A leftist woke executive is under fire for going on social media to boast about how he bullied a disabled man watching Fox News on an airplane and made a massive error regarding the meaning of DEI in the process.
Barrett Evans, Ford’s Chief Learning Officer, wrote a Threads post on Friday that he noticed a disabled man watching Fox News during the entire plane ride from San Diego. When the plane landed, Evans decided to bring up DEI as he mocked the man for daring to watch a conservative-leaning channel.
“Elderly passenger on my flight from San Diego yesterday enjoyed Fox ‘News’ for the entire ride,” Evans wrote. “Deplaning and I notice he and his wife getting into their airport wheelchairs to be pushed to the next gate. My filter was malfunctioning…”
“Love to see you supporting DEI,” he continued, to which the disabled man replied, “Not me!”
Evans said he went on to ‘educate’ the man on how he was indeed ‘benefitting’ from DEI despite the fact the airplane was only complying with the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).
“Yes – you,” Evans. “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.”
Evans then asininely elaborated in a second post on why he thought planes complying with the ACAA equals DEI in action.
Not all passengers need assistance. But for those who do—for whatever reason—the service ensures they can access the airport, navigate security, and board their plane safely and with dignity.
The cost being shared ensures that the service is available to those who need it, not just those who could afford to pay extra. This is a real-world infrastructure of equity in action: acknowledging that different people have different needs and creating systems to support those differences fairly.
Unsurprisingly, Evans gets his facts wrong throughout his post. The ACAA, which was signed into law in 1986, bars commercial airlines from discriminating against disabled passengers.
Making Evans’ error worse is the fact Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act four years later. One crucial aspect of this landmark legislation is ensuring wheelchair accessibility in public spaces for disabled people. The law accomplishes this by setting standards for ramps, doorways, parking, and other aspects of building design.
DEI initiatives, however, as a disability rights advocate notes, are organizational schemes that claim to promote a ‘more inclusive’ environment for so-called disadvantaged employees. These can include people with disabilities.
DEI efforts also do not replace the legal obligations of the ADA.
The post Woke Ford Executive Makes a Crucial Error Regarding DEI as He Cruelly Mocks a Disabled Man for Watching Fox News on a Flight appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.