In the aftermath of the tragic collision of a cargo ship into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, hot-take artists immediately pointed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as the main culprit.
Anthony Sabatini, a Republican congressional candidate from Florida, posted a video of the bridge collapse with the caption, “DEI did this.”
Republican Utah lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman shared a post on X, drawing attention to Baltimore Port Commissioner Karenthia Barber’s prior work in a diversity consulting firm.
“This is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing and security of citizens,” Lyman wrote.
Conservative pundit Dave Rubin suggested that the quality of the bridge’s construction was compromised by DEI initiatives.
“This sort of thing is why it’s important to have the best engineers, the best builders, the best everything building infrastructure,” Rubin said, “Once you decide, ok, we won’t hire the best of the best to build our planes, to build our bridges, or build our buildings, or roads, or whatever else, then bad things are going to happen.”
A popular right-wing social media account even dismissed Brandon Scott , the mayor of Baltimore, as a “DEI mayor.” Commentators, many of whom were conservative themselves, condemned the post as inflammatory and bigoted.
As of now, there is scant evidence that DEI initiatives played any role in the tragic destruction of the Key Bridge. Early indicators are that the cargo ship endured a power failure, eliminating the crew’s ability to control the ship’s navigation.
“What’s been indicated is the vessel lost power, and when you lose power, you lose steering,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said.
Furthermore, the crew’s split-second decision to send a distress signal before the collision gave authorities enough time to divert traffic away from the bridge. This decisiveness and resilience in the face of an extremely stressful and intense situation likely saved lives. Reducing these people to “DEI” is both inaccurate and offensive.
To be clear, DEI initiatives are a major scourge on our society. They undermine meritocratic processes in hiring and higher education. They stack racial groups in a hierarchy of supposed “oppression.” There is evidence that they intensify racial resentment and grievance rather than eliminate it. A very lucrative and destructive industry has spawned around spreading DEI efforts in every important institution.
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This is why it is important for conservatives to take DEI seriously and topple it.
However, conservatives are in the process of overusing the phrase “DEI” like liberals have done with “racist” or “Nazi.” Once the phrase loses its definition and focus, it becomes much easier for ideological adversaries to dismiss it as a meaningless smear.
Corey Walker is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter who focuses on institutional capture, education, and public safety.
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