Because DEI efforts come from the Ivies that are vestiges of class privilege. It's hard for people to recognize they can be oppressed as well as oppressor, privileged and disadvantaged at the same time. Even though this is the entire point of intersectionality, it's still hard to be self-aware.
The thought leaders of intersectionality, by virtue of their thought-leadership, have a privilege and a reach almost nobody else has. This does not discredit them, but it's awkward to acknowledge that those who preach about privilege are sometimes meaningfully more privileged than the people they preach to.
When people point out this privilege it looks like derailing from their perspective. Because when unprivileged people talk about oppression nobody pays attention to them, but when privileged people talk about it their privilege is then used to discredit their arguments. They can't win!
This exact effect poisons discussions about wealth inequality. When poor people talk about inequality they're ignored because they're sore losers. Rich people are ignored because they must be virtue-signaling hypocrites.
The thought leaders of intersectionality, by virtue of their thought-leadership, have a privilege and a reach almost nobody else has. This does not discredit them, but it's awkward to acknowledge that those who preach about privilege are sometimes meaningfully more privileged than the people they preach to.
When people point out this privilege it looks like derailing from their perspective. Because when unprivileged people talk about oppression nobody pays attention to them, but when privileged people talk about it their privilege is then used to discredit their arguments. They can't win!
This exact effect poisons discussions about wealth inequality. When poor people talk about inequality they're ignored because they're sore losers. Rich people are ignored because they must be virtue-signaling hypocrites.