Last week conservative commentator Matt Walsh provided a theory behind the left’s passion for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“When we engage with these ideas like diversity and inclusion,” Walsh said on his podcast, “we [should not] make the mistake of accepting the premise that the left actually wants diversity and inclusion. … (A)ll of these words – diversity, inclusion, equity tolerance, et cetera – they are all code for get rid of white males.”
“When they talk about increasing the percentages of some demographics – you know, demographics that are not white and male – what that means is reducing the percentage of white males. Just basic math there.”
A former executive at American Express is now making that same argument.
The Washington Times reported on Sunday that Brian Netzel, a 62-year-old former AmEx client manager in Arizona, filed the complaint in October with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC.
He claims, as the Times notes, that “he was fired for being white and opposing the firm’s diversity agenda.”
Netzel and AmEx entered mediation on Thursday.
In his EEOC complaint, Netzel maintained, “On October 30, 2020, AmEx unceremoniously terminated my employment as part of a ‘diversity’ policy that rewarded company executives for making their departments less ‘white.’’’
“My termination was the direct result of me being an older white male, a demographic the company specifically sought to reduce in managerial positions like my own, and in direct retaliation for my stated opposition to AmEx’s racially discriminatory and hostile policies.”
The Times reported that Netzel asserted said he was fired by a higher-ranking executive who benefited from Netzel’s departure because AmEx grants supervisors bonus points for having more people of color in their sections.
Netzel argues that AmEx went full woke by implementing Critical Race Theory, and its “anti-racist” program.
AmEx denied the accusations, saying Netzel’s complaint was meritless.
Still, the Times reported that company documents say AmEx forced employees “to undergo ‘anti-racist’ training sessions in which they were compelled to identify their ‘privilege’ and define themselves by ‘race, sexual orientation, body type, religion, disability status, age, gender identity [and] citizenship.’”
“In addition, American Express paid Harvard Kennedy School professor Khalil Muhammad to lecture company employees,” the Times added.
Muhammad is the great-grandson of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad, and with AmEx, he “spoke on the topic of race in corporate America and excoriated capitalism and American
Express for alleged evils visited on people of color.”
Netzel said he objected to the company about the training last year because AmEx affiliates were burned out of their businesses by rioters. He also said that adhering to Muhammad’s maxims would have meant breaking anti-discrimination laws, by treating blacks and whites differently.
That, and his social media jokes about “woke-ism” led to his professional demise, Netzel said.
When it came to his own career, Netzel maintained AmEx ignored anti-discrimination laws in order to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
So desperate were they that AmEx abided him being fired by a higher-ranking executive who was not his direct supervisor, but who still stood to gain from his termination.
“AmEx made it clear that the demographics in … positions must be changed to reflect their proportionate representation in the general population,” Netzel said in his complaint.
“The announcement was made without any explanation or reassurance that the company would still follow applicable anti-discrimination laws in achieving its objective.”
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