On the surface, both "MAGA" and "DEI" seem innocuous, even positive.
Students from various UNC System universities rally outside the system office in Raleigh Thursday, May 23, 2024, ahead of the Board of Governors’ vote on a policy to repeal DEI mandates at all NC public universities. Kaitlin McKeown [email protected]
By Patrick Newton
“Make America Great Again.” Who could have a problem with that? As an American, I naturally want my country to be great. But when did expressing this desire become a sign of being a bad person?
Similarly, let's consider DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. These terms sound like reasonable concepts. According to Dictionary.com, diversity refers to the spectrum of individual differences and the corresponding group memberships and identities that people have in society. Equity is defined as the quality of being fair or impartial, something that is fair and just. Inclusion involves the practice or policy of including and integrating all people and groups in activities, organizations, political processes, and so on, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have suffered discrimination, or are living with disabilities.
On the surface, both "MAGA" and "DEI" seem innocuous, even positive. However, both terms have evolved to mean much more in today's polarized society. They have become tools for passing instant judgment on fellow citizens. For many, MAGA has become code for "crazy," while DEI often conjures thoughts of left-wing "woke" extremism. This divisiveness is a result of efforts by powerful entities—political parties, media, and social media platforms—that seem more interested in pushing us apart than bringing us together.
I know many people who plan to vote for Donald Trump. They admit he might not be a perfect person, but given the choices, they believe the next four years will be better for America with Trump in the White House rather than Kamala Harris. On the other hand, I also know many people who will be voting for Harris, believing she is the better choice. None of these individuals are bad people; many are my friends, and they exist on both sides of the political spectrum. But when did we allow seven simple letters—MAGA and DEI—to generate such strong emotions, anger, and even hatred?
For the record, I am in favor of making America great, and I believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are healthy and essential for our society. If someone who identifies with MAGA supports a crazy idea, I will call them out on that idea—not because they are associated with MAGA, but because the idea itself is flawed. Similarly, when leaders present policy ideas that support DEI, I can support those initiatives while also holding them accountable. The focus should be on common ground and common-sense solutions, not on using DEI to mask initiatives with little or no public support.
In spite of the efforts of those controlling the messaging in our country, we must start seeing people for who they are, not by the labels applied to them. We know this is a challenging initiative to advance, given the deep roots of identity politics in America. However, at the Forward Party, we have our own type of intersectionality to help us address the more toxic elements of identity politics. We have Forward-Republicans, Forward-Democrats, Forward-Independents, Forward-Libertarians—a true mix of people coming together to work on real solutions to real issues. This diverse coalition stands in stark contrast to the polarizing narratives pushed by those who use labels like "MAGA" and "DEI" as tools to divide rather than unite.
What would this new diverse coalition look like on the policy front? Right now, our two major presidential candidates have managed to spin the 24-hour news cycle so that we are debating whether tips should be taxed. It’s an interesting topic, but is it really the most important political issue we should be discussing? We should be focusing on ending gerrymandering, implementing term limits, supporting open primaries, promoting instant runoff elections (also known as ranked choice voting), and fixing the ballot access process to address the extremism in our politics. These are the issues that matter if we want to save democracy. These are the issues the North Carolina Forward Party is talking about, and I hope you will join the conversation.