January 7, 2025

George Tristan Opinion

Progressivism is defined as “a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform.” Many progressives identify themselves as social justice warriors (SJW), activists who largely focus on the perceived discrimination of marginalized people groups. The term used in today’s lexicon to brand radical progressivism is “woke-ism.” People who are “woke” are said to possess a broader understanding of existing social inequities and champion the fight to reengineer societal norms. The religion of progressivism implies progress; in truth, it does not achieve this goal. I argue that progressivism is regressive and that if not restrained will lead to the further erosion in the greatness of American exceptionalism.

Progressives naturally align with the Democratic Party, and conservatives with the Republican Party. These two opposing political forces vie to establish and implement very different worldviews. The conservative’s worldviewtakes great pride in America and its storied history.  Conservatives believe that the American dream is achieved on the basis of meritocracy, earned by way of hard work and perseverance, not by holding some down while giving others with immutable differences an unfair or undeserved advantage.

Progressives hold a starkly contrasting worldview that believes America should bear great shame for the sins of our past and present. Several prominent Democrat members of Congress have supported H.R. 40, a bill that would create a commission to study the establishment of reparations for slavery. Radical Democrats supported Black Lives Matter’s calls to defund the police. Progressives are also squarely behind the transgender phenomenon. The sum of these battlefronts is rooted in identity politics, or the targeted victimization of people groups, which has resulted in an astronomical fracture of American culture and politics that many suggest has Marxist ideological undertones.

The empirical truths are that America is not systemically racist, all lives matter, and cops keep us safe. America did the right thing, ending slavery by way of the Civil War. Furthermore, Congress enacted the hard-fought Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended discrimination on the basis of race or national origin. Since that time, minorities have attained the highest accolades and prominence in all American institutions (government, corporate, military, education, sports, entertainment), including the presidency.

Over the past decade has risen a manifestation of discrimination called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the tentacles of which have permutations in all of our American institutions. The policies of diversity, equity and inclusion provide preferential treatment to people based on race, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Seemingly virtuous, these are in reality blatantly discriminatory and, in practice, violate the constitutionally protected rights of equal protection enshrined in the 14th Amendment.

For those currently working under an employer- implemented DEI program, they are required to address transgender co-employees by their self-identified names, gender and pronouns. And those employees who hold conservative values, believe that gender is binary, or, more fundamentally, believe in basic science, are at risk of being fired from their jobs if they do not comply. This practice, in essence, is compelled speech and in violation of the First Amendment. Personally, I find this very reminiscent of how Americans were treated during the pandemic.

This year, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on an employment discrimination case that could add fuel to the debate over corporate DEI programs. Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Services involves a “reverse discrimination” claim. The lawsuit alleges that members of a majority group were discriminated against in favor of members of a minority group.

Over the past two years, several large companies have either scaled back or abandoned aspects of their DEI programs amid political pressure, legal challenges, or shifts in corporate strategy. Notable examples include Boeing, John Deere, Walmart, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Toyota, Tractor Supply, and Microsoft. In addition, these corporations are electing not to continue participating in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Corporate Equity Index, a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to LGBTQ employees.

My final thought is of the obvious hypocrisy of DEI and progressivism. In the interests of self-preservation, doesn’t everyone expect airlines and hospitals to hire the very best pilots and surgeons, solely based on their skills and abilities, versus race, sexual orientation, or gender identity?