Barrett Evans, who works as the Chief Learning Officer at Ford Motor Company, sparked an online backlash after taking to social media to blast a fellow passenger onboard his flight to San Diego.
Evans saw that passenger watching Fox News on the plane’s seatback entertainment screen. Then, while they deplaned, he saw the elderly man and his wife using airline-provided wheelchair assistance to their connecting gate.
- ‘Love to see you supporting DEI’ he told the man.
- ‘Not me!’ the elderly passenger replied.
- ‘Yes – you. That wheelchair, and the human pushing it, are provided at no direct cost to you—rather by a subsidized cost attributed to every passenger in this airport. Provided to level the playing field—for you.’ he replied.
In a follow-up, he argued that wheelchair assistance was an example of DEI in action ensures equitable access for those who require assistance, regardless of their ability to pay. (Although, in fact, there’s very much a tipping expectation for the low-paid wheelchair assistance contract workers.)
wtf is a Chief Learning Officer https://t.co/B78A6rj9cf
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) April 14, 2025
Evans has made his Threads account private.
One Mile at a Time says he agrees with the point being made but doesn’t think sharing snark on a plane is the right time for it. He says that the Ford exec “actually made the point really well” but that he shouldn’t have gotten on a soapbox over someone watching Fox News inflight.
I’d say that a DEI advocate going after a wheelchair passenger is… something. And going after them because of what they suppose to be that individual’s ideas evinces a real lack of respect for diversity (of thought) as well as offering a poor example by making assumptions about another person based on their appearance (that they’re watching a specific news channel).
Contra Lucky, I don’t think he makes the point well at all because wheelchair accommodations have little to do with DEI. This is something governed by the The Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. § 41705) of 1986. Disability accommodation may be consonant with but is not the same as DEI, and there’s no reason why support for it requires support for a broader agenda surrounding race, gender identity, sexuality, and ethnicity. And in any case, the former long predates the latter.
Live and Let’s Fly on the other hand characterizes the rant as mean-spirited, and I’d suggest hardly inclusive.
The Chief Learning Officer of a major global corporation is out of their depth here and displaying exceptionally poor judgment taking on an elderly passenger in need of wheelchair assistance and putting him on blast on the internet – and that he might consider doing additional learning himself about the relevant issues before someone decides he’s unqualified for his current role. I also suspect that many Fox News viewers buy Ford trucks? At least they used to.
Sounds like someone needs to do some learning. From the unemployment line.
The ford exec sounds like a real ass.
Chief Learning Officer? You can’t make this stuff up…
Guess we know which position Ford will eliminate to lower its corporate payroll costs.
Not wrong though. Right wing boomers will be the death of us, while sucking us dry as they coffin dodge their way to the bitter end.
Oh look……another “tolerant” liberal.
Chief Learning Officer needs to learn a few things…I predict he will soon lose his position.
The auto assumption of this CLO is if a fellow passenger is watching Fox News, then that passenger must be MAGA, anti DEI, homophobic/transphobic, pro-life, shoots automatic weapons, just purchased a Tesla, only high school educated, hates Zelensky, is unvaccinated, etc……
Well, all those MAGA’s are buying Ford’s F150’s and keeping his cozy job in play.
Will Delta ban him for taking pictures of passengers and shaming them online?
If you’d enjoy a premium flight, shared with diverse and thoughtful guests and crew, please consider Delta.
Just want to jump in here to address people mocking the executive’s job title. In fact, a position like “Chief Learning Officer” is crucial in an age when traditional companies are going to have to reskill and become learning organizations to remain competitive. Cars are becoming computers on wheels, after all.
Just because we implemented some common sense laws which predated the term DEI doesn’t mean that they aren’t a part what would be considered DEI. We are allowing people with disabilities to be Included in building access and transportation access. Our Texas Governor is able to work in the Governor’s mansion and visit the Statehouse because Texas adopted federal disability laws as state laws which apply to state and municipal property. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, it would have been extremely hard for him to get where he is without government spending it’s own money making state/municipal properties handicapped accessible, and federal laws making transportation and commercial properties add accessibility features to commercial buildings. If that’s not Inclusion, and possibly Equity, I don’t know what it might be.
That being said, singling out a random person at an airport is not very supportive. Writing a blog post about the incident without directly confronting the person would still get the point across, without making the individual feel defensive. One never changes viewpoints by making someone feel defensive. I agree that DEI has frequently become exclusionary. But, if people are trying to find the best employee for a position, and don’t interview a diverse set of applicants, how do they know the got the best. But, there are certain cases, like a Synagogue hiring a new rabbi is not likely to find many qualified candidates at a Mosque, unless they are having an interdenominational service.
Look at that. The brave “loud and proud” rainbow beta took his social media account private.
Reading the comments here and the fact that this exchange even happened (or that people can find DE&I a problem) reminds me of how much I dislike America and so glad I left it behind for good.
Thanks for sharing. The Ford guy’s area was learning so maybe he thought it was a teachable moment. The wheelchair pax were included in the flight experience courtesy of the “I” for inclusion in DEI. The staff were trained on special needs so the couple wouldn’t be left out.
“Contra Lucky, I don’t think he makes the point well at all because wheelchair accommodations have little to do with DEI. ”
C’mon. DEI absolutely includes disabilities.
DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, includes initiatives that promote the representation and participation of various groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation. It aims to create fair treatment, equal opportunities, and a sense of belonging for all individuals within an organization.
Ford. Give him the ax. Yes, I have a Ford car…..
“…and so glad I left it behind for good.”
So are we.
That’s why Trump canceled all DEIA initiatives, not DEI!
You can’t make this stuff up. He’s fracked up in so many ways.
You’re a senior exec in major US company. In charge of “learning”. And you publicly dump on an ELDERLY person. Who’s in a WHEELCHAIR. Why? Because you’re making broad assumptions about him based on what he watched on a plane.
The CEO of Ford should send the man an apology. And if the post included a picture of the man (even blurred), he should include a new Ford Truck as well.
The Ford employee was very effective in getting the message out and teaching anti-DEI people and others that wheelchair accessibility at airports when flying common carrier flights is DEI in action.
@LadyOlives – I have a feeling we are glad you left also, do you have a place for @justin. You to would make a great couple.
The executive is 100% correct! It’s comical how far-right voters somehow think that the benefits they enjoy are exempt from the DEI label until those benefits are ripped away from them. Wait until Trump strips away their subsidized healthcare and their food stamps because those are examples of DEI programs that dole out benefits equally but charge the person on a sliding scale based on their ability to pay.
@sky – DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, includes initiatives that promote the representation and participation of various groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation. It aims to create fair treatment, equal opportunities, and a sense of belonging for all individuals within an organization.
Thanks for the explanation, but everyone gets equal treatment, not equal outcome. That is why the NBA is 90% black. DEI also encourage sub-standard performance.
I’m glad he did it. The old tards watching Faux News need to be brought back to reality.
I saw a passenger in front of me watching ‘The View’, but I didn’t feel obligated to comment.
The president’s January executive order specifically includes the banning of accessibility in promotion in the workplace (he refers to it as a DEIA policy). Many government agencies have removed training related to accessibility from their workplaces. For example, training around how to make word documents accessible to the blind have been removed as it goes against the DEIA ban. Many folks don’t seem to be aware of this.
“The auto assumption of this CLO is if a fellow passenger is watching Fox News, then that passenger must be MAGA, anti DEI, homophobic/transphobic, pro-life, shoots automatic weapons, just purchased a Tesla, only high school educated, hates Zelensky, is unvaccinated, etc……”
Well, yeah, they’re watching Fox news. LOL. But seriously, they didn’t assume this off the bat, the first part of their exchange was “Love to see you supporting DEI” “Not me”
Was this exchange nice and appropriate? Well, no. But it’s spot on. The cost both to businesses (adding ramps, and occasionally elevator), and the public (primarily tearing out curbs and replacing with ramps) was significant when these requirements came out in the 1980s, up through the 1990s. And ongoing costs (like the airports having wheel chairs and people to push them) are there too. There was serious consideration in the 1980s of just not having these requirements due to costs. The “I” — inclusion — in DEI encompasses things just like this.
I do realize, the current anti-DEI sentiments are really on about getting rid of racial, gender, and gay/transgender equality and rights… but if that’s what they want they can quit tiptoeing and say that explicitly. DEI includes more than that.
(I probably have a view unpopular to everyone… but the affirmative action ‘lets set aside x for y’ or ‘lets give y extra points in consideration’, that is in fact discrimination and I have no issue seeing it go. The rest of it? Removing mentions of famous black, female, etc. scientists, historical figures, war figures, etc. from web sites; the scrubbing of info from even NIH medical databases? That is ridiculous. The forced closure of certain school clubs and business programs (so-called ‘invictive DEI’) seems like an overstep and unnecessary. People that are like “Don’t step on my rights” while gleefully supporting stripping rights from others (gay, transgender, etc.)? Hypocritical and unnecessary, let people live how they wish. There ya go, I think I’ve torqued off both the right and the left. Enjoy and have a nice day!)
DEI – Participation trophies for the unteachable and the [never will be] qualified.
Libtards – The Looney Tunes of the 21st Century.
Arrogant Ass “Chief Learning Officers” who thrive on public shaming & embarrasment – DEI on fire and hopefully, soon to be fired.
It’s common to rag on Fox News. It’s kind of hokey but alternatives are just as bad. CNN used to be moderate and neutral, particularly with its 30 minute Headline News continuous loops but now CNN is leftist. Given CNN, MSNBC, and Fox, the passenger has to pick something among the bad.
DEI is not related to disability accommodations. The old man is retired so he’s not trying to fill a wheelchair using employee quota.
The Ford man is unhinged for hating Fox News. I don’t watch it but I would if there’s some news breaking story and the other channels were doing talk shows and not news.
LadyOlives and Mike P, add me to your list. Watching the sh@thole USA and the idiocy has been the best decision of my life. Watching the train wreck from afar is worth the price of admission.
Fire him. Yesterday.
Derek, CNN is ultimately owned by the Warner Brothers conglomerate which is not exactly a bastion of leftism. There were some liberal commentators like Cronkite, but they are long gone from the mainstream media. Only a handful of huge corporations own the vast bulk of America’s mainstream news outlets, and they assuredly are not going to discuss things that could cut into their power and profits. (Or that of their sponsors, like the pharmaceutical industry, for example.) I think CNN might seem slightly leftist because they still more or less report accurately on the antics coming out of the White House. Come to think of it, that’s a place where Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn would have felt comfortable, so maybe you have something there!
@Ray, @ladyolives, @ mike p – I want to congratulate you for having the courage of your convictions to leave America. If America ever transitioned into the country you want, then you wouldn’t be able to freely leave it. So goodbye and you should be thanking America for allowing you to legally depart.
@Michael Mainello
You have taken my comment out of context. I was simply correcting @Gary Leff that DEI indeed includes disabilities.
The Ford exec should be terminated because he is clearly non compus mentis in many ways
(1) It is none of your business what other people watch for entertainment
(2) If you decide to look at other people’s screens that does not give you carte blanche to comment on them
(3) Just because someone watches FoxNews on a plane that does not say anything about their politics generally or their views on DEI
(4) People in wheelchairs generally have a tough time in airports they don’t need abuse from fellow passengers
(5) If you are in a high profile corporate position you don’t post shit on public forums period regardless of your views
(6) And I’d argue that using a wheelchair has nothing to do with DEI –
(7) Blasting someone who uses a wheelchair and watches foxnews is actually the opposite of what DEI promotes
This is all business 101 stuff that every corporate drone learns in the first month on the job. Anybody with judgment this poor should be terminated immediately
He should be terminated for the busy body Fing idiot he has demonstrated he is and Ford should be embarrassed to be associated with this. I am as an F150 driver for life
Lefties – take note of this.
THIS is EXACTLY WHY YOU LOST the last election. Heck, you got destroyed. Nagasaki x 10000 in terms of politics.
So many left wing dingbats are SSOO self-righteous and talk down to everyone in this regards has caused such disdain for your kind from the moderates & the right wing.
This disrespectful human was so much more interested in pushing his agenda & point, that he – as Gary points out – has nothing to do with DEI. The ACAA covers wheelchair access and requirements for the airlines, well before DEI was even imagined in some left wing SJW’s head.
Ah, I’m to the party, again. Sheesh. Anyway, nice to see the spirited debate!
Personally, I prefer to not interrupt, or to be interrupted by, fellow passengers; but if they do, I try to be courteous, de-escalate, and keep off social media.
The Ford employee clearly took a different path. Yet, I don’t think there’s anything ‘fireable’ here. Those calling for that are silly; if you ever were offended by ‘cancel culture’ you shouldn’t be asking for that. (It’s the equivalent of ‘Burn him! He’s a witch!’)
More broadly, on disability protections, I think the ADA was one of President H.W.’s great accomplishments. All people, regardless of disability, deserve dignity, even if they watch Fox ‘entertainment’ News. I’m concerned that we (in the USA) are losing sight of its importance, and more willing to punch-down the vulnerable. Please, resist that urge. Help others.
Wheelchairs and accommodations due to a disability are100% DEI.
DEI isn’t about hitting quotas based on race or gender. It’s about giving equal access to all and removing barriers.
The Chief Learning Officer should be blowing the dust off of his resume. Hopefully he “LEARNED” a very valuable lesson here. Bye, bye and good riddance.
This “learning officer” should do a little learning himself. A wheelchair is DEI? That makes no sense. DEI is about prioritizing immutable characteristics like race and gender over merit. This super self righteous ass clown is conflating DEI with socialism or a social welfare state. He should be fired for being a complete idiot, as well as for insulting a majority of his customers and just being an overall terrible person.
@jason – Since you put it that way, we had 2 DEI hires not just 1 in the previous regime – Biden & Harris.
He should learn the difference between the ADA and DEI. So should some of the rest of you.
Isnt it a good thing for a well read person to watch FOXNews even if you arent right wing? It allows you to learn what the opposition is reporting. You can easily not be right wing and watch Fox.
This is just more tolerant left. Preaching that one should not assume anything while making assumptions themselves. The biggest hypocrites in the world.
Ford is a sorry company. They stopped making cars except the Ford Mustang.
Heaven forbid someone disses faux news promoting the lies of their orange clown messiah. People want benefits for themselves but are reluctant to share with others of different races, religions, sexual orientation, gender identity. Remember how trump and rush imitated a disabled journalist and Michael J Fox. The right wingers are hypocrites and lash out at others but can’t take any criticism.
Well, he’s correct of course, but that scolding fell on deaf ears — people like that do not think critically, if they ever think at all. But as a nation we are a lost cause — It’s Rome 463 C.E. and we are finished. What was once beautiful about our country is now gone and the vox populi have said “good riddance.”
Sorry that I upset Gary when I said both Biden and Harris were DEI hires, but it is true.
This isn’t DEI because it’s not about people applying for the same job or place at a college where only 1 person is going to get it.
Also, min wage in San Diego is 17.25. Why should the wheelchair pusher be tipped? Are fast food workers tipped? If the guy got tipped 5 dollars twice in an hour that would be 27.25 an hour for standing around and walking through the terminal. What do they pay the baggage handlers? They don’t get tips and have to lift things repeatedly.
If the wheelchair pusher is a volunteer, then that is different.
I seriously doubt that anyone who is in need of wheelchair assistance in an airport is enjoying the experience. Thanks to all of the entitled passengers on Southwest Airlines who whine and complain every single time they see a wheelchair, and of course that was the picture in this article. My hope is that someday, all of the people who judged the wheelchair passengers may have the pleasure of the judgmental stares someday so that they can feel degraded and looked down on as if they did not belong in an airport. This man and his tirade against this couple is what is really shameful. Ford Motor Company should reconsider his employment.
The man is right. Someone who relies on society to level the playing field for them shouldn’t advocate for anyone else to not receive the same treatment.
Makes me want to go out and by a Ford vehicle.
All the red pile people here realizing the Ford guy is right. It is DEI. Yet the red pile people do gymnastics trying to say it’s not.
Do some of you idiots not realize that the ADA is a law promulgated by the Government and that DEI is an initiative that has nothing to do with the former?
You’re entitled to a wheelchair on an airplane because you’re disabled. You’re not entitled to one if you’re gay, a transvestite, have certain religious beliefs or are a member of a certain race or sex.
More clickbait for Gary. Things must be slow on the credit card referral revenue front.
The race to cancel this guy by the very people who have derided cancel culture would be laughable were it just another example of how people believe in “free speech for me, but not for thee.”
For all of you trying to split hairs claiming equal access for disabilities is NOT a DEI initiative, you need to read EVERY equal opportunity statement made by employers. It includes things like disability and veterans status. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can’t have it both ways. EVERY initiative to level the playing field for those with disabilities, those who are veterans, etc. are examples of DEI in action.
So, @cairns if you are going to come for the “transvestites” or “gay” people, those with disabilities and veterans are going to be collateral damage.
DEI = Diversity EQUITY and Inclusion
Providing the disabled EQUAL access to aircraft = EQUITY
Disability is part of DEI. It’s not some separate issue. Just because there are laws like the Air Carrier Access Act doesn’t mean it’s outside the DEI conversation—most modern DEI work includes disability, especially around accessibility and inclusion.
“Diversity of thought” isn’t a shield. Calling something out—especially when tied to a platform known for inflammatory views—isn’t the same as being anti-diversity. That phrase often gets used to dodge accountability for views that are exclusionary.
Criticism isn’t exclusion. If someone sees a public figure watching a controversial network and makes a pointed comment about it, that’s fair game for debate. You can argue whether the tone was helpful, sure—but it’s not oppression.
@Parker is right. In all the hubub over the D and the I people skipped right over the E. Equity is there to level the playing field for ALL and is not rooted in race even though many believe it to be so.
One of the executive actions Trump overturned that directly connects to his anti DEI agenda was from 1965. Just because what DEI encompasses has evolved over time doesn’t mean that a 1986 law has nothing to do with the essence of DEI. Completely fair to call someone out for having anti DEI views while they simultaneously benefit from the early laws and initiatives that started the DEI movement. Author of this post is clearly biased and out of touch with the reality of how the work towards equitable access has impacted people and evolved over time.
Don’t fret over the distinction between DEI and ADA because they are working at taking down the ADA, too. Long-standing guidance on hotel and lodging among those removed a month ago since that is easier to take down than the law itself: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-actions-combat-cost-living-crisis-including-rescinding-11
I will admit that I’m a little confused. Since when does watching Fox News imply steadfast agreement with Fox News? Consuming media isn’t necessarily an act of blind loyalty. It’s often merely a way to understand different perspectives. Assuming people only engage with content they already agree with is pretty cynical, and completely dismissive of critical thinking.
Find something better to do. This exec sounds like the life of the party.
Maybe he sparked a moment of self-reflection in these people. I hear God works in mysterious ways.
I don’t really care to wade into this cluster but someone really needs to start convincing Sean Duffy and crew that service animals are DEI so that we can move past this whole farcical chapter in society. IMO this chapter makes that task more difficult.
So if i decide to watch MSNBC for. A flight, or Fox News on the next, i have to worry about reactions of fellow travelers? Just because someone has TDS or Right Wing view points doesnt bother me until they care to share it with me uninitiated. Then you will probably find that i don’t respond well.
What a totally stupid article. “Entitled”…uh…NO! Cairnes is exactly right. ADA=Americans with Disabilities Act. DEI= Didn’t Earn It. Who does this Ford executive think he is? The almighty Oracle of sensibly and rules? Just because a passenger watches CNN or Fox or TLC doesn’t mean a damned thing. SO WHAT? Just because someone is driving a Rolls Royce doesn’t mean that he owns it. Same thing with television…doesn’t mean he caters to the station’s narrative. If the Ford goombah said that to me, I’d tell him to “f**k off and mind your own business.” Hopefully Ford will say something to him. Puts Ford in a bad light.
For all those that say E=Equity so the man get on the plane are 100% wrong. Since the industry entered existence, the airlines allowed everyone to board with a ticket. No policy was needed by the government to allow disabled people to get on a plane. The airlines are publicly traded companies and encourage as much business as possible.
I’m a conservative who checks out CNN because that’s what a good American does. A good American believes in our most sacred right as Americans under the constitution which obviously this employee from Ford skipped class in high school on. If you don’t respect one freedom of expression, not only shouldn’t you have a mouthpiece in this country you shouldn’t even be allowed in this country. As a conservative, I don’t care if this Ford guy is a conservative himself, he just sounds like an asshole that doesn’t understand the freedoms that we have in this country. Putting people in boxes merely by watching one behavioral trait, is a very radically liberal horrific way to treat people.
Sounds like a swell guy.
I see that his LinkedIn has been taken down.
@Win Whitmire since most of the states that receive more monies from the federal government than they pay in taxes are also the states where people cry out against DEI policies I guess they “Didn’t Earn It” either. Funny how that works and works to the benefit of the very people attacking policies that benefit themselves.
The ENTIRE premise of the ADA is to provide disabled with EQUAL (there’s that pesky word again) access to buildings, services and employment accommodation. Split hairs you want but the intention of the ADA was to address real and deceived discrimination.
Facts can be so darned inconvenient.
The coward even took his LinkedIn profile private.
But likely they will need it for their upcoming job hunt.
I’ve been holding back on this one because it’s just silly. It’s a distraction. It’s manufactured outrage. (Which I assume is great for websites that rely on engagement…woohoo!) But, this ‘story’ is the equivalent of the ‘Two Minutes Hate’ daily ritual–a collective frenzy of hatred, designed to redirect anger away from real issues. Yet, this ‘incident’ is not ‘breaking through’ the realities of the market volatility caused by #45/47’s tariffs, His betrayal of our former allies, and the eroding of the rule of law in our country. Those remain. Those are real.
I also find it ironic how the mere word ‘DEI,’ or images like at LALF with this guy and his partner (rainbow flag in background), or how some other ‘culture war’ topic brings out specific ‘culture warrior’ commenters here–often so quick to ‘cancel’ your opponents, yet when your side is ‘canceled’ you whine. I know… there is no more shame, and hypocrisy doesn’t matter. Alrighty then. And, it’s just funny to me that those ‘warriors’ never say much about frequent flyer programs, credit cards, etc. It just makes me think that many of you are empty, partisan hacks. It’s sad.
I think this Ford exec is voicing his extreme frustration at the success the right-wing noise machine has had in convincing people that something everyone would be in favor of if they properly understood it is harmful to society.
Lets be honest….of course Lucky agrees with him. Is anyone surprised by this?
Disability accommodations are directed by law (ADA), where DEI is not.
The Ford executive is a smug @$$hole…end of story.
Lucky’s take finally did me in with his constant partisan crap. A man accosting strangers on the internet over what news station they enjoy and then bragging about it is wrong every time. Leave people the hell alone. I’m done giving him ad revenue.
And the argument was flawed, as you rightly pointed out.
This executive was correct.
Conservatives that happily denigrate DEI are splitting hairs and doing mental contortions in an attempt to dissociate it from DEI, but this exective explained his reasoning quite well.
This article implies it was a spontaneous remark against an elderly person with a purported handicap that required use of wheelchair assistance, based solely on that individual having watched Fox online. The reality is, we really have no idea if there was any previous interaction that may have prompted this executive’s remark.
Disabilities are a protected class and the ADA covers those criteria. If mandating 10% of the NFL football teams, NBA Basketball teams, etc. have persons in wheelchairs would be more equivalent comparison with DEI.
Or one step further, If all NBA teams had to have a minimum number of “Caucasians”, and a minimum number of Asians, etc. regardless of their ability and capabilities – THAT would be DEI.
Were all the other passengers required to walk behind the elderly gentleman? Did the airline kick off a passenger so the elderly gentleman could fly? Was another passenger denied access to the wheelchair because the elderly gentleman was using it?
Disability knows no Race, Creed, Sex, Gender, Age, or anything else that DEI covers.
Also when flying do you want the best qualified pilot available, or the best qualified lesbian, transgender, minority pilot available?
If people were really for DEI, then they would be pushing for applications to remove Age, Sex, Race, and any other identification of the candidate, so the candidates can be selected solely on merit.
I forgot this, but WTF is a Chief Learning Officer?
@Paul Valentine – You better be careful or you will called a right wing (put a noun here). Congrats if you are one, me too.
@Paul Valentine – It is a DEI title.
@Paulz one could argue that DEI is in fact directed by law. We have laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex and race in most places and based on religion, sexual orientation and gender in many places. These anti-discrimination laws are intended to ensure equality as defined by equal access to things like employment, housing, healthcare, an education, etc.
What’s fascinating about the DEI/Anti-DEI argument is that it’s just two sides of the same coin. Certain groups that were once seen as perpetuating inequality are now saying that they themselves have become the victims of inequality and deserve to be treated equally. So, in essence, they are demanding the very same equality they claim to oppose. It’s kind of a mind-f when you start to see the circular argument in this.
To me it’s sad that we even have to have conversations like this just because there are people who genuinely believe that all people are not created equal and then act on that belief.
@Paul Valentine “Also when flying do you want the best qualified pilot available, or the best qualified lesbian, transgender, minority pilot available? ” is major oversimplification of equality and a dog whistle to certain groups.
DEI is not and has never been about putting incompetent people into positions where they can to harm. It is about saying that, when provide with the same resources, everyone should have an equal shot. Equity by definition would not allow quota-based anything and people that say is does or is should are corrupting the definition of equity for their own selfish reasons. And example of why equality matters:
There is very compelling evidence in medicine that physicians who provide care to people who look like them (race, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation) do a better job of caring for these patients than other physicians do in very quantifiable ways. Why? Because one is more likely to understand context, and context is king. I have seen it on both sides. White providers judging brown patients because of how they show up for healthcare and brown providers judging white patients for how they show up for care. In both situations patients are not as well cared-for as they could have been.
My TV plan does not have Fox News but I do get MSNBC and CNN which I believe to are biased to the left. I watched both of those networks on election night in November just to see the news anchors meltdown. Just because I watched those two networks does not mean I follow or believe anything they say.
I’ll watch whatever I want on TV and it is no one else’s business. And if anyone ever gets snarky with my elderly mom, they’ll get the same treatment that Billy Bob Thornton gave that Mexican in Landman
Leroy,
intelligent and balanced people not only can and should get multiple viewpoints – including multiple news channels.
It speaks volumes that someone thinks that whatever anyone watches is anyone’s business except the viewer and that watching something equates to acceptance of everything said.
MSNBC is often the only financial news network on limited TV services including some airline TV lineups.
When the markets melted down over the past couple week and I was on a plane, I watched MSNBC for the numbers and didn’t care about the commentary – which came later, for the most part.
Saw oldie watching Fox news. Trolled oldie getting a free wheelchair “glad to see you supporting DEI”. Oldie replies “I don’t support DEI !!”.
Tells oldie he is in fact receiving a free wheelchair to give him Equal Access to the plane, which is what DEI means. Three cheers.
Being trans, POC, gay or whatever is not a disability.
I think a point being missed here is that a passenger observed what another passenger was watching inflight, and then took it upon themselves to approach the passenger and lecture them on their viewing habits. This is not necessary.
Did the exec ASK the elderly gentleman WHY he was watching FOX news? or did he just take it upon himself to ASSUME why he was watching FOX?
Put the whole DEI thing to the side.. How about having a conversation with someone who may have a different point of view, rather than immediately jumping into a lecture? Maybe the elderly man watching FOX was doing just that – trying to see another point of view? The exec would never know unless he asked rather than just assuming.
Our personal beliefs are not always right, nor are they are wrong. What they are is perspective.
We can all use a little more.
@Jack the Ladd — Ah yes, ‘apples aren’t oranges!’ Thanks for the clarifying…
I think that Barrett Evans stuck his nose into someone else’s business. Since it blows back on Ford, Ford should fire him, in my opinion.
@Ralph – that is absolutely NOT what DEI is, and your seemingly willful ignorance on this issue is the source of the Ford exec’s frustration.