Fox News Watching On Airplane Leads To Unsolicited DEI Lecture

As much as I agree with the idea behind what this guy was saying, my unsolicited advice is that you really shouldn’t offer unsolicited advice to others on airplanes, especially with as divided of a country as we have (thanks to Fred for flagging this).

Ford executive confronts Fox News watching passenger

Ford Motor Company’s Chief Learning Officer took to Threads to share a story from a recent flight, which is getting quite a bit of attention on conservative social media. Let me just share the contents of the two posts he published:

Elderly passenger on my flight from San Diego yesterday enjoying Fox ‘News’ for the entire ride. Deplaning and I notice he and his wife getting into their airport wheelchairs to be pushed to next gate. My filter was malfunctioning…

‘Love to see you supporting DEI.’

‘Not me!’

‘Yes – you. 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 the airport. Provided to level the playing field – for you.’

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 with dignity.

The cost being shared ensures that the service is available to those who need it, not just those who would 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.

I agree with his point, but it wasn’t the time or place

Regardless of which way you lean politically, sharing your unsolicited opinions or snark with others on an airplane (or while deplaning an aircraft) crosses the line, in my opinion. It’s just not the time or place. I think that’s especially true for someone who is an executive at a company in a role that’s specifically supposed to be about bringing people together, and putting them on the same page.

Even if one believes the point is correct, you’re not going to change anyone’s opinion by trying to corner them like this. I think saying anything in the first place was the first mistake. Then the second bad judgement was bragging about it online.

Look, it’s one thing if you have an anonymous social media account, in which case you might not care what people think. But you know this is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way, and Ford’s client base isn’t necessarily particularly progressive, to put it mildly.

The way this is circulating on conservative social media, a lot of people are saying “that’s not DEI!” I think this gets at the further issue — we’re so focused on semantics rather than trying to understand one another.

To some people, their interpretation of DEI is simply giving someone unqualified a job solely because they check some box. Hey, if that’s what DEI were, then I’d be in full agreement that it’s ridiculous, and I’d come to your anti-DEI rally!

But the guy is right here in his message, it’s just that this wasn’t the time or place to share it. DEI stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and both “equity” and “inclusion” include making accommodations for those who need them, so that everyone has a fair shot.

He actually made the point really well… it’s just that observing someone watching Fox News on an airplane wasn’t the right basis on which to get onto that soap box, in my opinion. You’re not going to convince anyone of your opinion by trying to catch them in a “gotcha,” and it’s even unlikely to make them introspective.

It’s sad, because I think as a society, we have a lot more in common than we have differences, despite how it feels. But we’re so hung up on semantics, and we spend too much time just hurling insults and trying to convince others that we’re right, rather than trying to understand where others are coming from. I think 99% of us would agree that:

• Someone shouldn’t be hired or get into a school (or whatever) solely based on their gender, ethnicity, orientation, etc.
• Society should to some extent bear the cost of those who need special accommodations, including wheelchairs at the airport

Bottom line

A Ford executive bragged online about lecturing a Fox News watching passenger about DEI, when the man and his wife needed a wheelchair after the flight. While I’d agree with the guy that making accommodations for those with disabilities is a part of what DEI is intended to address, nobody’s opinion is going to change by cornering them and trying to convince them that they’re part of something that they have a negative association with.

I think saying something like this in the first place was the wrong move, and then bragging about it online showed pretty bad judgment.