I first heard this term from Jordan Peterson in a discussion of the illogical and ridiculous ideologies which are increasing governing American society. I did some research and think I grasp the main tenets of what is essentially a cult movement. What follows are the features of intersectionality: Some opinions are more important than others depending on the person. What makes one person's opinion more valuable is his/her experience of victimization by the current ruling hierarchy. For example, a gay person's opinion is more valuable than a straight person's because the gay person has been the victim of the hierarchy where the straight person hasn't and so the victim has had life experience that the straight person never will. We can list some of these more obvious victim groups. Blacks, gays, transsexuals, Muslims, women all can lay claim to victimhood. These groups have more in common with each other (presumably) than with, say, a straight white male, whose opinions are unimportant and irrelevant in this way of thinking. Those victim groups have intersecting experiences of oppression and intersecting goals for the society in which they live, hence intersectionality. The opinion of a unique individual with all his/her life experience and learning is no longer considered - only the opinion of the victim group or groups to which one belongs. A white lesbian woman's opinion becomes very important, but not as important as a black female lesbian. The more victim groups one belongs to, the more important one's opinion, but no one can depart from the victim groupthink in any important way. A certain blindness to reality is necessary for this cult. Any statement, such as that the United States of America is actually one of the least racist countries in the world and tolerates homosexuality very well, not only as policy but as an expression of most of the populace, is likely to be met with rage. Scapegoating of the perceived victimizer is essential. The oppressors must be guilty of every sin and the idea held that no progress has been made. Learning about intersectionality makes it somewhat clearer how and why some people constantly exhibit stupidity about important topics while behaving in such a smug and self-important manner. They have arrived at a set of beliefs that approaches the religious. They have lost the desire and ability for rational thought or discussion.
I happened to catch this comment in another forum: ***************************************************An ESG score is a measure of a company's exposure to long-term environmental, social, and governance risks that are not considered during traditional financial analyses. And their ESG score has a major impact on a company's stock price. A high ESG score may persuade investors to invest in a firm, either because the company's values align with their own or because the company is sufficiently protected from future risks associated with issues like pollution or poor management policies. An investor who is concerned about ESG may be turned off by a company with a low ESG score. Translation: ESG scores are blackmail to coerce companies to toe the left's agenda. This explains why companies like Kroger, Walmart, Ford, GE, etc., publish their corporate environmental and EEO/Affirmative Action policies. Some details: "ESG evaluations and scores, when combined with financial analysis, can help investors gain a better understanding of a company's long-term potential." ESG scores are based on environmental, social, and governance (management) factors and assess issues such as energy use, employee satisfaction, business ethics standards, and executive pay. The House of Representatives has introduced legislation requiring public businesses to provide ESG metrics on a quarterly and annual basis. Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently proposed new disclosure rules surrounding issues such as climate risk and board diversity." *************************************************** As the guy said, it's blackmail. And now Congress wants to get in on the act. Here is an article for corporations on how to improve their scores, complete with downloadable guide.