• Diversity is about representation. Having the broadest possible base of people from the most diverse backgrounds allows differing viewpoints to shine through, resulting in the highest-quality product.
  

• What DOES equity even mean?

  • Equity is about fairness. Every individual is a culmination of differing experiences, setbacks, and viewpoints. An individual who worked throughout college may have worse overall grades than someone who didn’t have to work, so these two individuals should be judged holistically. It is important to note that equity is not equality; it’s simply getting everyone to the same starting point so they are given an equal chance to succeed.
    

• What DOES inclusion even mean?

  • Inclusion is about experience. It is the practice of allowance within the social norm, where diversity allows individuals of all backgrounds to get their foot in the door; inclusion will enable them to acclimate and be accepted as equals.
    

• What DOES accessibility even mean?

  • Accessibility is about design. Many individuals weren’t given the same tools others have, and it’s important to put guardrails in place so they can participate. Again, the idea of DEIA is to bring the broadest possible base of people into the fold to achieve the strongest output.
    

• Do policies that promote diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and equity align with social work values and ethics?

  • Absolutely, one of the core values of social work is social justice. DEI is primarily about ensuring everyone has a seat at the table. What better way is there to advocate for oppressed and marginalized individuals than to empower them to have an equal say?
    

• How do acronyms transform the meaning of the terms they represent? For example, what changes when diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility becomes DEI, D&I, DEIA, or ADEI?

  • Most people believe in the core tenets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The act of acronymising these core principles allows bad actors to skew them to what fits a narrative. Rather than advocating for everyone to have a seat at the table, these acronyms can become nearly on par with slurs in the eyes of those who follow these bad actors. Often, those who oppose the acronym share many of the same values; they dislike the umbrella term. Taking a holistic admissions approach, many people would say that considering factors like financial situation makes sense. Individuals with more money are likely to attend a better school or afford a tutor. However, if you instead say, “It’s DEI they’re trying to take away your spot and give it to the poor people,” many individuals will see this very sensible practice as a personal attack on their ability to succeed.

A common thread I will pull on in my writings is the idea of powerful people shifting the blame for their own failings onto the most marginalized amongst us. I assure you that you aren’t losing out on healthcare, a promotion, a place to live, or a quality of life that you deserve solely because someone who is less well off than you got a special edge. The powers that be too often will aim to divide us. This practice stems from many years ago, when they learned that mobs of people get mad at them. Well, they lost their head. The general shift of blame to different ‘others’ allows a perfect rotating villain to deflect it. We, as a society, should aim to raise the floor, not bring the roof down to crush those less fortunate.

Early this year, I lost my dad; our relationship was about as rocky as the mountains in Colorado. I felt bad, but not for the loss, for the fact that I really didn’t feel that bad. The conflict between what society deemed an acceptable response and what I had was stressful. Maybe one day I’ll speak to a professional about that.

It wasn’t all bad; I grew a lot, too. Not in height, still pretty short, but in potential. I achieved something I never thought I would: my associate’s degree—first person in my entire family to do so. Next year, by this time, I will have completed my bachelor’s degree.

I have a wonderful lady in my life, someone I believe I will spend the rest of my days with and grow old with. I have my mom, someone I look up to and idolize. I have a couple of good friends and my health.

My goals for next year are as follows:
Lose some weight, read a book a month, and be more social.

One day, while playing a semi-popular MMORPG, I came across someone who caught my eye. We spoke for a while and started to date. During the start of our relationship, I was not the most honest person. I wasn’t a N.E.E.T I was pursuing a PhD. I wasn’t living with my parents; it was just a roommate. Lies on top of lies to hide my embarrassment.

One day, I came clean about everything, expecting to be cast out, but she showed compassion instead. Encouraging me despite everything, saying I could go to college or get a job, and claiming I was smart enough.

I thought I wasn’t.

It would take about a year before I got my first ‘real’ job working inside a Walmart as a 3rd party retailer selling Chromebooks. Who pushed this? .

Let us see if you see the theme here. I had lied again to get the job, claiming I had a GED, and was never required to prove it. I leverage nonexistent computer repair experience to negotiate a salary increase. The job wasn’t glamorous by any means, but I was effectively making $19 an hour as my own boss, and I didn’t mind it.

Let me tell you, retail is not for the faint of heart. I was threatened, yelled at, and called every name under the sun other than my own. Let’s just be clear, if you’re the type of person who screams at any retail worker, you’re dirt.

I feel like I’ve lost the plot on this one, so let’s recenter. Nova Beaumont pushed me up a god damn hill. One day, after being yelled at for the 3rd time that week, demeaned by some random lady whose pants were three sizes too small and had more hair on her lip than I did, I snapped. No, this is not a manifesto; this is the trials and tribulations of poor white kid number 785,475,483. So what did I decide to do that day? Get my GED. Who was there, like the hottest cheerleader I know? , that’s right. That day, I opened my phone and signed up for GED classes at my local community college.

I would go on to accomplish my GED with nearly all college-ready scores within about 5 weeks; every doubt I had was cleansed except one: college. “I wasn’t the college type; college is a scam, why would I ever want to go thousands of dollars in debt?” Let me tell you how annoyed I was at my dearest girlfriend every time, “You are smart enough, college is not a scam, it helps make you smarter, there are scholarships that can help pay.” You don’t understand how I was in my head, but then my community college helped lay the final seed. A one-semester scholarship that covered everything.

I wanted to escape retail so bad that I would have done anything. Nova was and still is the driving factor. Yes, I am in debt; yes, I still feel college is a scam. However, Nova was not wrong. I am smart enough. I currently hold an Associate's degree and will start my bachelor's in social work in a couple of weeks. I maintained a 4.0 GPA. I changed majors a half a dozen times, trying to find the shortest route to a good, stable job, but ended up on what I see as a dream, an ability to help others who needed the same guidance Nova gave me.

I guess all of this is to say, thank you, my love. I couldn’t, or more so wouldn’t be here without you .

For reference, here is some of my background. Throughout my upbringing, I was raised a Republican, with Republican values and ideals. As a child, I went to church. I wasn’t exactly pro cop, but I was raised very pro-gun. Life, in many ways, was easier. Men had their tasks, women had theirs. My mom seemed to do everything while my dad watched TV and ran a failing business. Life was okay, we never had enough, being kept afloat by food stamps and a mother working too damn hard.

One day, I hit an age when my parents and my politics shifted. I remember this fairly clearly. I had a black friend who stole a Pokémon card from me, which I really liked. I went and first spoke to my uncle on my dad’s side, Uncle David, “That’s just how n*****rs are, kiddo,” he said so matter-of-factly. I was shocked, my 11-year-old brain processing what he said, a pseudo-fork-in-the-road moment presenting itself. I walked away without much of a word, upset at what he had said.

My mother wasn’t home, so I confided in the only other person I really could, my father. I approached him as he watched a baseball game. He was a fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks and would often sit shirtless in shorts, lounging on the couch while my mother worked. “Hey, Dad, can I ask you something?” I said, somewhat conflicted on what he’d say. “Uncle David said something that I really didn’t like,” I explained the situation and what he had said. “Well, son, he’s not wrong. That’s just how those people are.”

I was stupefied and even angrier. Even to this day, that stick in my head, the time when my politics shifted. On that day, I knew I would divert from the path my family set for me. My mother, on the other hand, was fairly liberal despite my father. Having grown up as an 80’s child, she had a genuine live-and-let-live policy. She never judged a soul, worked hard, and is someone I fully respect.

All of this background is to say, I am by no means a dying heart liberal; by all accounts, my moral compass guides my politics more than anything. I believe in expansive welfare; I believe people should not have solid gold boats while others starve.

Now onto the main point, I know what you're thinking, “You sound like a Democrat.” Nope, just a human being. I revere many Democrats for their progressive nature, but the Democratic Party of today is not something I can align with. It’s a party of pussies and spoilers, a rotating cast of villains in safe seats able to bail out the rest, stopping genuine progress from happening.

For my Democratic readers, remember notable names like Kyrsten Sinema, who opposed a $15 minimum wage and healthcare expansion, and Joe Lieberman, who opposed Obamacare. These rotating villains do the bidding of the rich and then get cushy jobs later on doing lobbying for the very democrats you elect.

My genuine goal of this post is a thought experiment: what made your politics? Are you a single-issue voter? Are you actually happy with your party? The pressing issue of this recent election was affordability (which, according to a glorious orange man, is fake) and immigration. Do you feel better now that affordability is worse and people are being disappeared by ICE? Are things really affordable? Do you think either party will genuinely make changes in your best interest?

If the answer to all of these is a resounding “no, hell no, or you have a point,” then listen to me when I say we really only have one option: expand the parties. Our choices should not be Trump or Biden, Pelosi or McConnell, or even me vs you. This division is destroying us. No seat should be safe; every politician should be run against. The best candidate should win, and we should never have an establishment vilifying young people for running against demented old folk who have 40 years in politics. Don’t allow the few with the much trample the many with the little.

P.S. Democrats, if you rerun Kamala Harris in 2028, I am writing in Trump.

With hindsight being 20/20, I find many of my viewpoints remain with a slight caveat: college is, in fact, a scam, but not for the reasons I thought. For one, the cost of college has risen nearly 157.5 percent since the 1970s, adjusted for inflation. Yet the quality of college has dwindled over the years. Many would blame programs like the Pell Grant (A federal grant program meant to help poorer students spend less on college) for the rising cost; however, I find this to be silly. Notice this contradiction: when tax breaks are given to the wealthy, it never causes problems, but when the second lower-income group gets a break, it’s immediately blamed on greedy corporations.

I want to say that professors are rarely the issue in this divide. Professors aren’t suddenly driving Lambos and getting 19-year-old girlfriends as 56-year-olds. Administrative bloat and consistent inflation are the prime causes. College class sizes have increased year after year, whereas the teaching faculty hasn’t kept pace. I can’t tell you how many professors I see using ChatGPT to grade my handwritten essays solely because they have 49 other students to grade and no assistance to do so. At the same time, the administrative class has grown and given itself a nice pay bump along the way.

The rise of the administrative class has corrupted every aspect of American existence. It’s why your healthcare costs have risen, it’s why your schooling sucks, and frankly, why they’re trying to get you to blame anyone else, where there is space to do so, a middle management-esque administrative class will find a way to extract as much wealth from the consumer, no matter the cost to society. Yet there is a vested interest nowadays in blaming and otherizing your neighbors instead of targeting the true villains.

I do ask that I not get put on a list for these comments, FBI, I am not a disciple of Luigi Mangione. I am simply pointing out where my tuition payments are going. The immigrants, I assure you, are not stealing the American dream from your children; it’s the sons and daughters of the elite. The sooner we realize this fact, the sooner we can start taking steps to fix it.