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Charlie Kirk Blames Diversity Hiring for Boeing Manufacturing Defects as Plane Malfunctions Continue

Categories: Liberal Opinions
January 26, 2024

Charlie Kirk sparked controversy by suggesting diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices are responsible for Boeing's recent string of manufacturing defects, including loose bolts and detached nose wheels. Critics argue Kirk and others are deflecting from corporate cost-cutting and using unfounded fears about pilot qualifications to do Boeing's public relations work. Despite no evidence linking DEI initiatives to structural airplane failures, the narrative taps into anxieties about air travel while ignoring the real issue: a major defense contractor with deteriorating quality control.

Boeing Malfunctions Continue

Another Boeing airplane experienced a malfunction when the nose wheel fell off a Delta flight in Atlanta. The incident occurred during taxiing for takeoff, and fortunately, no injuries were reported. This follows previous reports from the CEO of Alaska Airlines, who revealed that many Boeing Max planes had loose bolts discovered during inspections.

Charlie Kirk's DEI Explanation

Charlie Kirk suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices are to blame for Boeing's manufacturing defects. During his commentary, Kirk stated: "I think this United story and the DEI story hits so hard because we've all been in the back of a plane when the turbulence hits or when you're flying through a storm and you're like I'm so glad I saw the guy with the right stuff and the square jaw get into the cockpit before we took off and I feel better now. I'm sorry if I see a black pilot I'm going to be like boy I hope he's qualified."

Kirk claimed this reaction isn't inherently racist but rather a response to what he characterized as "the reality the left has created," arguing that DEI initiatives have made people question qualifications.

Critics Push Back

Critics quickly pointed out multiple flaws in Kirk's argument. First, the Boeing issues involve manufacturing defects and structural problems with the planes themselves, not pilot error or competency. The nose wheel falling off and loose bolts are quality control failures during the manufacturing process, completely unrelated to who operates the aircraft.

Second, airline pilot qualification standards remain rigorous and non-negotiable regardless of diversity initiatives. The Federal Aviation Administration maintains strict certification requirements that all pilots must meet.

Third, critics noted that most passengers don't even look at who their pilot is when boarding a plane, focusing instead on finding their seats and stowing luggage.

Deflecting from Corporate Accountability

Critics argue that Kirk and others promoting this narrative are essentially doing public relations work for Boeing, deflecting attention from the real problem: a massive corporation with defense contracts that appears to be cutting costs at the expense of quality control and safety.

The commentary also noted the irony that some Republicans criticizing Nikki Haley for being too corporate point to her position on Boeing's board, yet those same voices are now running cover for Boeing by blaming diversity initiatives rather than corporate management decisions.

Exploiting Fear of Flying

The DEI argument about pilots taps into existing anxieties about air travel. Critics compared this to how anti-vaccine advocates exploit fears about medicine, suggesting that right-wing commentators are mining a "rich vein of anxiety" rather than addressing actual safety concerns.

Experts point out that turbulence itself has never taken down a commercial plane, and that aircraft are designed with multiple redundancies. Even losing an engine at cruising altitude doesn't cause planes to fall from the sky due to aerodynamic design.

Critics predict it's only a matter of time before someone refuses to board a plane based on the pilot's race, driven by this manufactured panic over qualifications that have nothing to do with the actual Boeing manufacturing problems.

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Video Transcript

[00:00] apparently another Boeing airplane had a

[00:03] major

[00:04] malfunction the nose of it or the nose

[00:07] wheel fell off do you have the headline

[00:09] that out of Atlanta uh it was a Delta

[00:13] flight Atlanta's The Hub I'm going on

[00:16] the Delta flight on Saturday Delta

[00:18] Boeing flight I checked the make nobody

[00:20] was uh injured so pray for me people

[00:22] nobody was uh injured how they land it

[00:23] without the wheel well no it it was on

[00:26] takeoff uh so it was just taxing for

[00:29] takeoff

[00:31] PL okay just plop I don't know if it um

[00:34] it's kind of an important wheel as far

[00:36] as plane Wheels I sort of feel like

[00:38] they're all important Wheels I guess

[00:40] [Laughter]

[00:42] um but you have uh the CEO of the Alaska

[00:47] Airlines said we had a lot of planes Max

[00:50] planes with loose

[00:53] bolts now think of the reasons why all

[00:56] these Boeing planes may have uh

[00:59] Manufacturing

[01:00] defects

[01:02] diversity you nailed it or at least

[01:04] that's what Charlie Kirk thinks uh here

[01:07] is Charlie Kirk um and he and to be sure

[01:13] Charlie Kirk I understand he's saying

[01:14] this not because he has an issue with

[01:17] black people but because uh ostensibly

[01:20] Boeing manufactured planes poorly there

[01:22] we go corporate hiring practices and

[01:25] that's why I think this United story and

[01:27] the Dei story hits so hard hard because

[01:30] we've all been in the back of a plane

[01:32] when the turbulence hits or when you're

[01:34] flying through a storm and you're like

[01:36] I'm so glad I saw the guy with the right

[01:38] stuff and the square jaw get into the

[01:40] cockpit before we took off and I feel

[01:42] better now think I me like you want to

[01:44] go thought crime like I'm sorry if I see

[01:46] a black pilot I'm going to be like boy I

[01:48] hope he's qualified well that's the you

[01:50] would have done that you wouldn't have

[01:52] you would have done that before that's

[01:53] not an immediate no you not who I am

[01:55] that's not what I believe the reality

[01:57] the left has created this is the reality

[02:00] the left has created look what they made

[02:03] they made us be racist I don't think

[02:05] I've ever even looked at who the pilot

[02:07] is when on a plane no I'm like okay I

[02:09] hope there's nobody accidentally sitting

[02:11] in my seat and I can find a place to put

[02:12] my bag overhead exactly I mean the the

[02:17] idea that the reason why these people

[02:21] when they see a black person they say I

[02:26] wonder if they're qualified it's not

[02:29] because of diversity uh initiatives and

[02:33] equity and hiring the standards for uh

[02:36] airline pilots is not

[02:39] funable um not to mention that the

[02:43] problem is with the planes yes we EST

[02:46] not United either like they keep they

[02:48] keep they're like doing interference for

[02:50] Boeing tot why don't they do Dei like

[02:53] arguments about the man well first

[02:55] they're covering Boeing's ass because

[02:57] it's not about the manufacturing for

[02:58] some reason it's the the pilot operating

[03:01] the aines the the the airplane not the

[03:03] structural Integrity of it you know what

[03:05] they're also doing in the way that

[03:07] antivaxers exploit how right wiers I

[03:09] mean the right- wiers are just fearful

[03:11] of everything like they're fearful of

[03:13] medicine they're fear fearful of getting

[03:14] a

[03:15] shot people are afraid of flying yep

[03:18] exactly so this is a this is a rich vein

[03:20] of anxiety to tap into and like the

[03:23] thing how how far away do you think we

[03:25] are of like some uh right-winger

[03:27] freaking out when they see that they pil

[03:29] it is black and like insisting

[03:32] like I'm not going to get on this plane

[03:36] probably not probably like a few hours

[03:38] um like the uh the turbulence like the

[03:41] thing you should think about when you

[03:42] experience turbulence is that a

[03:44] turbulence itself has never taken down a

[03:46] plane um so Comfort yourself a little

[03:48] bit um you shouldn't be thinking about

[03:50] the square jaw of the pilot like that is

[03:53] a very I don't know you should be

[03:55] thinking about how planes even if you

[03:56] lose an engine once you're in like

[03:58] cruising altitude dynamics mean they

[04:00] want to they're not just going to fall

[04:02] out of the sky they'll Glide like there

[04:03] are things to think about besides

[04:07] the biological makeup of the pilot if my

[04:11] pilot isn't at least a

[04:14] seven I'm also i' be too worri this

[04:17] flight on this dumb um I thought like

[04:19] you remember that John Ham episode of 30

[04:21] Rock where he's so handsome that he like

[04:23] gets a free pass in life like if you saw

[04:25] the guy who was like the Chad you might

[04:26] worry that oh maybe he's got a free pass

[04:28] in life if you if you were this D enough

[04:30] to think like these sorts of

[04:31] qualifications of who's a pilot is gamed

[04:33] this way and he's he's a doctor who

[04:35] doesn't know the heck maneuver and the

[04:36] real problem isn't just like a massive

[04:38] corporation that gets defense contracts

[04:40] and stuff uh is cutting costs and like

[04:44] falling apart in front of your eyes no

[04:46] it's diversity meanwhile I'm sure like

[04:48] you know uh these people railing against

[04:50] Dei will talk about how Nikki Haley is a

[04:53] little bit too corporate for a

[04:54] republican candidate and in part it's

[04:56] because she's on the board of Boeing so

[04:59] on one end they're pretending they're

[05:01] anti-establishment but they're doing

[05:02] Boeing lay dirty work right and then on

[05:05] the other the other Republican option is

[05:07] also doing Boeing's dirty work that's

[05:10] the Republican party it's just different

[05:11] flavors same result

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