Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, DEI, and the Tall Poppy Syndrome. ⚔️
If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. Numbers 33:55
I have written previously regarding movements and their relationship to TPS. Some people are direct targets of the movement. In contrast, others are collateral damage (see James Bennet, The New York Times editorial-page chief, Becomes a Victim of the Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS). Movements, Politics, and the Press as cutters ---Social Movements and the Tall Poppy Syndrome—Ronald Sullivan: A Preposterous Victim of the Tall Poppy Syndrome).
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke, a white male applicant, was denied admission to the University of California at Davis Medical School twice despite having qualifications that surpassed those of some minority applicants who were accepted under a unique program. The medical school had set aside 16 out of 100 seats for minority candidates as part of its efforts to enhance diversity.
Bakke sued the university, claiming that its admissions policy discriminated against him based on race, thereby violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Supreme Court's decision was complex, featuring a split ruling. It found the specific quota system used by UC Davis unconstitutional and mandated Bakke's admission to the medical school. However, it also concluded that considering race as one of several factors in admissions decisions could be constitutionally acceptable.
This decision set a precedent for future affirmative action cases. It permitted universities to consider race as part of a holistic admissions process while banning strict racial quotas.
The Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard prohibited racial preferences in higher education. Some schools defy its ban, while others seek ways around it.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity refers to the presence and acceptance of differences among people, including but not limited to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, (dis)ability, age, and political perspective.
Equity goes beyond equality by recognizing that not everyone starts from the same place. It involves providing individualized support and resources based on each person's unique circumstances to ensure fair treatment and equal outcomes. For example, equity might mean supporting historically disadvantaged groups to level the playing field.
Inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing effort to create an environment where all individuals feel welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to participate fully. It involves integrating diverse perspectives into decision-making processes and organizational culture.
Our country has a long history of preferential hiring, with preferential hiring for Civil War veterans and their widows in 1865. The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor was established in 1920 to promote the welfare of working women. President John F. Kennedy's 1961 executive order introduced "affirmative action" in federal services. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked a significant turning point, making workplace discrimination illegal.
The Black Lives Matter movement, Geoge Floyd's death in 2020, and the Biden Administration moved DEI to the forefront. Critics began to argue that DEI initiatives compromise the evaluation of individuals based on their abilities and qualifications, favoring demographic characteristics over merit.
DEI has other detractors and criticisms. These include favoring characteristics over merit, reverse discrimination, ineffectiveness, division, and divisiveness. Others claim certain groups are not represented, such as Jews and Asians.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb was born on December 18, 1943, in New York City and has been a prominent figure in American medicine with a long and distinguished career.
Dr. Goldfarb's academic journey began at Princeton University, where he earned his BA in 1965. He then obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rochester in 1969. His medical training continued with an internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from 1969 to 1973.
Dr. Goldfarb specializes in kidney ailments and has progressed through various academic roles at the University of Pennsylvania, starting as Assistant Professor (1974-1984), then as an Associate Professor (1984-1988), and finally as Professor of Medicine (1988). The National Institutes of Health has funded his research on kidney disease mechanisms, and he has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.
In addition to his clinical and research work, Dr. Goldfarb has been active in medical education. He served as the Associate Dean for Curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He accomplished what many doctors aspire to: teaching, research, and practice.
He claims that the arrival of a new vice dean for medical education at UPenn in 2018 introduced a new ideology that reduced the focus on science in the curriculum. He worried about the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on medical education and healthcare standards, which he feels are being lowered.
Shortly thereafter (2019), Dr. Stanley Goldfarb was dismissed from his position as Associate Dean of Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Medical School. Goldfarb asserts that he was "removed from [his] position" due to his opposition to the new supervisor's direction of medical education.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb founded Do No Harm in 2022 in response to what he perceived as an increasing politicization and "woke" ideology in medical education and practice. As an Associate Dean for Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he noticed a shift towards emphasizing social determinants of health while downplaying the significance of academic achievement in admissions and assessments. Goldfarb's book "Take Two Aspirin and Call Me By My Pronouns" (2022) explores these concerns in greater detail.
Goldfarb was dismissed from the prominent medical publication UpToDate in October 2022, just a few days after being targeted by an opinion piece published by the medical website STAT titled, "Its name is Dr. Stanley Goldfarb."
In July 2024, Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Goldfarb to the 17-member Old Dominion University Board of Visitors. However, the Democratic General Assembly declined to confirm his appointment, along with 13 other Youngkin appointees to various public boards and agencies. His goal was to peruse the medical school curriculum.
Over the next six months, various members of the medical school, including the University President, denied Goldfarb access to the school's admissions data. On January 31, 2025, the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate removed Goldfarb and two like-minded colleagues from the 17-member Old Dominion University Board of Visitors.
These dismissals (cutting down) of Goldfarb emphasize the ongoing conflicts among various political perspectives regarding the role of DEI in higher education. Whenever conflicts arise, TPS will likely be present.
Dr. Goldfarb has had a "tough row to hoe." He may have been served a dose of schadenfreude. On March 7, 2025, the UAV Board of Visitors approved a plan to eliminate all DEI programs on campus, plus all DEI offices and positions across the UVA system.
Lately, politics and people seem to be obsessed with sexuality, gender, and race rather than MLK's "content of character" or "anyone can serve." "My" TPs have always been about character and the TP traits of courage, fortitude, justice, and servitude (see Homero Gómez González - Victim of the Tall Poppy Syndrome).
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis
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