Summary
The term “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) has become a coded way for Republicans to conceal their anti-Black racism, echoing past racist dog whistles.
This parallels with Lee Atwater’s 1981 admission that conservatives used abstract terms like “states’ rights” to mask racism.
Today, figures like Alina Habba, Tim Burchett, and far-right influencers use “DEI hire” to discredit qualified Black figures.
The media’s failure to challenge this rhetoric allows racism to persist, making “DEI” a modern substitute for explicit racial slurs.
It’s more how if you point out Trump’s actions are more in line with Orban and Mussolini rather than the Nazis you get called a Nazi sympathizer rather than just being better informed on fascist philosophy/beliefs/delusions.
I wouldn’t bother; it’s a distinction without a difference.
There’s a significant difference as most fascists do not engage in attempts to eliminate parts of humanity in order to facilitate the creation of a master race. Not all fascists are that level of crazy.
Reminds me of an old joke.
They ask Brezhnev about Stalin. Leonid says that Stalin was completely insane and that he’d let 50 million people die before he changed one of his policies.
“If five million people died because of me, that would make me reconsider.”
You’re absolutely correct, but I prefer “Nazi” solely because that word specifically has it’s own level of disgust to me, and I want to convey that level of disgust for republicans. No other shorthand carries the proper emotional connotation for me.