The right is blaming diversity, equity, and inclusion and “wokeness” for the response to massive wildfires in Southern California.
Several conservative pundits and personalities have gone after their favorite bogeymen on social media this week as fires have spread throughout the Los Angeles metro area, afflicting liberals, conservatives, the wealthy, and the poor alike.
Some bizarrely claimed that the shortage in firefighters was because “Los Angeles deliberately set out to exclude white men from becoming firefighters,” in the words of Matt Walsh.
Others blamed DEI and wokeness more broadly.
Megyn Kelly went on a tirade on her radio show Wednesday, blaming Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley for prioritizing “diversity,” attacking Crowley’s background.
“Who gives a s–t if the fire chief is gay. I’m sorry but who gives a flying fig about who she likes to sleep with, can you fight the f–king fires, madam? That’s the relevant question,” Kelly said.
Chaya Raichik, the bigot behind the “Libs of TikTok” account, also went after Crowley.
Many on the right cited a 2017 speech by right-wing comedian Adam Carolla, who complained that he was rejected when he applied to be a Los Angeles firefighter because he was “not Black, Hispanic, or a woman,” as evidence. But Carolla’s story, if true, took place in the 1980s, not recently, a fact lost on these conservatives. And in another bizarre turn, pundit Charlie Kirk railed against sign language interpreters during emergency briefings, calling them a “distraction” and “over the top.”
In reality, one major reason for the shortfall in firefighters in Los Angeles is because Bass cut the city’s firefighting budget by $17.6 million, while increasing the police department by $126 million. But conservatives aren’t going to complain about a higher police budget. Nor are they going to realize that climate change is the root cause of increased wildfires. Maybe they think shooting at a wildfire can put them out.
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