As I reported earlier Thursday, there's been a bit of a conversation going on about DEI and the airline industry. It all started with this post, to which Elon Musk replied:
“DEl does not mean you dont hire on merit. Of course you hire based on merit.”
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) January 7, 2024
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) pic.twitter.com/OGOVsere0a
Mark Cuban was tagged because he'd just posted a lengthy thread trying to educate Musk about the benefits of DEI programs. Cuban also jumped in after Musk tweeted this:
The airline industry can’t find enough qualified pilots even without insane DEI requirements!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2024
It seems especially important to hire on merit when that person will be piloting a giant sky machine.
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) January 8, 2024
A lot of people on X have said that they'd prefer the most qualified pilot over a diverse pilot. NBC News picked up on Musk's tweet and reported on the "swift rebuke" from civil rights organizations.
Elon Musk drew a swift rebuke from two of the nation’s best known civil rights organizations after he criticized efforts by United Airlines and Boeing to hire nonwhite pilots and factory workers. https://t.co/USsNfxx44Q
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 11, 2024
In case it doesn't show up, NBC News was hit with a Community Note:
Misleading headline. This is what Elon actually said:
"Merit should be the only reason for hiring, especially for jobs where your family’s lives are at stake"
That's a very controversial statement to make in 2024. NBC News reports:
Tech billionaire Elon Musk drew a swift rebuke from two of the nation’s best known civil rights organizations Wednesday, after he criticized efforts by United Airlines and Boeing to hire nonwhite pilots and factory workers.
The criticism came after Musk claimed in a series of posts on X that efforts to diversify workforces at those companies have made air travel less safe. He offered no evidence for the claim, and one of his replies directed attention to a post by someone else speculating about the IQ of Black airline employees.
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said Musk’s statements were “abhorrent and pathetic.” He noted that Tesla, where Musk is CEO, is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged abuse of Black employees, including claims of racial slurs and nooses found in the workplace.
Nooses found in the workplace, like the "noose" found in Bubba Wallace's garage that led to an FBI investigation? Police in Windsor, Connecticut made several trips to an Amazon construction site and found five ropes that could be “interpreted” as nooses. Kaiser Permanente employees expressed "shock, disgust, pain, and anguish" when a tree trimmer left behind a rope he'd used to reach branches. Essentially, every report of a noose since I've been writing for Twitchy has been a hoax.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson also responded, telling Musk that "providing a home for the proliferation of hate speech and white supremacist conspiracy theories kills people." Really? How many?
DEI is currently on the hot seat and it's making the grifters nervous.
I summarized this NBC article to save you some time:
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 11, 2024
Musk: It is dangerous to prioritize race over merit and competency when lives are at stake.
NBC: We will now pretend he said something entirely different and find ways to damn him for it. https://t.co/4bnmn18nBD
The news lies
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2024
Classic hit piece
— The Many Things Podcast (@M_T_Podcast) January 11, 2024
NBC News really is a dumpster fire. Why can't we have a conversation about DEI vs. merit?
DEI is poison.
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