Liberal comedian Bill Maher dismissed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts as meaningless virtue signaling by the left that does nothing to address racial divides or inequity in the U.S.
In a new episode of the "Club Random" podcast released Sunday, Maher was joined by late night icon Jay Leno, where the pair discussed the push for DEI efforts in institutions and corporations across the U.S.
Maher said the "the virtue signaling and the stuff they do to make themselves fel better about being allies" is a distraction from addressing the root of the problem.
"You want to be a good ally, address the actual problems. Any racial problems in this country is not addressed by DEI and having programs like that," he said pointedly.
The solution, according to Maher, comes down to three things.
"Better schools. Don't graduate kids who don't know anything and have no skills," he said. "More dads. And the drug war. Those are the practical things and that's not what they care about."
Maher has frequently used his podcast to speak out against the left's embrace of woke culture. Last year he declared, "We've come to this place where you can't even go near a topic, certain topics, without the mob coming after you."
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In a sober assessment of why the Democratic Party lost following the November election, Maher told his audience, "Make no mistake, this election was very much about what I’ve been saying here and lost a lot of fans for saying over the years, that this country has had enough of the anti-common sense woke bulls---."
In June, Maher said there's a "weaponization" of White guilt and an attempt to exaggerate racism in America as he debated the issue with liberal journalist Kara Swisher on his podcast.
DEI programs have become a major area of investment in recent years, but their actual effectiveness remains a topic of debate with many wondering whether they may exacerbate tensions rather than alleviate them.
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Pressure on private companies to relinquish their DEI commitments has yielded significant change as critics decry them as discriminatory and ineffective. Most recently, Walmart, Nissan and American Airlines joined the growing list of major corporations to halt the so-called "woke" initiatives, with others expected to follow suit.
