I wanted to take a moment to comment on the 2024 Presidential campaign since it feels as though we are in a truly historic moment. I write this as Kamala Harris has recently become the presumptive democratic nominee and has vetted potential Vice-Presidential choices.
There is so much one could say about this related to our book and the psychology of women and gender, but I want to focus on an idea that has come up, especially from those on the right, that Harris is a “DEI candidate.” Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Senator stated: she is just another example of the kind of “mediocrity” that you get when you make a “DEI hire” (Harmeling, 2024, para. 2).
I think it is worth discussing with students what is meant by this and encouraging them to think critically about their reactions and how they would respond if they heard someone make an argument like that. The Forbes article written by Susan Harmeling gives an excellent analysis and may be worth assigning to students. First, she points out that research consistently shows that women, and especially women of color, actually have to reach higher levels of excellence in order to be considered for powerful positions. She points out that white men are actually given advantages because they are seen as a “good fit” because of our human tendency to want to socialize and be around people who are like us, combined with the fact that white men still occupy most powerful positions. She encourages people to take the “all things being equal” test to counter potential implicit biases (para. 7). For example, if you heard of a white man who was an attorney general and senator of a large state, and had been Vice President for 3 and a half years, would you question whether he was qualified to be President?
It’s also interesting to reflect on conversation that took place as Harris was considering Vice Presidential choices. Due to the desire to “even out” the ticket, everyone who was seriously in contention for the position was a white man. Furthermore, the assumption was that the white man probably should be Christian (which may have played a role in ruling out Josh Shapiro) and straight (which likely contributed to ruling out Pete Buttigieg). All of this is due to the fact that with a woman who is Black and South Asian at the top of the ticket, most assumed that the US public needs a straight, Christian, white man to balance the ticket out and make people more comfortable. Tim Walz, her Vice-Presidential pick, is a Christian, white, man from a rural state (and Harris is from a coastal state). He is certainly diversifying the ticket – but he is not being referred to as a DEI candidate.
I am sure the dialogue about race and gender will continue throughout this election cycle. Having students listen to this dialogue with a critical ear, using skills from and the classes they take with us (as well as from our textbook), will help them navigate this historic time.