Thoughts on Jordan Peterson's University Resignation

Dr. Jordan Peterson has resigned from his tenured position at the University of Toronto. One reason that he cites is his ability to reach so many more people beyond the walls of the university. But that is not really his major motivation. Instead, he cites “diversity, inclusion, and equity” policies, which have become widespread among universities, including his own. These policies, which he refers to as DIE policies, now govern the hiring process for academic positions and threaten to elevate characteristics of race, ethnicity, gender, gender ID, and lifestyle, above academic knowledge and competence. He does not think that this transformation promises a bright future; instead, these policies set aside merit and competence in favor of considerations irrelevant to performing reliable scholarship, research, and teaching.

Those who would regard professional medical knowledge as more important than color or lifestyle in a medical professional, or the mastery of applied physics and mathematics as more important in an engineer than gender, sexual ID, or ethnicity, would have to agree with him. In fact, racism as a practice discriminates against merit and proficiency to bar one racial group with demonstrated ability from opportunities reserved for less able members of the “preferred” race. In fact, the “Green Test” for discrimination (from the Supreme Court’s decision in McDonnell Douglas Corp. vs Green) sets one of its criteria for proving a discriminatory “failure to hire” case against a company as showing that the company’s hiring process prefers a less qualified “majority class” (preferred class) applicant over a “more qualified” minority applicant.

That is, showing that a desired racial characteristic is more important than an applicant’s actual qualifications and experience shows “prima facie” proof of a company’s unlawful bias in its hiring practices, thus shifting the burden of proof from the complainant to the company, requiring the employer to show a lack of bias in its hiring process. The Green Test is still the law in establishing “failure to hire” employment discrimination cases and has been extended to apply to other kinds of employment discrimination, such as discriminatory discipline. [fedbar.org]

Whenever people are selected for positions for reasons other than merit and credentials, then competence becomes less important than other characteristics—characteristics unrelated to the performance of the jobs. That should be self-evident. For example, if one hires family as opposed to others, no one would claim that such nepotism ensures qualified and competent employees. By definition, such a policy would pick a less qualified sister or brother over a more qualified stranger because nepotism elevates family relationships over merit.

Of course, competence exists among all genders, ethnicities, races, colors, etc. But competence is the key to performance, not these other characteristics. In fact, what Peterson notes here is the same attitude that prevented able minorities in the past from securing employment and advancement. In higher education, such attitudes excluded minorities from securing academic positions for which they were qualified and the recognition that they deserved. That attitude was wrong then, and it is wrong now; in fact, that attitude is evil, no matter what group it victimizes.

If we simply change the skin color against which we discriminate, we remain bigots—whether we do it on the assembly line, in the professions, or at the university. And that is a tragedy. MLK dreamed of the day when we would look at the content of a person’s character, not at the color of a person’s skin. But we now face “mentors” who dismiss that vision. And their voices seem to have gained the cultural high ground. What does that mean? MLK’s dream will again be postponed—this time by people who should know better.

[nationalpost.com]