The Claudine Gay plagiarism debacle illustrates the folly of hiring and promoting on the basis of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and the need to return to the color-blind, merit-based society envisioned by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Gay resigned her position as Harvard University president following proof that she’d plagiarized numerous portions of her doctoral thesis and other writings. This followed an appearance on Capitol Hill, where she attempted to justify anti-Semitism on campus.
Despite her academic dishonesty, the mainstream press attacked those who pointed out her plagiarism, instead of attacking the plagiarist.
"Harvard president's resignation highlights new conservative weapon against colleges: plagiarism," The Associated Press reported.
The AP got hit with the following Twitter/X Community Notes:
- Plagiarism is a breach of rules for Harvard University
- Claudine Gay was ultimately forced to resign for a series of breaches of this policy
- Plagiarism - or application of the rules around plagiarism - therefore cannot be considered a "weapon"
The AP nonetheless let the headline stand, prompting an observation by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
"The @AP has the woke mind virus growing out of its head like a giant mushroom!" he posted.
The New York Times’ Mara Gay (presumably no relationship to Claudine Gay) aired her own grievances on MSNBC — and she didn’t hold back.
"This is really an attack on academic freedom . . . This is an attack on diversity.
This is an attack on multiculturalism,” she said, before addressing her ultimate claim — that the complaints were racially motivated.
"The fact that she’s a black woman and the first person who is a black American to lead Harvard, only added to their thirst to dethrone her. And I don’t have to say that they’re racist, because you can hear and see the racism in the attacks."
However, Carol Swain, another Black academic, is one of Gay’s fiercest critics.
Gay copied many of Swain’s writings, which she claimed as her own, and Swain is now threatening legal action.
William Jacobson, Cornell University Law professor and founder of The Equal Protection Project, observed that her resignation won’t change "academia’s underlying problem of an excessive and obsessive focus on race and 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion' ideology."
Jacobson, who also founded Legal Insurrection, likened her departure to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it sank.
In short, Claudine Gay isn’t the problem — she’s merely a product of the problem: DEI.
Diversity’s proponents claim that it’s "our greatest strength," makes us "smarter," as well as "better, stronger, and more successful."
Nonsense. Increased diversity was among the factors that led to the fall of the Roman Empire.
"The growing influence of foreign cultures eroded the sense of shared identity and loyalty to the empire," wrote author/historian Sean Ra. "Furthermore, the loss of traditional Roman virtues, such as discipline, loyalty, and civic duty, further weakened the fabric of the empire."
Other major factors contributing to the empire’s decline were political corruption and an economic crisis.
The "equity" part of DEI sounds awfully like equality, but it really means that some people are more equal than others. If you’re a racial minority or have non-traditional values with respect to sex, marriage or gender identity, you get a pass — or at least a leg up.
Concepts like equal opportunity and "may the best person win" are discarded.
Last year the U.S. Supreme Court attempted to end race-based admission policies often used by colleges and universities, a practice called "affirmative action."
But where there’s a will there’s a way. President Biden openly encouraged schools to ignore the court’s decision.
And the fact that the court is trying to even the playing field may be part of the problem.
Celebrated economist Thomas Sowell once observed that "When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination." Sowell is Black.
Preferential treatment of one racial group over another also moves us away from the "color blind" society that the late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," he said in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
And finally, The Babylon Bee, a satirical "news" site with the motto "Fake News You Can Trust," put everything in perspective with a recent headline.
The Bee reported, "Liberals Warn Harvard President Ouster Could Lead To Terrifying World Where People Are Held Responsible For Their Own Actions."
And that’s what we all should want — to be judged by our actions and character, just as King dreamed 60 years ago.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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