Pete Hegseth has never shied away from expressing his problematic thoughts out loud. Very recently, he said that military and other defence personnel will be held to the highest “male standard”, while completely disregarding the existence of women in the field. Now, he is saying that there is no strength in diversity. What is going on?
During the 250th Marine Corps anniversary celebrations held on October 18 (the same day as the America-wide ‘No Kings’ protests), the United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dropped by Camp Pendleton. Taking to the podium, he delivered a few words of encouragement to the people congregated there. However, in a particularly shocking segment, he said that he did not believe in diversity. He said:
“Your diversity is not your strength. Never has been. Your strength is in your unity of purpose. It’s in your shared mission. It’s in your oath to the Constitution. It’s the bond that turns individuals into single-minded fighting units.”
The internet was not having it with Pete Hegseth’s diversity comments. As soon as clips of the event started circulating online, many people called out his nonsense. The conversations on X (formerly Twitter) were particularly noteworthy as multiple people bashed Hegseth using such strong words that it even left the MAGA people speechless. One person highlighted how far away from reality Hegseth’s comments were and said:
“Diversity is our one and only strength in America. He needs to stop with this fascist trope. Our military is the People’s military, and reflects our diverse nation. It’s not Pete Hegseth’s military to push his fascist ideology on.”
Another person said:
“Diversity is not your strength… Exactly the message that you’d expect out of this white house. As they try to scrub diversity from history, labeling non-white male accomplishments as DEI. Why am I not surprised?”
Multiple others also echoed similar opinions. It’s mind-boggling how those in power can take centre stage and spread hate like Hegseth did. As the American people cling to every bit of democracy left, with Trump pushing the country towards autocracy, Hegseth’s comments remind us of what really matters, which is certainly not what he says.
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