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Feb. 20, 2026 - Epoch Times
04:14
Jonathan Butcher Argues DEI Is ‘Brainwashing’

🔴 Pre-order Jan's new book on China's murder-for-organs industry "Killed to Order": http://killedtoorder.com/Show more 🔵 Support independent journalism and subscribe to The Epoch Times now for just $1 per week: https://theepochtim.es/ATLUSA Canada Edition: https://theepochtim.es/ATLCA 🔵 Sign up for the American Thought Leaders ALERTS newsletter to stay up-to-date on new episodes, releases, and special events 👉 https://ept.ms/ATLnewsletter Jonathan Butcher argues that DEI isn’t just socially corrosive. It’s “brainwashing.” His new book, “The Polarization Myth,” exposes the psychological techniques used to make Americans disillusioned with America’s founding principles: “I interviewed a chemist in Oklahoma who worked for a company that produced plastics, and he was being forced to undergo DEI training.” “He told me: why am I being told that George Washington had false teeth that may have come from slaves, or that our Founding Fathers may have owned slaves, even if some of them freed the slaves after the Founding Fathers passed away? What does that matter to the making of plastics or my job?” “He filed a lawsuit… and he got a person who works with the defense community interviewing prisoners, and found that these techniques that DEI trainers are using are very similar to the same sort of techniques that unseat your allegiance to your country.” “I think what DEI activists are trying to do is to change our understanding of American history.” “The institution of slavery was clearly running counter to our founding ideals, but that doesn’t mean our founding ideals were wrong.” “It meant that those who were implementing them were doing it wrong.” “What this particular individual, his name is Chad Ellis, also did was he said that this DEI training was so deeply psychological that it was more than just professional development.” “It was actually some sort of attempt at psychology.” “What’s fascinating about DEI training is that the research on the effectiveness of DEI trainings find that they are highly ineffective.” “They don’t change people’s behavior or attitudes, and even in some cases, they can make people resentful of having to undergo these DEI trainings.” “When you try to change someone’s understanding of their country and disaffect them from their allegiance to their nation, you are trying to brainwash them.” Show less

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Time Text
Why DEI Training Matters 00:04:13
When it comes to DEI in the workforce, a real credit to this administration for taking a strong stance against the use of DEI.
In my book, The Polarization Myth, I interviewed a chemist in Oklahoma who worked for a company that produced plastics, and he was being forced to undergo DEI training.
And he told me, why am I being told that George Washington had false teeth that may have come from slaves or that our founding fathers may have owned slaves, even if some of them freed the slaves after the founding father passed away?
What does that matter to the making of plastics or my job?
And this idea that these teachings were trying to undermine his allegiance or his sense of community with his nation was the same kind of tactic that interrogators use with criminals.
And so this was, he filed a lawsuit against what was being done to him.
And he got a person who works with the defense community in interviewing prisoners and found that these techniques that DEI trainers are using are very similar to the same sort of techniques that unseat your allegiance to your country.
It's the same kind of idea.
Okay, I want to dig into this a little more.
Wow, that is an astonishing thing, right?
I mean, what were you thinking when you were hearing this?
I was not surprised.
I mean, I think what DEI activists are trying to do is to change our understanding of American history.
They want to rewrite how we think about our founding fathers and how we think about the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Look, the institution of slavery was clearly running counter to our founding ideals.
But that doesn't mean our founding ideals were wrong.
It meant that those who were implementing them were doing it wrong.
What this particular individual, his name is Chad Ellis, also did was he said that this DEI training was so deeply psychological that it was more than just professional development.
It was actually some sort of attempt at psychology.
And so he tried to get a ruling from the Oklahoma Board of Psychologists to say that this was psychological practice being done by an unlicensed psychologist.
Remarkably, the Oklahoma Board refused to make a ruling on it and wouldn't say so.
But I think it's fascinating that even that claim would be made, that we are trying to be brainwashed when DEI activists try to tell us that our race is the most important thing about us and that American life is systemically racist.
So, I mean, basically your contention, this is your position here, is that these DEI education programs are actually actively trying to subvert Americans' sense of loyalty to the nation.
It absolutely is.
And when you look at their materials that they use, they are directly going after our founding documents and our founding ideals.
What's fascinating about DEI training is that the research on the effectiveness of DEI trainings find that they are highly ineffective.
They don't change people's behavior or attitudes.
And even in some cases, they can make people resentful of having to undergo these DEI trainings.
And it's not just me saying this.
The Washington Post has produced reports on this.
McKinsey and Company, the corporate consulting bohemoth, the New York Times, major mainstream publications in the trade, such as Education Week, they've all produced reports saying that DEI is ineffective and asked why we are doing it.
Now, of course, they would suggest we just need to change the way that we're doing DEI.
We're just doing it wrong.
But I think it's what's at the root of DEI methodology and philosophy that's the problem.
The problem is when you try to change someone's understanding of their country and disaffect them from their allegiance to their nation, you are trying to brainwash them.
So DEI training is brainwashing.
I think it absolutely is.
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