One of the reasons why the Gramscian “slow march through the institutions” works so well is because most people don’t care about underlying fundamental things and only care when, and only so long as, their superficial sense of normalcy is threatened. This is actually a sane thing for most people who spend their time just trying to live their lives in peace and quite. It also doesn’t mean that this sub rosa dismantlement and replacement of the pillars of society isn’t a threat; quite the opposite: That is why it is such a threat.
In other words: Out of sight; out of mind. The Left will occasionally overshoot or become over confidence to act too overtly, only to face strenuous opposition. This retreat is seen as a total victory when it is only a strategic withdraw from overt elements, rather than the ca 90% of the woke iceberg still lurking below the visible view. Thusly, the Left but continues to work towards that day when it can, not fight overtly, but declare openly that victory has already happened. The woke roots continue to spread like the weeds they are. DEI rebranding and hiding it’s true intent is one of the more obvious ways they do that… and that rebranding towards bland and blasé innocence continues on.
“Over the last year and a half several states have taken action against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) on college campuses. But banning something never results in its eradication. A year ago, we wrote about this problem – that DEI isn’t going away, it’s just going underground. Whether campuses are renaming their DEI offices, or moving administrators into other departments to do the same work, DEI still exists.”
- Out of the 26 Universities we have evaluated in states where DEI laws have been passed, 10 claim to have eliminated their DEI offices (and related activities) and have replaced them with new offices that have similar programming and/or personnel.
- New offices such as the ‘Office of Access and Engagement’ and the ‘Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity’ will replace former DEI offices.
- The 10 universities that have enacted this change include: University of Alabama, Florida State University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State University, South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, University of Tennessee (System-wide), University of Utah and Utah Valley University.
It is these ca 10% of the woke iceberg you see above the waterline that makes it clear that these victories against wokeness are pyrrhic at best. For example, does this new replacement office for this DEI position at the University of Alabama really mean that wokeness has been defeated, or just rebranded in such a way as to avoid rustling any feathers?
“The University of Alabama’s Student Government Association Senate recently voted in favor of a bill replacing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) position and removing certain references to identity in the position’s description.
“The state of Alabama passed a law banning public money from funding DEI efforts at colleges and universities in March, as Campus Reform reported at the time.
“The SGA bill, which was announced in August, would bring the association into compliance with Alabama law. Under the measure, the current position of Vice President for DEI would be replaced by the Vice President for Belonging and Wellness.
“The current description of the Vice President for DEI found in the SGA Constitution is as follows: “The Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion shall propose and execute the policies of the SGA insuring the inclusivity of all students, regardless of gender identity or expression, ability, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, language, religious beliefs or any and all backgrounds, while simultaneously serving as the SGA’s liaison to students of cultural, racial, or ethnic minority, international students, LGBTQIA+ students, veteran students, students with disabilities, and students who may feel underrepresented or marginalized at any point in their time on campus.”
“According to The Crimson White, the school’s student-run newspaper, the new office’s role is ‘promoting holistic student wellbeing and emphasizing the breadth of thoughts, backgrounds, and lived experiences of our student body.’ References to ‘gender identity,’ ‘race,’ and other identities have reportedly been removed.”
Thus lulled to rest, far too many people excited by overt wokeness will gloss over all the remaining signs because the fundamentals to them were never what was important. Without perpetual vigilance, the fight against any overt threats of wokeness that rears itself above the waves of society are in the long run lost before they are even fought.
