[stvltvs]

That assumes the status quo ante was a meritocracy. It wasn't, hence the need for actions that promote merit based hiring and workplace inclusion for historically oppressed groups.

The efficacy of current DEI efforts is debatable, but the need should be obvious.

[coldtea]

>That assumes the status quo ante was a meritocracy.

No, it just assumes it was more of a meritocracy than actively hiring based on irrelevant guiding principles like counter-balancing historical wrongs.

A blind process would both be neutral to the ideology that caused the wrongs (racism and such bias) and based on far more meritocracy.

[stvltvs]

Sounds like we kind of agree but you wouldn't include blind hiring under the label of DEI. Also, I wouldn't agree that historically hiring was more meritocratic before DEI programs.