Why the Term Jedi Is Problematic for Justice/Equity/Diversity/Inclusion Programs
scientificamerican.com
scientificamerican.com
It's really really hard not to believe the authors are trolling. Is this parody?
Where is Samuel Clemens when you need him?
Their main point is pretty good.
This is a perfect fit.
Either they let this trollish (or outlandish) opinion piece through because they lack scrutiny and judgement, or they let it through to self-mock their opinion column, perhaps to try and defuse the E.O.Wilson debacle.
In either case, it is not becoming of the magazine of old.
What I'm seeing now is not serious or good or science.
Or entertaining.
That means that the top news is often not all that important -- it's not as if earth-shaking discoveries happen every week. But it means that what they report is true and given the appropriate emphasis. They're trying to inform you rather than thrill you.
Many social justice initiatives are important and worth talking about (I'm a BIPOC), so I get it.
But an essay on taking umbridge with the Jedi sees like a waste of time to social signal, "I'm woke! Woker than thou!"
The reason its a strawman argument is that it misses that the federal government prohibits "race-based discrimination", for like 50 years, and never uses the term racist or racism so the definition is clearer than the standard people invented.
They are becoming more and more progressive.
And once there is not a good chunk of shared values and agreed upon ideas beyond some abstract tennets, any BS bikeshedding and any fringe opinion becomes an "equally valid" and important discussion point as anything else...