President Trump has declared war on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), signing executive orders to eliminate it from the military, government, and education. Unsurprisingly, DEI advocates are furious. But for everyday Americans, this is a much-needed correction to a system that has done more harm than good.
History proves that when race-based and ideological hiring replace merit, society collapses. Just look at South Africa and Venezuela: two stark warnings of what happens when DEI policies go unchecked.
The Issues with DEI
DEI policies may sound good at first, but in practice, they've lowered standards, fueled division, and prioritized political agendas over excellence and talent.
In the Military: DEI initiatives undermine cohesion by prioritizing identity-based policies over combat preparedness, raising questions about their long-term impact on the strength and unity of the U.S. military.
In Workplaces: Companies hired DEI consultants and implemented quotas, only to lay them off later as the programs failed. Even tech giants like Google and Meta quietly let go of thousands of DEI employees after realizing they contributed little to company success. In January 2025, uncontrolled fires in Los Angeles and an aircraft crash were reportedly linked to DEI-related layoffs and unqualified personnel.
In Education: Schools and universities scrapped entrance exams to promote equity, resulting in lower academic standards. The outcome? A generation that’s unprepared, unqualified, and unable to compete in the real world. Reverse discrimination and forced equality of outcomes have completely undermined merit-based systems.
President Trump’s policies aim to restore merit-based hiring, promotions and to remove ideological activism from institutions. To truly understand why this is so crucial, we need to look at extreme examples of what happens when DEI is taken too far.
South Africa: How DEI Collapsed a Nation
If there’s a glaring example of how DEI policies can destroy an economy, it’s South Africa. After the fall of Apartheid, the government introduced Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), which was meant to uplift black South Africans and right the wrongs of history. Instead, it became a system that fostered corruption, racial discrimination, and economic decline.
Mandatory Black Ownership: In South Africa, companies are required to meet Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) requirements, which often include minimum black ownership targets of around 30%. Critics argue this prioritizes demographic targets over qualifications or industry expertise.
Government Collapses: State-run companies like Eskom, the national power utility, have long suffered from political appointments and mismanagement. This has contributed to widespread blackouts and the country’s ongoing energy crisis.
Political Appointees Fail: Transnet, responsible for railways and harbors, has been weakened by years of poor leadership and corruption scandals, leading to severe supply chain disruptions.
Corruption Reigns: Major state contracts are frequently linked to patronage networks, nepotism, and corruption scandals, raising concerns that deals are too often awarded based on connections or kickbacks rather than merit.
Bankruptcies: South African Airways has repeatedly faced bankruptcy, requiring multiple government bailouts, similar to Mango Airways. Investigations and reporting have highlighted how political interference, mismanagement, and cadre deployment - often prioritizing political or racial loyalty over professional competence - undermined the airline’s ability to operate efficiently.
The current system has contributed to widespread job losses among skilled white South Africans, many of whom have struggled to find new opportunities. In practice, skin color has often become a determining factor, rather than ability or expertise.
South Africa still has the potential to rise again if merit-based hiring and competence are prioritized. Yet the legacy of race-based employment and education policies has already left deep scars. The public education system, for example, allows learners to pass with a minimum grade of just 30%, a threshold widely criticized for lowering standards and weakening the long-term prospects of the workforce.
One of the most striking examples of how DEI policies have stifled progress is the Starlink ban. Elon Musk’s plan to bring affordable, high-speed internet to South Africa through Starlink was blocked by the government, unless Musk found a black business partner to hold 30% ownership.
As a result, millions of South Africans, especially in rural areas, remain dependent on costly, unreliable internet and mobile data, while neighboring countries like Zimbabwe and Zambia already enjoy the benefits of Starlink.
South Africa, a nation rich in potential, is now grappling with a collapsing infrastructure, soaring unemployment, and violent crime rates comparable to war zones. These crises are compounded by corruption and a policy framework that continues to place race above competence. Under the current leadership, the country is drifting down a perilous path.
Venezuela: How Equity Over Merit Led to Catastrophe
Venezuela's collapse is a tragic example of what happens when “equity” is prioritized over merit. In the early 2000s, Hugo Chávez’s radical socialist policies, eerily similar to today’s DEI agenda, set the stage for disaster.
Industries were nationalized and handed over to so-called “underrepresented” groups, many of whom lacked the necessary training and expertise. Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.), was severely weakened by politically driven DEI-style hiring, which prioritized loyalty and identity over competence, ultimately leading to the collapse of what was once one of the world’s most successful oil industries.
As meritocracy was dismantled, the country’s most skilled professionals - engineers, doctors, and business owners - fled, leaving an unqualified workforce in their wake. The consequences were catastrophic: a ruined economy, widespread starvation, mass emigration, skyrocketing inflation, and pervasive poverty. Once-thriving cities descended into chaos, and today, Venezuela remains one of the poorest and most dangerous nations in the world.
DEI Sounds Nice Until It's Not
President Trump’s fight against DEI is not about rejecting diversity; it’s about restoring fairness and preventing America from following the disastrous paths of South Africa and Venezuela.
Diversity should emerge naturally through merit, not by quotas or force. When hiring and promotion are dictated by ideology instead of ability, the result is incompetence, resentment, and, eventually, national decline. When meritocracy is tossed aside in favor of appeasing a certain demographic, the consequences ripple across every sector, weakening the nation as a whole. The damaging effects of DEI are already taking hold in America, leaving behind some irreversible scars.
Heike Claudia Petzer
Content Writer
