When ideology replaces meritocracy or impunity from the consequences of illegal actions, systemic mediocrity ensues.
Under virulent National Socialism, Stalinism, and Maoism, millions of cronies and swindlers toyed with the party line in the hopes that their approved ideology would get them promoted and excuse their illegal actions. uttered.
The same thing happened with the woke movement and now giant diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conglomerate.
Fraudsters and opportunists mask their selfish aims under the guise of neo-Marxist concern for disadvantaged and victimized minorities. On the other hand, they are trying to profit illegally, as if they were old-fashioned crony capitalists.
In the midst of dire coronavirus lockdowns, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom swaggered about using quarantine to ensure more equality. It’s about reimagining how we do business and how we govern. ”
Los Angeles, California – November 13: California Governor Gavin Newsom (center) speaks at a press conference near the closed I-10 elevated highway following a large pallet fire at a warehouse on Saturday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (left) will be watching. November 13, 2023, in a yard under a freeway in Los Angeles, California. As engineers assess the extent of the damage, it remains unclear how long the highway, a major commuter artery through the downtown area, will be closed and traffic in the city will be complicated. Newsom said the cause of the fire was arson and that more than 300,000 vehicles travel the freeway corridor every day, and drivers are urged to use public transportation. (Photo courtesy of Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Newsom was caught dining with his lobbyist pals at one of California’s most exclusive restaurants, breaking the very mask-wearing and social distancing rules he mandated for 40 million other people. When I got caught, I didn’t feel very “progressive.”
Newsom also boasted about social equity when he signed a new California law requiring fast-food workers to earn $20 an hour. Meanwhile, many employees at the company’s various restaurants were making just $16 an hour.
SACRAMENTO, CA – FEBRUARY 20: (LR) California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomes Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel to the Stanford Mansion on February 20, 2024 in Sacramento, California. Governor Newsom signed a new climate partnership between California and Sweden, continuing the state’s commitment to international climate cooperation. (Photo by Renee C. Byer-Pool/Getty Images)
And he allegedly granted one particular bakery/restaurant chain, Panera, its own exemption from the wage law. The owner of Panera is an old friend of his and a major campaign contributor.
Newsom apparently feels that the more progressive he is, the less he will be accused of his own hypocrisy and selfish agendas.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 14: US President Joe Biden (center) welcomes California Governor Gavin Newso (left) and his wife after arriving at San Francisco International Airport ahead of the APEC Summit on November 14, 2023. Meeting with Jennifer Siebel Newsom (right). in San Francisco, California. The APEC summit will be held in San Francisco and will run until November 17. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 11: (Top left) Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Governor Gavin Newsom, (Bottom left) Lady Gaga and her boyfriend Michael Polanski play for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. watching the third quarter of Super Bowl III on February 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rob Kerr/Getty Images)
In another egregious case, currently incarcerated felon Sam Bankman Freed may have been the greatest conman in American history. He siphoned billions of dollars from cryptocurrency companies and destroyed the fortunes of thousands of people when his multibillion-dollar Ponzi empire collapsed.
How did Sam and his parents, both Stanford law professors, manage to amass millions of dollars in resort properties and perks without getting caught until the Empire collapsed?
Answer: Sam funneled millions of dollars to left-wing politicians to promote progressive causes. His parents justified this family donation as a form of “effective altruism.”
That catchy phrase obscured the reality that his crusade for social justice was nothing more than an incredibly effective get-rich-quick scheme.
The Bankman-Fried family apparently reasoned that this awakened dedication to “altruism” would lead to wealth for themselves, even if it meant bankruptcy for their investors.
Another example: In Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis ran for office, promising to prosecute Donald Trump, a right-wing monster.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 1: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (left) and Prosecutor Daisha speak during the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump hearing on March 1 at the Fulton County Courthouse.・Mr. Young (right). , 2024, Atlanta, Georgia. The hearing will determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the election interference case against former President Donald Trump because of her relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired. It is something to do. (Photo by Alex Slitspool/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 14: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a press conference at the Fulton County Courthouse on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. A grand jury today handed up an indictment naming former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies for allegedly trying to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. (Photo by Joe Radle/Getty Images)
She raised campaign funds based on her awakened credentials. When challenged, she often played the race victim card.
Meanwhile, Willis hires her secret lover, the incompetent Nathan Wade, as special prosecutor, but he has never tried a felony.
She and Wade then bought an expensive junket. She claimed to have paid him in cash, but of course she could not prove the amount.
Given their woke ideologies, both believe they have the right to splurge at taxpayer expense, give likely false testimony under oath, and violate professional codes of conduct for lawyers. was.
She wasn’t the only one who fell. After the death of George Floyd, the founders of the left-wing Black Lives Matter movement launched a homebuying riot. The more companies filled their coffers with millions of dollars, either out of guilt or as protection payments, the more new homes their directors bought.
One of the co-founders, self-proclaimed Marxist Patrice Kahn Cullors, spent $3.2 million in suspected BLM funds on a splurge, buying four luxury homes.
And the most radical members of the Democratic Party, the so-called “Squad,” felt that the more they denounced racism, the more they could benefit without fearing the consequences of their wrongdoing. It seems like it is.
One team member, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, directed $2.8 million in government funds earmarked for her office to her husband’s political consulting firm.
Yet another lawmaker, radical leftist Rep. Cori Bush, frequently called for the nation to defund the police. The FBI is currently investigating her for secretly paying tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to her husband for her “safety.”
Wake and DEI activists are not necessarily any more inherently mediocre, corrupt, or conspiratorial than other politicians or activists.
But what they appear to do is loudly advertise that they support “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion,” and that they are exempt from all scrutiny and free to do as they please. This is because they believe they can make a profit.
The Wake/DEI project attracts thousands of shy people, careerists, and mediocre people. They all want to enrich themselves on the premise that they are noble warriors for social justice who deserve to be immune from any scrutiny.
America has wasted billions of dollars to hire DEI czars, mainly woke politicians who frequently accuse others of their many sins as a means to enrich themselves, cover up their own responsibilities, and make a mockery of the law. What a strange choice.
Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Greatness. He is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the author of Basic Books’ The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won. You can get in touch by emailing authorvdh@gmail.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
