionality theory, and Lapchick uses it to bias his own findings.
What Lapchick chooses to ignore is the fundamental goal of college and professional sports, winning. It’s the alpha and omega; and sports is the ultimate meritocracy. Talent does not tolerate discrimination. Is it really so hard to believe that with billions of dollars at stake, these sports institutions are hiring those they believe will actually win? Are we really to believe that somehow teams would be better if they just had more black men or women in leadership positions? As if the skin color or specific sex organ of the coach makes the difference between a kicker making or missing the game-winning field goal. But that is the world the Lapchick and his peers want us to believe we live in. They are nothing more than ideologues who will sacrifice basic scientific truths at the altar of perverse diversity.
Originally published at throwemopen.com on October 19, 2018.
