“Regaining Our Balance: A Look at Diversity Backlash”

The diversity movement is now approaching its third decade. Beginning with the call for civil rights and Affirmative Action in the 60's and now seen in the preoccupation with diversity training and "political correctness," the movement is currently experiencing a season of backlash. This article will seek to explain this reaction and explore ways to regain our balance, overcome this growing resistance, and build harmony and productivity by meeting the needs of all Americans.

What is Backlash and Where Did It Start?

"Backlash," like so many terms associated with the world of diversity, is often misunderstood. When casually used, it seems to refer only to the attitude of resistance expressed by white males -- those who have felt shoved aside, passed over for promotion or, worse, laid off because of real or perceived excesses of political correctness, diversity, and Affirmative Action. The truth is that attitudes of backlash -- that is, feelings of resistance to the greater attention being paid to the rights of all Americans -- is found among all populations. Statistics show, for example, that 75% of Hispanics feel there is too much immigration, 58% of African-Americans favor the outlawing of racial and gender preferences (Los Angeles Times), and Newsweek contends that 44% of non-whites feel that affirmative action policies regarding college admissions cast public doubt on the achievements of minority students. Those of you who have been in the world of Affirmative Action, EEO, and diversity know that statistics can be gravely misleading, but, nonetheless, figures like these do suggest that feelings of resistance and fear are experienced by many groups in our culture.

One glance at the newspaper provides far too much evidence of backlash. From voting booths to the halls of Congress to front page descriptions of bloody demonstrations on behalf of California's Proposition 187, it is all-too-obvious that the nation is fearful of and impatient with increased emphasis on diversity. The passage of 187 -- a proposition currently delayed in the courts -- showed that many Californians were willing to block public health services to undocumented immigrants and deny schooling to their children. Calls for welfare reform, changes in immigration laws, and the constant erosion of Affirmative Action programs are being fueled by political debate in this Presidential election year. With respect to Affirmative Action, for example, a study conducted by SHRM indicated that whereas 70% of Fortune 50 companies had diversity programs, a vast majority no longer favored Affirmative Action initiatives.

What Are the Causes of and Solutions to Backlash?

The root causes of backlash are, at least in the short-term, beyond our control. They rest in the fear generated by a combination of increased immigration and racial diversity paired with fewer jobs and, until recently, a struggling economy. Beyond these global causes, however, we as a nation and Human Resources as a profession, have a responsibility in what has happened. It is clear that some of our own efforts over the past three decades have contributed to the problem.

Part of the answer rests in terminology. Words matter. In the age of the sound-bite, the choice of a phrase carries a dramatic impact. Terms such as "protected class" and "group entitlement" seem in retrospect to have been designed to create fear and resentment among those who were excluded from what came to be perceived as preferential treatment. Adding to the problem has been the excesses of verbal "political correctness" which led, for example, one CEO to be sued for using the innocent phrase "bang for your buck" in a speech before a partially female audience and an esteemed Harvard professor to give up teaching out of fear of using an "incorrect" term or voicing a politically incorrect idea. It is extremes such as these that have given many an excuse to resist the better things that diversity has to offer.

We all agree that political correctness has been carried too far and even that just because someone is offended by a word or phrase does not mean it is discriminatory. As leaders in the field, it is our responsibility to redress these excesses so that attention, resources, and energy can be focused on the horrific examples of discrimination that still are found in corporations throughout the country.

Backlash has also been fueled by an over-zealous use of the basically sound tenets of Affirmative Action. The tragedy again here is that, because of isolated examples of excessive application and even lowering of standards to meet Affirmative Action goals, efforts to "throw the baby out with the bath-water" are meeting with increasing support. Whether it be cases such as that found in a California university where a chair in sociology would only be funded were it filled by an African-American or Hispanic or the Health Department official who was fired because he refused to hire ten minority clerk-typists who did not know how to type, it is always these rare exceptions to good sense that get press coverage and fuel the fire of backlash.

We must begin to heal these wounds by insisting that standards never be lowered to accommodate diversity. Further, even the perception of lowered standards must be avoided. In order to accomplish this, some companies are making public knowledge the exemplary qualifications of minorities who have received prestigious promotions. This may be an unfortunate step but a necessary one as SHRM found that 70% of the reasons for the failure of diversity programs can be contributed the real or perceived lowering of standards.

Another antidote to backlash is to begin to re-distribute responsibility for making diversity, and Affirmative Action, work. Accepting dual responsibility to communicate more effectively, for example, is enhanced when English language training for immigrant employees stands side-by-side with foreign-language studies for native-born managers. Personal responsibility, along with a helping hand, is encouraged in community programs, such as that found in Fenger High School in Chicago, where young women are helped to focus on careers at an early age. Mutual learning is facilitated in mentoring programs -- such as that practiced at Principal Financial Group under its Bi-Cultural Learning Partnership Program -- in which both employee and manager meet to learn about each other's culture.

Sexual Harassment Legislation has further fed the backlash movement. When we read of the CEO who would not take a woman to lunch for fear of misunderstanding or of the employee who was ordered to remove the photo of his bikini-clad wife from his desk because two co-workers felt sexually harassed, it is little wonder that men and women alike have begun to feel that all charges of sexual harassment are the product of hyper-sensitivity or exaggeration. Perhaps it is time for another round of sexual harassment training. Misunderstandings about what constitutes "sexual harassment" coupled with the very few, but highly publicized, examples of spurious claims by an extreme minority of women are contributing causes to both backlash and discrimination.

Ultimately, the solution to backlash rests with each of us as individuals. It is time to adopt what I have termed the "New P.C." -- "Personal Correctness." This means to take three key steps that are guaranteed to remove the fuel that feeds the backlash hysteria. First, accept personal responsibility to treat people as valued, respected individuals. Second, avoid the trap of including one group at the expense of another -- after all, diversity means that all individuals are to be given equal opportunity to succeed. Finally, accept, and encourage others to accept, responsibility not to be offended. It's time we look at the less than perfect word or even action with compassion and understanding. Let's start giving people the benefit of the doubt and save our outrage for those times when it really counts.

Sondra Thiederman is a speaker and author on diversity, bias-reduction, and cross-cultural issues. She is the author of Making Diversity Work: Seven Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace (Chicago: Dearborn Press, 2003) which is available at her web site or at www.Amazon.com. She can be contacted at:

Sondra Thiederman, Ph.D.
Cross-Cultural Communications
4585 48th Street
San Diego, CA 92115
Phones: 619-583-4478 / 800-858-4478
Fax: 619-583-0304
www.Thiederman.com / STPhD@Thiederman.com

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