How to push back against DEI policies
Helen Pluckrose, founder of Counterweight, is rightly known for her intellectual critique of identity politics. But she has also had a wealth of experience of talking with ordinary people as they try and navigate this new world of speech codes and policing thought. She has put her insights and knowledge together in a handbook, which DDU supporter Graeme Kemp reviews here.
Anyone familiar with Helen Pluckrose’s previous bestseller Cynical Theories (co-authored with James Lindsay) will not be disappointed by her latest offering, The Counterweight Handbook. In her new book, Pluckrose offers some relevant strategies and techniques for pushing back against the destructive ‘woke’ or ‘social justice’ ideology in the workplace or education system. This includes the imposition of dubious Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) agendas on employees.
Such ‘progressive’ ideologies can seem hard to object to. Who could resist ideas that aim to make life fairer for everyone? Shouldn’t organisations be obliged to make the workplace welcoming for everyone? As Pluckrose notes at the start of the book:
Isn’t DEI just a natural extension of that obligation? It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this book that the answer is no. In practice, diversity, equity and inclusion are inextricably connected with an illiberal, authoritarian ideology.
You don’t necessarily need to know the ins and outs of the highly speculative theory of Critical Social Justice on which many DEI policies are based. But Pluckrose provides a clear summary of its main features for those who wish to know more. Some basic questions are worth asking of anyone seeking to implement such a policy. We could ask why we would assume every minority in the workplace feels unwelcome or excluded. Is there any evidence of discrimination or derogatory conduct by members of staff? If there are, could there not be other ways of addressing the offending conduct? Is wholesale training that assumes racism is an inherent toxin ever-present within a person’s skin/DNA the best way to encourage a positive workplace ethos where employees are encouraged to relate as co-workers rather than as isolated individuals defined by ethnicity? Is the problem really one of racism, or poor communication or management?
So, what is the answer?
Helen Pluckrose was a founder of Counterweight, an organisation that sought to help employees and companies deal practically with the problems created by such DEI policies, which essentially demand compliance or assent to beliefs that may not be shared by everyone, or the majority, irrespective of skin colour. Beliefs such as a view of the world born in Western elite universities is shared by all members of an ethnic group, for example. Or the fact that our unconscious biases are not necessarily wholly irrational, and nor do they automatically map onto conscious conduct. Detailed sample letters for a range of issues you may wish to question are provided and the sections on stating concerns and choosing a personal response, with exemplary case studies, are especially helpful.
Her advice to consider evaluating situations from Code Green (where you may need to simply request information about planned training and evaluate it) up to the serious Code Red situation encourages reflection, which, in turn, can help you to set the terms of discussion rather than being constantly responding. Oftentimes it may be more helpful to avoid (at least initially) confronting the substantive content of DEI policies, such as whether white supremacy or transgender identity exists, and rather claims the broader right to hold a dissenting view – the right to say ‘I disagree’. You may not stop the policy, but you will have provided an example for others and encourage others who also dislike the policy to speak up in the future.
As Helen Pluckrose explains about the importance of confronting Critical Social Justice thinking:
Even though the movement is too divorced from reality, chaotic, contradictory, ethically inconsistent and alienating to survive, it has done a great deal of damage socially and will likely do a lot more before it falls. (Page 172).
If more individuals feel a bit more confident about voicing their questions and objections, The Counterweight Handbook will have made a most welcome contribution.
Graeme Kemp is a former civil servant and teacher who has worked in different roles in education from the south coast of England to Scotland. As well as Don’t Divide Us, he has contributed reviews to The Equiano Project and the Bournbrook Magazine. He is proud to currently live in the Midlands.
The Counterweight Handbook: Principled Strategies for Surviving and Defeating Social Justice Ideology – at Work, in Schools and Beyond by Helen Pluckrose is published by Swift Press. Buy it here.
