‘The new mind virus’: Right-wing anti-wokeness bullying has now targeted… firefighters in LA?

DEI-chasing conservatives, champing at the bit, have located another shiny tragedy for which to breathlessly dog-whistle.

As Los Angeles-area firefighters (with assistance from Canadian “Super Scooper” planes) battle multiple devastating blazes that have claimed 11 lives and destroyed over 10,000 structures, right-wing culture warriors have found a new target for their homophobic, anti-Black, and broadly anti-diversity crusade: the fire department itself.

Led by Elon Musk and amplified by Fox News hosts, conservatives have launched an evidence-free campaign claiming “DEI”—diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—hampered the emergency response. In their crosshairs? Los Angeles County Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, a 24-year veteran who happens to be the department’s first woman and openly LGBTQ+ leader.

The unhinged attacks reached a fever pitch on social media, with right-wing account “Libs of TikTok” declaring, “DEI will get people k*lled. DEI must DIE.” Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, exemplified the wholly fabricated outrage: “When you focus your government on diversity, equity, inclusion, LGBTQ pet projects… you are worried about abstractions, but you can’t do the basic stuff.”

“There is so much bad information swirling around,” Fox News host Jessica Tarlov countered Thursday, defending Crowley’s extensive qualifications. “Twenty-four-year vet, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, fire marshal, deputy chief.”

Her smart-aleck Fox colleague Jesse Watters wasn’t convinced because he never is, blaming “DEI and corruption” for the devastation. Greg Gutfeld piled on with what sounded like anti-Black and Hispanic rhetoric, claiming DEI “downgraded competence for complexion and for sexual identity”—an assertion directly contradicted by Crowley’s decades of experience.

The uncorroborated attacks prompted journalist Leighton Woodhouse to observe: “It’s weird that dunking on firefighters during a massive fire is what right wing culture warriors have decided is the best expression of their politics. Starting to think that anti-wokeness has become the new mind virus.”

The entire contrivance stems from conservatives public weaponizing the LAFD’s diversity initiatives despite no evidence whatsoever linking such programs to firefighting effectiveness. Forbes noted there’s no evidence whatsoever that Crowley emphasized diverse hiring “at the expense of preventing fires.”

This latest moral panic follows a familiar pattern: identifying any crisis where leadership includes women, LGBTQ+ individuals, or people of color, then retroactively blaming diversity for the problem. It’s a cynical sleight-of-hand that serves to both undermine qualified leaders and push back against workplace inclusion.

As Twitter user @emnode noted: “The ‘woke mind virus’ resolves itself in most people and leaves them with a healthy level of concern for marginalized people. Less talked about is the ‘anti-woke autoimmune disease,’ which attacks the brain and leaves the victim no less detached from reality.”

The timing of these attacks is particularly grotesque. While firefighters risk their lives battling multiple blazes—including the massive Palisades Fire at just 8% containment – right-wing commentators safely critique their diversity initiatives with loud dog whistles from television studios and social media accounts.

The bigoted outrage ignores the genuine challenges facing emergency responders: unprecedented weather conditions, strained resources in particular areas not prepared for the water strain, and the sheer logistics of evacuating over 100,000 residents. Instead of offering solutions or support, conservative personalities have chosen to steal the bright lights that should be aimed at the immeasurable tragedy in places like Altadena to exploit the catastrophe for the advancement of an unforgivably problematic agenda.

The campaign against LAFD leadership reveals less about firefighting effectiveness than it does about the desperate lengths some will go to discredit diversity initiatives—even amid an active disaster. If there’s any “mind virus” at work, it’s the compulsion to blame inclusion for every crisis, facts be damned.