DEI & Cancel Culture: We Got It Wrong

I don’t know much about kids, but even I know you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

In today’s political climate, the pressure on companies to either adopt or walk back their DEI and social stances is growing. Political polarization has led many businesses to cave to outside pressure—reversing their diversity initiatives or distancing themselves from progressive stances, afraid of backlash from conservative or profit-driven agendas. But we don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become a corporate buzzword, a social justice necessity. But the way it's often implemented today is more about performative gestures than actual systemic change.

Meanwhile, cancel culture (CC)—intended to hold people accountable—has devolved into a punitive, fear-driven beast that leaves little room for growth, redemption, or conversation. The result? Both DEI and cancel culture have become polarizing extremes that miss the point.

To be honest, DEI and CC shouldn’t even be on the same spectrum. It's unnatural. It’s political. And yet, here we are.

It's time for a reset.

The DEI Disconnect: Ditch the Checklist, Do the Work

DEI isn’t just about ticking boxes and posting the right hashtags. Too often, companies treat diversity like a trend to latch onto, especially after a social justice moment goes viral. They'll pledge to do better, promote a few diverse faces, and pat themselves on the back while fueling the same system. But true inclusion isn’t about looking diverse—it’s about creating systems that actively dismantle barriers. A quick PR statement or a "Diversity and Inclusion" page on your website isn’t going to fix years of exclusion and systemic bias.

True DEI goes beyond hiring people who look different. It’s about creating pathways for those people to lead, grow, and influence. It’s about dismantling the systemic barriers that prevent true inclusion. If your DEI strategy doesn’t touch culture, leadership, and policy, then you’re playing dress-up—not fighting for change.

It takes decades, even generations to see the fruits of this labor.

Cancel Culture: Holding People Accountable or Just Pushing Them Out?

Cancel culture started with good intentions: the idea of holding people accountable for harmful behavior, especially in spaces where justice wasn’t always served. But somewhere along the way, it morphed into a punitive, fear-driven cycle that often leaves no room for growth or redemption.

The problem isn’t that people shouldn’t be held accountable—it’s that cancel culture has turned accountability into a singular blunt instrument, used not to teach but to punish. And when punishment becomes the goal, we lose the chance to learn from mistakes, to have uncomfortable but necessary conversations.

We should favor education over erasure. There aren't many “all or nothing” situations. Accountability and redemption can coexist. We can hold someone accountable, remove them from positions of power and influence if necessary, while still allowing them to learn, reflect, and rebuild. Accountability doesn’t have to mean social exile—it can mean growth and evolution alongside justice.

A Better Way: Resetting to Land Somewhere in the Middle

DEI and CC both need a major reset. Performative gestures and punitive cycles not only burn valuable opportunities—they miss the point entirely. We need to focus on creating systems that drive real change—inclusion that goes deeper than the surface, accountability that leaves room for growth.

For DEI to succeed, we can’t just check the boxes. We need structural transformation, not superficial representation. True inclusion is about empowering people to lead and influence while being fully aware of the societal and systemic barriers that continue to hold people back. It’s about opening the door, not adding more diverse portraits to the wall.

And when it comes to CC, we need to stop treating it as an endgame. Accountability should be about learning and reflection, not social death. We put a man on the moon 60 years ago—why couldn't we hold people accountable and let them evolve at the same time?

TLDR:

DEI and CC are needed—but we need to stop living in extremes. Real change is a process, not a headline. It’s slow, it’s quiet, and you probably won’t notice it until it’s personal. It’s not about checking diversity quotas or throwing people away—it’s about building inclusive systems and fostering accountability in a way that leaves room for growth and redemption. And yes, it takes time—but it’s worth it.