[jjnoakes]

The underqualified non-diversity hire is also a thing. There is no reason to bring identity into it. Just discuss underqualified workers in general.

[nvy]

Sure, nepotism and corruption also exist. Sometimes hiring managers just get it wrong, and there is nothing nefarious afoot. There are of course also "diverse" people that get unfairly overlooked because racism, but underqualified diversity hires still exist.

Multiple things can simultaneously be true.

[noworriesnate]

The context you're missing is that being "diverse" makes you more likely to be hired than you otherwise would be, but being "diverse" doesn't make you better at the job. If we had the conversation inside the guardrails you're describing we wouldn't be able to describe reality.

[d_theorist]

There is a reason, because DEI introduces non-merit-based criteria for hiring, which necessarily results in less qualified hires.