Does that mean that I grew up in a fascist west? Before diversity and inclusion were a thing anyone talked about?

No, because the political context of the 80s was different – there wasn’t a ban on it in your childhood because there was no such thing, even if some of the ideas and policies existed, they wouldn’t have been labelled “EDI” or “DEI”. The current move to explicitly ban these policies and offices from schools (and punish corporations for having it) is in reaction to a shift in mainstream American political discourse.

I don’t understand how fascism just POPS into the discussion

It doesn’t – the DeSantis Administration has continually built up a reputation of authoritarian governing methods combined with right-wing economic and social policies. IE: Fascism, or at the least, overt right-wing authoritarianism.

He governs Florida the way Erdogan governs Turkey, or Viktor Orban governs Hungary, attacking political opposition and consolidating power. He has removed 2 democratically elected District Attorneys and appointed his political allies in their place, including one who lost the election to the removed official. His political appointees are currently reshaping a public college into a “Hillsdale of the South”, after the private Christian college in Pennsylvania or somewhere. That college was previously a haven for trans and gay people. The Florida State Guard is shaping up to be a 21st-century version of Brownshirts, answerable only to the Governor.

I’m from the 80’s. It didn’t feel fascist to not grow up with diversity and inclusion classes You also grew up in a far less polarised time, which isn’t to say you grew up in a time when “racism was defeated” or something, just that more openly violent bigotry wasn’t tolerated. While I don’t exactly think that US presidents of the 80s were egalitarians who honoured the Civil Rights movement, they said all the correct things publically, condemning right-wing violence unequivocally.

Also, there aren’t “classes”. I believe you’re conflating things like critical race theory and EDI. Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are more of an institutional outlook that tries to consciously account for the fact that people hold certain prejudices that might lead them to pass up someone more qualified for the role. Most American corporations have DEI initiatives, even though most American corporations are still run by white men. It’s just that those white men are now thinking “Well, what other perspectives can we bring to the company to make us more competitive, and what are we taking for granted that might be impacting our business?” It’s not ideological, in fact, most of these corporations donate to business-friendly candidates of both parties. Public organizations can have these initiatives too, which is why you hear about it in schools and universities, but it’s still more about the teachers and workers of the school and not the classes.