The Lost Generation: How DEI Closed the Doors on Young White Men
Segment #707
This article is worth your time and provides a perspective that appears self evident but one that with the current level of noise most of us have probably not considered.
The Lost Generation: How DEI Closed the Doors on Young White Men
In a provocative essay published December 2025 in Compact magazine, writer Jacob Savage (not the sex advice columnist Dan Savage) argues that millennial white men—particularly those aspiring to elite careers in media, entertainment, academia, and culture—have become a "lost generation." Raised on promises of meritocracy and progressive ideals, they found opportunities evaporating around 2014 as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives institutionalized preferences for women and people of color.
Savage, a Princeton graduate who moved to Los Angeles in 2011 dreaming of a Hollywood writing career, now supports himself scalping tickets. He documents stark shifts with data:
In TV writing rooms, white men dropped from 48% of lower-level writers in 2011 to 11.9% by 2024.
At The Atlantic, editorial staff shifted from 53% male and 89% white in 2013 to 36% male and 66% white in 2024.
Major outlets' internship and fellowship programs (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times) awarded few or no spots to white men in recent years.
In academia, white men fell from 49% of tenure-track humanities positions at Harvard in 2014 to 27% (or lower in specific fields) by recent years.
Prestige markers like MacArthur Fellowships, National Book Awards, and year-end literary lists feature almost no young white American men.
The twist, per Savage: Boomer and Gen X white men largely kept their positions, embracing DEI rhetoric while ensuring the impacts hit the next generation. A Gen X executive might apologize for not hiring a young white male writer because the room couldn't be "all white men." This created a bait-and-switch for millennials who supported progressive causes, only to face systemic disfavor in liberal strongholds.
The piece has gone viral, sparking debates on discrimination, merit, and generational resentment. Critics argue it overlooks historical barriers faced by others or conflates reduced dominance with oppression. Supporters see it as evidence of reverse discrimination eroding institutions.
Note: This refers to Jacob Savage's essay, not Dan Savage (the Savage Love columnist), whose recent work focuses on relationship advice without addressing this topic. If you're seeking Dan Savage's views on generations or related issues, his columns occasionally touch on Gen X (he identifies loosely with it) but not this "lost generation" thesis. See: https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/