AH, WHAT A MESS. DIVERSITY, that is. Before I launch into a preview of all the intertwined issues that make diversity such a misdirected drama, I’ll start with a simple question: Is diversity a good idea done wrong, or a bad idea done just right? As I will make clear throughout this book, there is nothing inherently wrong with the idea of diversity, and in fact as an idea it evokes tremendous promise. The problem therefore must lie in the execution and in the application, and that indeed is pretty much the central message of this whole book. Sure, people groan with dyspeptic anguish any time someone brings up the topic of diversity—just watch faces contort with resigned pain when you inform a group of people that they need to attend a “diversity
