How Many of Those Geniuses and Brilliant People Were Not Hired Because of Discrimination?

Trump turned a tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C. into another opportunity to harp on one of his constant political themes.  His obsession with DEI employment practices appears to be a form of psychosis.  His claim is that because diversity, equity and inclusion are hiring requirements for federal jobs, including those in air traffic control and safety, people being hired aren't as smart or as good at the job as they might be if there were no such requirements.  Of course, this is just more political rhetoric that he spews forth without substantiation or supporting facts, something the news media has simply normalized as far as he is concerned. 

But there's more to it than just political rambling motivated by hatred and bigotry.  My question is, how many people who had the technical skill, the focus, the education and the "smarts" if you will, to be outstanding air traffic controllers were passed over for jobs in the past because they were black or Latino, or Asian, and not white?  

And that prompts a second question, one that any sharp reporter or commentator working this story should have asked, or put out there for Trump's response, "Does he have a shred of data or fact to support the claim that current air traffic controllers are not as good as air traffic controllers who didn't get a job they applied for because diversity, equity and inclusion rules required taking a less qualified candidate?"  

Let's see the proof.  Because, unfortunately, this man's reputation for lying, making up his own conspiracy theories and facts as he goes along, means that when he speaks, he should not be taken seriously or believed.  He's a dishonest crook who relies on lies and dishonesty to get ahead in life.  

And apparently, though not all of the facts are out yet, being a sharp, on the ball, brilliant, white air traffic controller would not have prevented this accident, which is being attributed to pilot error of those flying the helicopter.  

But this is classic Trump, opening his mouth, claiming to be an expert, telling lies in succession, blaming others for his mistakes and trying to somehow benefit personally.  

There is no evidence that DEI policy in hiring practices anywhere have contributed to having to hire people who are less qualified, less capable or less intelligent than those who got the jobs.  More than likely, the opposite is true, and that there have been many highly qualified people who have been discriminated against and treated unfairly in hiring practices because of the kind of bigotry and bias that Trump has promoted all of his life.  

There are books written and movies made about incidents in which brilliant, capable, qualified people were relegated to menial tasks and kept from jobs for which they were more qualified than those who occupied them because of racial discrimination.  One of those is Hidden Figures, based on the experience of three black women who worked at Langley Air Force Base in the space program, with a focus on the career of Katherine Johnson, who eventually came to be the math genius they went to for the calculations they needed for capsule launching and landing.  

There are thousands of Katherine Johnsons in the United States, who are black, Latino, Native American , Asian or even Jewish, who had the skills and the focus and the brilliance, prevented from putting it to use by the kind of discrimination advocated by Trump.  Their existence supports the need for DEI hiring practices, where merit doesn't get overlooked.  

And in this we have yet another example of Trump's incompetence and inability to serve as President of the United States.