Professor reveals DEI course where staff members are asked which identities they would let DIE

A Virginia professor revealed a shocking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) course where staff members were asked to choose what intersectional identities they would leave behind to die in a hypothetical scenario. 

Doug Ponder, a biblical studies professor at Grimke Seminary, claimed his friend, who works at a public university, sent him a worksheet titled: Whom to Leave Behind? 

The worksheet, which is produced by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) in New York, listed a group of 12 potential passengers for a spaceship that is leaving the Earth because it is 'doomed for destruction.' However, there are only eight seats available on the lifesaving flight, and those attending the seminar are tasked with choosing the fittest. 

Ponder, who did not reveal where his friend worked, called the worksheet 'demonic.' 

'It's [page one] of the DEI training his department is forced to take, starting [with] an exercise that asks which intersectional identities you'd save and which you'd leave to die,' he wrote on Twitter. 

The worksheet, which is produced by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) in New York, listed a group of 12 potential passengers for a spaceship that is leaving the Earth because it is 'doomed for destruction.' However, there are only eight seats available on the lifesaving flight, and those attending the seminar are tasked with choosing the fittest

Among the 12 identities, are an 'accountant with a substance abuse problem,' 'a militant African American medical student,' 'a famous novelist with a physical disability,' 'a female movie star who was recently the victim of a sexual assault,' and a 'gay male, professional athlete, vegetarian.' 

The purpose of the original workshop was to identify unconscious biases in the healthcare field while treating those with addiction, but it has been used across school settings for several years. 

In 2018, an Ohio school was criticized for giving middle schoolers the assignment. Parents said their children felt uncomfortable doing the assignment and said it 'divided' people. 

'It doesn't pull anyone together,' a parent said at the time. 

It has also been used in classes at Lincoln University, San Antonio College, the University of Texas, and University of Alabama, among others, according to Class Hero. 

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has even weighed in on the activity, writing '!!' under Ponder's post. 

Doug Ponder, a biblical studies professor at Grimke Seminary, claimed his friend, who works at a public university, sent him a worksheet. The purpose of the original workshop was to identify unconscious biases while treating those with addiction, but it has been used across school settings for several years 

Ponder called the worksheet 'demonic' for forcing people to choose which 'intersectional identities you'd save and which you'd leave to die' 

Ponder went on to say that he posted the worksheet for 'three reasons: 1. To raise awareness of a big problem, 2. To vindicate those who speak up, [and] 3. To move toward a real solution.' 

'Too many people remain ignorant, some willfully so, about the massive cultural revolution underway in the West (esp America) and the significant and far-reaching damage it will yield. We can’t address a problem if we aren’t aware (or won’t admit) it exists,' Ponder, who is also a teaching pastor at Remnant Church, wrote on Twitter. 

'A few brave souls (more each day) have been calling our attention to the increasing insanity of our cultural moment for years. Most were met with skepticism, ridicule, even slander. But their warnings have proven true over time. Thanks for speaking up,' he continued.  

'DEI exercises aimed at exposing and addressing real and alleged biases have been shown to have little-to-no effect long-term success in reducing prejudice,' he continued. 'Instead of making people more empathetic toward minorities, DEI exercises lowered the participants’ sympathy for poor whites.' 

Many criticized the worksheet, including Elon Musk, who wrote '!!' under Ponder's post 

DEI courses have taken many political hits over the past few years, and several companies - such as, Twitter and Amazon - have ditched those positions in order cut costs. 

As the tech industry laid off tens of thousands of workers last summer, DEI teams shed about a third of their staff, according to data compiled by Revelio Labs. Other departments were only losing a fifth at the same time. 

While DEI initiatives bring more black, brown, female and queer talent into firms and raise morale across the board, critics have labeled the roles a virtue-signaling exercise that fosters discrimination against straight, white men. 

As well as offering jobs to underrepresented groups, DEI teams also end up butting heads with established employees with their training in tackling racial bias, microaggressions and even 'white privilege.'