Why are people saying this is brave? Caplan simply went with the tide in 2020, and he's going with the tide now. The anti woke momentum and voice is dramatically larger than the woke one now.
Still losing the battle though. Sadly, this stuff is as strong as ever in academia. The left always wins, three steps forward and (perhaps) one step backward, but still marches on. We are fighting a rear guard action.
Bryan did a similar thing with Ukraine. At the start of the war (when a peace deal was on the table) he rebuked Hanania for mimizing the threat of Putler and said that he can’t be appeased.
Now he says that in fact appeasement arguements aren’t that big a deal and we should prefer a bad peace if that’s all we can get.
All that changed is the level of moral panic he would have to put up with, but it’s too late for Ukraine.
This type of thinking from GMU and other universities is only possible because the terms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion all have two different meanings.
One meaning (the “Be Nice” part) is used in public debates, media, public relations for organizations, and damage control after public scandals
The hidden meaning is implemented by bureaucracy behind closed doors.
One can see this in Mark Cuban saying that the easiest way to eliminate DEI pushback is to search and delete “equality of outcome”, as if that wasn’t the very definition of “equity”. But it goes to show you that the motte and Bailey really does work.
I worked in GMU's graduate admissions departments from 2010 to 2019, and the last two or three years of that time, we went from professional development day with fun and helpful workshops on "dealing with difficult customers" and Toastmasters, to mandatory DEI exercises where you voted conservatives to be eaten by zombies (this is not an exaggeration, this is an actual exercise they made us do). It was disgusting and disheartening.
I thought GMU with its Mercatus Center was a hotbed of libertarianism.
Your account reminds me of the sexual harassment policy adopted at the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1998. Although the policy applied to both sexes, for practical purposes it was directed against men. The policy had a particularly troubling feature: Whether an act counted as sexual harassment or not depended not on the nature of the act itself but upon how the woman in question reacted to it. The act counted as sexual harassment if and only if the woman didn't welcome it. Unless a man could read a woman's mind, he couldn't predict whether a given act would be sexual harassment or not. So he couldn't predict whether the act would be a punishable offense or not.
No, the incel controversy was around 2018 if I remember correctly. During the Summer of Floyd, Hanson made an "insensitive" tweet about Juneteenth. He had to apologize for it to save his job.
When considering the benefits of this proposal, one must not forget that both committee and subcommittee meetings will often include a crudite platter and the yearly kickoff will include a mid-priced chardonnay and some cubed cheese. These are the conditions under which great minds will eradicate the scourge of racism on GMU campus.
> Since the authoritarian tide has temporarily receded, I’m now going to do what I should have done back in 2020: critique the statement line-by-line.
Wokeness hasn't just receded; it has as near as vanished into the ether as makes no difference. You are kicking at a dead horse and it's cringe.
The primary threat to the open society now comes from the Rightoid International - populists, MAGA, tradcaths, groypers, etc. and their global affiliates. It would be more productive to address that threat.
There are liberal which show great disdain for woke. That indicates to me this woke thing is a fad. Hopefully, it will disappear. Don't expect contrition. Be happy it just quietly goes away.
I suspect it will fizzle out. It will start when the pension funds tank and the financial institutions in charge of them quietly divest themselves of their diverse people and let competency assert itself.
Disney seem to be gearing up for this as everything they are doing is tanking.
Why are people saying this is brave? Caplan simply went with the tide in 2020, and he's going with the tide now. The anti woke momentum and voice is dramatically larger than the woke one now.
Yeah, this isn't brave. But it's still better for him to speak out late than to not speak out at all.
Yes, but there should be some moral searching and a real commitment to doing better in the future.
Still losing the battle though. Sadly, this stuff is as strong as ever in academia. The left always wins, three steps forward and (perhaps) one step backward, but still marches on. We are fighting a rear guard action.
Bryan did a similar thing with Ukraine. At the start of the war (when a peace deal was on the table) he rebuked Hanania for mimizing the threat of Putler and said that he can’t be appeased.
Now he says that in fact appeasement arguements aren’t that big a deal and we should prefer a bad peace if that’s all we can get.
All that changed is the level of moral panic he would have to put up with, but it’s too late for Ukraine.
This type of thinking from GMU and other universities is only possible because the terms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion all have two different meanings.
One meaning (the “Be Nice” part) is used in public debates, media, public relations for organizations, and damage control after public scandals
The hidden meaning is implemented by bureaucracy behind closed doors.
I go into more detail here:
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/understanding-diversity-equity-and
Masterful, as always!
One can see this in Mark Cuban saying that the easiest way to eliminate DEI pushback is to search and delete “equality of outcome”, as if that wasn’t the very definition of “equity”. But it goes to show you that the motte and Bailey really does work.
Hi Bryan - great article.
Wha has changed to make you feel safe publishing this? I could use some good news
I worked in GMU's graduate admissions departments from 2010 to 2019, and the last two or three years of that time, we went from professional development day with fun and helpful workshops on "dealing with difficult customers" and Toastmasters, to mandatory DEI exercises where you voted conservatives to be eaten by zombies (this is not an exaggeration, this is an actual exercise they made us do). It was disgusting and disheartening.
Excellent, courageous post, Bryan.
We must overcome the intimidation.
That starts by overcoming our denial about our being intimidated.
I thought GMU with its Mercatus Center was a hotbed of libertarianism.
Your account reminds me of the sexual harassment policy adopted at the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1998. Although the policy applied to both sexes, for practical purposes it was directed against men. The policy had a particularly troubling feature: Whether an act counted as sexual harassment or not depended not on the nature of the act itself but upon how the woman in question reacted to it. The act counted as sexual harassment if and only if the woman didn't welcome it. Unless a man could read a woman's mind, he couldn't predict whether a given act would be sexual harassment or not. So he couldn't predict whether the act would be a punishable offense or not.
> George Mason was already persecuting a close friend
Who?
Robin Hanson, I'd bet
Wasn't that around the time Hanson was being hounded for discussing a hypothetical right to sex for incels?
No, the incel controversy was around 2018 if I remember correctly. During the Summer of Floyd, Hanson made an "insensitive" tweet about Juneteenth. He had to apologize for it to save his job.
http://mason.gmu.edu/~rhanson/JuneteenthApology.html
"It's only Macarthyism when they go after the ones that think like me"
Oh yea. Forgot.
Do change your will from GMU to Mercatus.
Now you tell us.
When considering the benefits of this proposal, one must not forget that both committee and subcommittee meetings will often include a crudite platter and the yearly kickoff will include a mid-priced chardonnay and some cubed cheese. These are the conditions under which great minds will eradicate the scourge of racism on GMU campus.
> Since the authoritarian tide has temporarily receded, I’m now going to do what I should have done back in 2020: critique the statement line-by-line.
Wokeness hasn't just receded; it has as near as vanished into the ether as makes no difference. You are kicking at a dead horse and it's cringe.
The primary threat to the open society now comes from the Rightoid International - populists, MAGA, tradcaths, groypers, etc. and their global affiliates. It would be more productive to address that threat.
"I was a little too scared to publicly oppose..."
You know things are bad when even Bryan Caplan is afraid to talk.
Bet on it? My bet is that GMU is drowning in 'racism'.....White on White Racism.
There are liberal which show great disdain for woke. That indicates to me this woke thing is a fad. Hopefully, it will disappear. Don't expect contrition. Be happy it just quietly goes away.
I suspect it will fizzle out. It will start when the pension funds tank and the financial institutions in charge of them quietly divest themselves of their diverse people and let competency assert itself.
Disney seem to be gearing up for this as everything they are doing is tanking.
It already is; that's why Caplan is writing this now.
Unfortunately the only ones who will be persuaded by this excellent analysis are certain not to be part of the GMU administration.
Great post Bryan!