I have exactly ONE issue with diversity committees

A professor, postdoc, manager, or simple employee who joins every diversity committee and posts about gender equality on Social Media is NOT automatically a good person, and even worse, very often it’s the wolves in sheep’s fur that join these committees.

It is time that I use my platform to talk about it. There are three kinds of people who join volunteer initiatives and diversity committees:

• Group 1: People who genuinely want to create change in society and try their best to live up to what they preach.

• Group 2: People who do not really care about the cause but know that having volunteer work on their CV is beneficial in many career fields.

• Group 3: People who do not actually care at all—and in fact, treat the women, minorities, and everyone they claim to “empower” poorly. They engage in workplace sexual harassment and use volunteer work purely so people perceive them as good. This allows them to step into positions of authority where they can continue to mistreat others.

This may sound a little dramatic, but it is a fact. Let me give you an anecdote to illustrate my point. At my university, I know of four men: one professor and three PhD students. One of the PhD students told me quite honestly that he needs to justify his limited contract at the university somehow, and thus does a lot of equality and volunteer work.

The other two PhD students, whom I know more personally, have done terrible things to women. They have publicly called women liars for accusing them of sexual harassment, while simultaneously admitting to the harassment in private. They also argue that biological differences are the reason women are less represented in STEM. Yet, as soon as it comes to their public image, they are suddenly promoting women in STEM and acting as if they care about diversity.

Lastly, there is the professor. As a female student, he treated me horribly. He frequently picked fights with me because he was annoyed by my articles regarding equality, made inappropriate comments by telling me that “maybe I will see him in a dance class,” and often spoke badly behind their backs about the women at our institute who held feminist views. Despite this, he has built a public persona as someone who empowers women in STEM, convincing everyone that he could never be a sexist because “he is doing so much for equality.” Let me tell you how it really goes down. Officially, he initiates projects to promote STEM, but the actual hard work is done entirely by others. For him, it is all about showing off.

I encourage people to reward genuine volunteer work, but I have seen too many people take advantage of that system in the wrong way. Especially in academia, where we face very short-term contracts and a lot of job uncertainty, it is far too tempting for certain individuals to fake their support for diversity just to stay at the university. Even worse, it allows them to quietly discriminate against everyone they dislike, as well as harass and repress women in the workplace, without ever getting caught because their public image is just too convincing.

Comedian Bill Burr said it once in one of his specials: “I don’t believe male feminists. You did something you are trying to hide.” While he said it cynically and generalized for comedic purposes, he was not wrong in his core message. If we reward volunteer work when the actual hard work is done by others—and if it is enough to simply have an affiliation with a club and make a few nice social media posts- we open the door for corruption.

This is the message I am trying to convey here as a volunteer myself. Just because someone on paper is concerned with diversity and volunteering, it does not mean:

• a) That they care.
• b) That they are a good person.
• c) That they do not oppress and discriminate against others.

Science backs it up

The Moral Credential effect says that people who have done good, like standing up for diversity and equality, tend to be less critical of their own moral behavior and biases, and thus it creates a paradox where people who do more for diversity end up being more biased in their decisions. No hard feelings about that.

Worse when this moral credential is not a bias but a strategic move to hide one’s ugly behavior and repulsive views. Because the Moral credential effect also works the other way around. People are less critical about someone’s moral behavior when he has moral credentials.

So whether it is the desperation to stay at university or succeed in one’s career or the malice to deceive people around you so you don’t get under the radar, there have to be better ways to reward and appreciate volunteering work and encouragement for diversity and equality without opening doors for hypocrisy.

As a volunteer myself, I believe there has to be real merit produced by your voluntary work. We should center the integrity and empathy of the person doing the voluntary work. Someone who has actually admitted to biased behavior and owns up to it, implementing solutions that take everyone to responsibility, including themselves. Clear record of not only standing up for an issue but creating real change, perhaps at the cost of one’s own power. I trust a manager who is open to discussing his mistakes and admitting to bias in hiring decisions more than the professor with perfect moral credentials.

So don’t talk; show me how you sacrifice to really make a change. Because if you are real about it, you don’t care about the credentials. You care about the people and future generations whose lives can be changed.