This article originally appeared on WND.com
Guest by post by Peter LaBarbera
Academy ‘churning out young Marxists with contempt for very nation they’re preparing to defend’
The United States Military Academy at West Point is offering a “Diversity and Inclusion Studies Minor” as part of its escalating DEI agenda championing “critical race theory” and transsexuality, among other leftist ideologies.
Though the academy cloaks its DEI, or “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” mission in idealistic, cultural-left rhetoric, a review of its sustaining documents reveals signs of the same “woke” mindset that has divided the nation by mainstreaming sex-and-gender radicalism as well as a racialist obsession deemed by many conservatives and moderates to be anti-white racism.
The multi-billion-dollar corporate DEI movement (many call it an industry) promotes left-wing ideas and fads that have collectively been described as “Cultural Marxism” by critics on the Right. They say its gender and race focus elevates grievances and alleged historical injustices while pitting societal groups against each other – rather than assessing all people by a single standard based on character and qualifications.
Though the DEI movement champions “inclusion,” the ideologues behind it routinely show themselves to be intolerant of traditionalist and religious/moral perspectives, labeling them as hateful, bigoted and “phobic” (hence the smear-terms “homophobe” and “transphobe”).
West Point justifies the intense DEI focus as a way to help recruitment by appealing to a younger generation that values “diversity” – which is ironic because conservatives blame the U.S. military’s same “woke” push as the main reason for the current recruitment crisis. The Diversity & Inclusion Studies Minor was established in 2019.
“Our Armed Forces must reflect the nation it defends, including the diversity of the people we serve,” states a West Point “Diversity & Inclusion Plan” report. “We have a growing divide between the military demographic and the American people, particularly within the Officer Corps. An Army not representative of the nation may become illegitimate in the eyes of some people.”
‘Woke joke’?
A headline by Sept. 26 Revolver News for its story about the West Point DEI minor sums up the thoughts of many conservatives who associate DEI with mainstreaming of social radicalism: “Stick a fork in West Point, they’re done … Wait until you see the new degree they’re offering…”
The un-bylined Revolver article states: “Well, West Point had a good run, didn’t it? Once a beacon of prestige and elite training, this institution produced some of America’s most outstanding leaders. But times have changed. Today, West Point is just another woke joke, churning out young Marxists with contempt for the very nation they’re supposedly preparing to defend.”
It continues: “What a travesty, and how embarrassing for West Point. The left has successfully transformed many of our nation’s college students into pint-sized Marxists, and now they’re seeking to steer our US military officers down the same ideological path.”
The USMA defines “diversity” as follows: “Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.”
The following are included in West Point’s overall DEI program:
- “Inclusion of marginalized authors and research in the course designs throughout the core curriculum”;
- PL377 [course] : “Social inequality modified with content on anti-racism, anti-sexism, honor, resilience, and wellness”
- A “Diversity Club” called “Spectrum” for “LGBTQ” individuals;
- A “DEI Conversations” talking point presentation that gives these as “example questions” for Cadets: “What are your thoughts and/or feelings about George Floyd’s death? How would you respond if that was your brother, husband or father?”; “Have you experienced or been privy to inequities concerning Black civilians or Soldiers?”;
The “Diversity and Inclusion Studies Minor” is described as follows:
“The Diversity and Inclusion Studies Minor (DISM) exposes Cadets to varied perspectives and methodologies for understanding and studying people. Moreover, the DISM at West Point offers Cadets a framework for critically and creatively thinking bout the broader impact of diversity and inclusion at the individual, organizational, societal, and global levels. It also provides our Cades opportunities to pursue diversity and inclusion in intra-, multi-, an inter-disciplinary ways. Faculty from the departments of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, History and English and Philosophy with assistance from colleagues across USMA collaborated to create the minor. Some of the courses offered with DISM: Leading Inclusive teams; Social Inequality, Power and Difference; Politics of Race, Gender and Sexuality; World Religions; Race, Ethnicity and Nation; Society and Culture in American History.”
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