Here we go again. A large group of representatives in the illustrious South Carolina State House has introduced a valiant attempt at “Ending Discriminatory DEI Once and for All in South Carolina.” H3927. Wow! Such a glorious outcome awaits us all. Or does it?
Reading this rather short bill raises quite a few questions in this writer’s mind, two of which will be addressed below.
This first question arises from amazement that a five page bill could possibly erase decades of embedded DEI. DEI, by this name or many others, is deeply entrenched in state policies, hiring practices, business practices, school books and educational materials widely used in almost every pre-school, all K-12 programs, whether public, private, or independent, higher education course content, educational standards, housing laws and rules, and on and on. How realistic is the claim that this bill will actually change anything beyond the sign on the door and the vocabulary and perhaps some of the strategies used by the change agents directing social and cultural engineering? It will not change their goals or hinder their progress even in penetrating government services.
This surface approach is a common feature of bills that intend to “correct” a feature of society in one big sweep. Is this even possible in a few pages? How effectively can even the police power of the state address such an insidious range of societal manipulation already very effective in this modern world? Is this really possible without addressing the underlying framework supporting massive, long-standing, carefully crafted cultural and social change?
One critical facet. In today’s world, words can be everything—and anything. Can essentially the “stroke of a pen” i.e. the simple magic of enacting this legislation, actually make a fundamental change in today’s society simply by banning the identification of the words “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” and creating a bunch of definitions and bureaucratic procedures to simply wash away the scope of DEI? What we can see and target is only the tip of the iceberg.
Powerful groups with well-defined and carefully targeted agendas have molded the minds, social constructs, perceptions, and feelings of the populace for decades. They have effectively entrenched DEI in the practices and expectations of many people, influencing their thinking and interaction. This is evident in the actions of adults interacting in every piece of society, most of whom have become very comfortable and compliant with an astonishing, yet subtle, application of DEI principles. The lack of, or very weak, opposition to the implementation of DEI or any resistance to the powers that have carefully crafted their plans and targets has contributed to DEI’s universal impact already. DEI is present in education, the media, entertainment, politics, books of all kinds, “modern” business strategies and practices, labor, medicine, etc.—not just government agencies and education. A a result of decades of applying an uncontrolled and unrecognized list of social and cultural brain-washing and empathic and altruistic efforts on unwitting people, most of us apply DEI unconsciously.
It is incredible to think that anyone believes that this veritable “stroke of a pen” will be all that we magically need to change the decades of rhetoric, “modern” attitudes and beliefs, the destruction of a solid moral, ethical and spiritual foundation (all intrinsically entwined with or infiltrated by DEI), mind manipulation and control, and a host of hidden threats to healthy human interaction. By “hate crime laws?” These are the essence of DEI!
One might wonder what the purpose of this bill really is. Could it be a great public relations effort, a means to solidify the support of the constituencies who elect our legislators, an opportunity to grandstand and misrepresent how effective one bill can be, or simply an advertising tool to ensure everyone that their exalted rulers should be given proper esteem, appreciation, and recognition for their noble efforts? It seems like it is in conflict with the intentions of other pieces of legislation that may be fulfilling the goals of DEI. Legislation, when it identifies special interest groups, redistributes wealth, changes law enforcement, impacts housing choices, and implements many other schemes, further hiding DEI while promoting an agenda that might be quite different from what is presented to the public.
DEI’s deeply established and insidious twisting of human interaction and behavior has been so successfully enabled already that official departments, agencies, corporations, non-profits, etc. either labeled themselves as DEI offices or included those words in their supporting materials. An initial simple response to this new law will no doubt be a lot of vocabulary changes to camouflage their goals again until they have more effectively influenced the minds and emotions of more of the populace. To think those who benefit from the financial, cultural, and political impacts of DEI will relinquish most of their progress is naive at best. DEI will simply be hidden again as it was for the decades needed to allow the brazen behavior of shoving it in our faces and identifying themselves so clearly. A simple but limited “retreat” to comply with this new law will calm the waters. The forces that this bill seeks to destroy are far more powerful than South Carolina legislators apparently can imagine. Or perhaps they are enthralled by their perception of their own omnipotence. Hard to tell.
Even a quick read of this bill reveals another prevalent pitfall of much state-level legislation. Right up front this bill refers to federal legislation, in this case the Civil Rights Act of 1964, indicating H3927 will help return us to that standard. Anyone with any knowledge of the 1960s and 70s knows that this was a pivotal time period during which our federal government legislated enormous changes in our country that changed many of our standards. These changes impacted human interaction, freedom, and responsibility as part of the government’s goal of creating President Johnson’s Great Society, among other goals. Such sweeping legislation irrevocably altered areas including, but not limited to, medical care (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid 1965), education (ESEA 1965, IDEA 1973, US DoE 1979), labor (EEOC 1965), “civil rights” (CRA 1964) and many more, by government action and often un-constitutional overreach and abuse of federal power. These laws helped build federal power to facilitate movements exactly like (and including) the DEI environment in which we now live. H3927 is not going to change anything in South Carolina if it doesn’t relinquish its federal chains.
Why has this, or any other, state follow so docilely federal legislation that clearly impacts the sovereignty of every state? Yes, many of these laws (state and federal) were enacted many years ago. Most people have been trained to think that long-standing federal laws are immutable, benevolent, designed for the “greater good,” and must be obeyed because of the power of the federal government. If state legislation does not start to OMIT compliance with a lot of federal laws, we will cement in place the dictatorship of Washington (and the US President, whoever that may be). The value of state sovereignty will be negated if state laws continue to comply by referencing federal law, often by name and/or by a general disclaimer that if anything in the state law doesn’t follow federal law those parts of the enacted law will be moot.
Of course it is reasonable, if not obvious to anyone, to respond to these thoughts by recognizing the virtual impossibility of standing up against the tyranny of the federal government. How about starting by simply omitting reference to it in legislation? If not us and now, then who or when? Otherwise let’s “appreciate” our state house for what is really is, entertaining (if frightening) theater carefully disguising the expansion of the police power of the “State” at every level.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or professional advice. ConservaTruth assumes no liability for any actions taken based on this content. Read more.
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