classstruggle.tech

In another attempt to whitewash capitalism, the current world order has advanced the idea of diversifying capitalism to divert our attention from the real issue: corporations are earning record profits while workers are putting in longer hours than pre-Industrial Revolution. All this happens as workers' wages continue to stagnate below the poverty rate in many countries around the world. I wouldn't be surprised if sea levels rise before minimum wages in the USA.

I have attended numerous conferences where I was asked to discuss DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). All conversations revolved around one topic: how can we bring more Black, Brown, queer, and other minority individuals into executive positions? They believe this is beneficial because 'diversity' is profitable. Indeed, research confirms that more diverse and inclusive companies are more innovative and, therefore, more profitable. It all boils down to profit and the continuous plunder of the environment for non-stop consumerism. We have been brainwashed to be addicted to 'growth', quantifying every bit of our existence as if we are nothing more than targets to be achieved. If one is not growing economically, they are considered non-contributors to the economy and, therefore, are often relegated to the margins of society. Consequently, they are branded as lazy and weak.

This is even more evident in the growing tech space, particularly those working in the so-called AI industry. These companies hire consultants who work for the same capitalist institutions who tell them that the way to overcome algorithmic biases is to hire a more diverse workforce. Certainly, increasing representation, especially of women and other marginalised groups, in tech is crucial. However, hiring more women and diverse identities without restructuring the underlying system is nothing but a cosmetic change. This is what Rosa Luxemburg was implying about the difference between reform and revolution. Reforms do not alter the fundamental structure of the system. They just seek to make things palatable enough to prevent the working class from realising that they are chained. Capitalists have co-opted progressive movements to appear sympathetic and forward-thinking, but at the end of the day, it’s just a a businessman donning homeless attire as a costume. Hell, even Amazon is now part of an annual pride march.

If tech companies really want to overcome algorithmic biases, they would challenge the profit-driven motives of the tech industry and advocate for a transition towards a systemic model that moves away from the concentration of technological power in the hands of a few corporations. A piecemeal reform in the tech industry is weak and futile. This inclusion of certain identities for the sake of it serves no one but the profit-based enterprise so that the business appears progressive and inclusive without actually challenging the exploitative nature of the system itself.

No matter how many diverse identities you put there, the profit-based system can and will only commodify 'diversity' and turn it into a marketable asset or a brand value rather than a genuine push for systemic equality. Having a queer CEO for an oil company means nothing to the thousands of working-class trans people who have to resort to sex work to survive. Having a woman CEO means nothing to a single mother of three who must make ends meet before her next pay. Having an Asian executive means nothing to me, an Asian, if she is just there as a tool cherry-picked by those in power as a decoration to make the current system appetising. None of these approaches challenge the existing bourgeois hegemony. Enough with the girlboss, pink-economics, leaning in, and rainbow capitalism. They do not and will not liberate the working class. I may be alone in this stance, but if 'inclusion' meant that I would be included in a system that profits off someone's suffering, I do not want to be part of it.

Diversity and inclusion have become the opium of the masses. If they genuinely want diversity, equity, and inclusion, they should start by ensuring that workers from all backgrounds have not just representation but actual power and equity in the workplace. This shift requires a fundamental reconfiguration of the workplace into a collective where workers democratically control their environment. It’s about dismantling the structures that prioritise profit over people and replacing them with a system where workers collectively make decisions, share profits, and have equitable stakes in the outcomes of their labour.