No, Lesbians and Black People Having Jobs Didn’t Start the Fires

Basic fact-checking has entered the chat.

In a plot twist no one saw coming, several prominent conservative figures have decided that the Los Angeles wildfires weren’t fueled by climate change or arson but by—wait for it—DEI.

andew lawrence forever.

Elon Musk, always the voice of scientific reason, declared that “DEI means people DIE,” because, naturally, the fire department’s focus on inclusion is what sparked the flames, not, you know, the actual fire. Donald Trump chimed in with the claim that California could’ve tapped into imaginary reservoirs of water if Gavin Newsom hadn’t been so focused on preserving the environment and a fish he doesn’t like. Never mind the reality: no urban infrastructure on earth could have handled wildfires of this magnitude, especially ones fueled by hurricane-force winds that grounded helicopters and made water drops impossible. But sure, why resort on facts when you can use absolute lies that serve your political agenda instead!

Meanwhile, conservative commentators piled on. Charlie Kirk complained that the government cares more about inclusion than fire safety, as if it is illegal to care about both. Laura Ingraham claimed California’s focus on “DEI [and] illegal immigrants” was the reason it is lacking water. She even blamed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, calling her “another DEI hire of the Biden administration,” because apparently, a white woman would have been able to control the weather.

bold claim!

Of course, fire experts and actual facts disagree. I cannot believe I have to write the following sentence, but there is zero evidence that DEI initiatives have made the Los Angeles fires harder to combat. And the overt racism and sexism of these comments is beyond unhinged.

Ironically, the loudest voices decrying wildfire budget cuts to the fire department are the same people whose entire personality revolves around limiting government spending. Take CNN commentator Scott Jennings, who blamed the fires on “Democrats” and supposed budget cuts, conveniently ignoring that Republicans, both in California and nationally, have consistently tried to slash budgets which yes include wildfire prevention funding. Many of the very Republican politicians blaming the fires on “Democratic priorities” personally voted against the American Relief Act, a bill that provided crucial funds for wildfire prevention. And while the fires are still blazing and hundreds of thousands are evacuated, The Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson threatened to cut wildfire mitigation funds altogether, using it as political leverage. Because nothing says you care about fire victims like holding them hostage.

Photo by Konstantin on Unsplash

So no, having a more diverse workplace does not make us more flammable. Inclusion has never started a fire, but profound ignorance of climate change and a refusal to fund the government’s ability to address it certainly have. Exploiting the pain of hundreds of thousands of people who have been evacuated or lost their homes does nothing to protect or rebuild, it only deepens the damage.

The same people accusing the government of being broken are the ones who broke it in the first place. California is on fire, but Republicans lit the match.