‘DEI IS ACTUALLY DEADLY’: Logic and empathy sidelined as right-wing fanatics blame diversity, equity, and inclusion for LA fires

In the current political climate, there is an unabashed insistence, particularly from one side of the bipartisan isle, in avidly playing the blame game even during unspeakable tragedies that ought to inspire our compassion and give us humanitarian priorities. As Los Angeles faces its worst wildfire crisis ever, some overzealous Republicans’ instinctual reaction is to engage in pointless finger pointing.

For instance, the soon-to-be President, Donald Trump, and his faithful goblin lackey, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, decided that all this death and destruction was the perfect time to throw stones at California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom – whom Trump dubbed “Newscum,” because this was simply the perfect timing for him to go peruse his infantile nickname arsenal.

Another point of unnecessary contention hinges on whether the Los Angeles Fire Department, under the leadership of Kristin Crowley, has failed the county’s denizens for its strategical focus on widening the demographical range of the recruits by being more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Unlike some Right-wing zealots have tried to argue, this motivation does not mean qualified straight, white, cisgender men were turned away from positions they could have filled for prejudice against their identity. True to themselves, this select group of ungracious Republicans refuse to see the vaster nuances of an intricate problem when those do not befit their preferred narratives.

‘One, two, three, how can we make this about the LGBT?’

You may be the best at your job but, if you haven’t been provided with the necessary conditions to succeed – and these have more complex ramifications than some excessively vociferous pundits would have you believe – you will inevitably struggle when faced with, unarguably, the most gargantuan challenge of your whole career. It does not mean you lack the right qualities or determination; it means you alone are not enough to remedy such a tremendous predicament without all the requisite tools at your disposal.

Predictably – but still distasteful to witness – individuals like Megyn Kelly and Right-wing social media addicts like the infamous Libs of TikTok – the latter of whom is behind the unhinged verbal regurgitation above – cannot seem to get over the fact that Kristin Crowley is a lesbian woman while neglecting to mention a single line in her resumé. The harsh truth is, no matter how qualified for the position you may be, you alone cannot move mountains or break the laws of physics – for instance, as some people ignore, fire hydrants are supposed to be used in semi-contained urban fires, but fail to be sufficient in the case of rampant, out-of-control wildfires as is the case.

Last year taught us – or rather, reminded some of us – that regardless of qualifications, a woman will always have people questioning whether she has earned the merit of a leadership position. And, if she happens to be part of a minority group, she automatically must bear the brunt of multilayered prejudiced attacks.

It’s almost impressive how, time and again, some extreme Right-wing partisans insist on dying on the “go woke, go broke” hill. They see a rare example of diverse representation they can’t intuitively identify with, and they immediately point the finger and squeal “Woke!” as if it’s the bogeyman who’s just jumped out of the closet armed – in this case – with a box of matches.

If you or anyone you know live in Los Angeles, please refer to the available resources and stay up to date with evacuation warnings. And, please, stay safe.