The limits of diversity
I hate to be that guy (sometimes), but I can’t stop thinking of this argument about the limits of diversity, from scholars Adolph Reed Jr. and Walter Benn Michaels:
“the implication of [diversity] as the metric of social justice is that the society would be just if 1 percent of the population controlled 90 percent of the resources so long as 13 percent of the 1 percent were black, 14 percent were Hispanic, half were women, etc."
Their argument isn’t that racism, sexism, etc. doesn’t exist. It’s that diversity discourse is quite compatible with the violence that produces class inequality. In fact, diversity discourse can actually help to authorize the view that such violence can produce social justice.
The photo of Bernie at the inauguration did make me laugh, though.