DEI policies are embarrassing to begin with — I'd be horrified to tell people I got a job based on anything but merit — but taking these rules that some twisted minds in the United States came up with and applying them to (or forcing them upon) cultures around the world is just downright ridiculous.
Thankfully, Marco Rubio and our State Department think so too, and they announced on Thursday that the agency is putting "an end to the ideologically extreme and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, restoring merit, rigor, and accountability to the Foreign Service and refocusing training on practical diplomatic skills that serve the common interests of the American people."
According to the State Department, under the Joe Biden Administration, the "DEI agenda was embedded in the institutional culture of the Foreign Service." Here's more:
DEI objectives and materials shamefully denigrated the United States, derided Americans of certain backgrounds, and distracted from legitimate foreign policy objectives that serve the American people. Under the Trump Administration, the State Department has eliminated DEI ideology from Foreign Service training to better uphold the highest standards of American diplomacy.
So, how exactly did the Biden Administration incorporate DEI into the training curricula and other personnel materials used at the State Department? Oh, let us count the ways.
Apparently, there was a DEI reading list for foreign instructors that included books and material on Critical Race Theory, including Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and the Rules of Engagement; In Defense of Looting, How White Women Tears Oppress People of Color, The Case for Reparations; and How to be Anti-Racist in Humanitarian Aid. The department states that the list "promoted division among America’s diplomats, insulted the American people, and damaged mission effectiveness."
Additionally, Foreign Service course instructors received an "inclusivity guide," which basically taught them how to incorporate DEI into the workplace. It promoted "International Pronoun Day" (that's a real thing?) and incorporated "fanciful 'non-binary pronouns,'" like "Ze," "Zir," and "Zirs" into its materials. There was even an article discussing ways to "cope with being accused of microaggression."
They also received a toolkit with training on "white privilege" and "systematic racism" in foreign languages. Apparently, "Trainings included 'Let’s Talk About Black Lives Matter in Bangla,' a discussion on systemic racism in Urdu, an exercise on integrating 'Black Lives Matter' terminology into Hebrew lessons, and a roleplaying exercise on 'race and racism' in the United States and foreign countries."
Side note: That's about as dumb as phrases like "Latinx." As someone who deals daily with people from Latin America, I can assure you that the majority of them don't care for that and/or don't even know what it is. Those who do feel it bastardizes their beautiful Spanish language. As a matter of fact, El Salvador and Peru have even gone as far as to ban that type of "gender-neutral" language in schools, Argentina has taken steps to remove it from public discourse, and at least one state in Mexico has moved to prioritize standard Spanish in its schools.
Foreign Service Officers had a DEI promotion metric they could fill by "urging diplomats to discuss DEI issues with high-level foreign government counterparts, demonstrate 'allyship,' and 'acquire more DEIA knowledge on your own' instead of depending on 'others from historically marginalized groups to teach you.'" In case you're wondering, DEIA stands for "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility."
Foreign Service orientation, which lasts about five weeks, included an entire day and a half dedicated to DEI instruction. A five-day Foundations of Public Diplomacy course required a full day of DEI fun.
State Department officials also had a vocabulary list of DEI terms to avoid using. For example, they could not say "illegal alien" when discussing illegal immigration because it was considered "problematic." They were also instructed to "practice 'microaffirmations' to mitigate their 'unconscious bias' and 'microaggressions.'"
I had to look up what "microaffirmations" are. I couldn't help myself. According to the website Culture Ally, they are "small, intentional actions or comments that show respect, inclusion, and appreciation. Think of them as the antidote to microaggressions: simple but powerful ways to make others feel valued."
For some reason, I pictured a guy standing at his bathroom mirror yelling at himself for being a white male or something and telling himself everyone else is better than him.
Anyway, I got a headache just writing about all of this. Who has time to come up with these silly things?
"America’s diplomats are the nation’s first line of defense against hostile powers, terrorists, deadly narcotics smuggling, illegal immigration, and other threats to the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people," the State Department concluded in its fact sheet, adding that it is "implementing modernization reforms to the Foreign Service and invites all Americans with the skill and spirit to represent our nation around the world to apply to join the U.S. Foreign Service."
Imagine that — Foreign Service Officers who simply represent the United States rather than going around shouting pronouns at everyone and telling them their language is racist.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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