Former commander of USAF Civil Air Patrol: 'Stop hiring middle-aged white people, especially dudes that are pilots'

 The former commander of the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, has suggested that CAP officials overlook white, male pilots with age and experience and instead embrace "diversity and being inclusive" in their hiring practices.

In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Col. Mark "Woot" Wootan, who commanded CAP-USAF from April 2019 until April 2022, apparently received a request for suggestions or "guidance" to those now in charge. He responded by telling them not to hire "middle-aged" white "dudes" since, according to the apparently middle-aged white dude, "we all think alike." 

"The only really guidance I could put out there for them to consider is stop hiring middle-aged white people, especially dudes that are pilots," he told the unidentified audience, "because honestly we all think alike too much." In saying so, he seemed to presume uniformity of thought among white men of a certain age and implied that a much-needed "diversity" of thought can come only from nonwhites and women. 

As might be expected, he then appeared to demonstrate fealty to the idea that "diversity" is America's strength and that, to their detriment, American institutions have historically excluded women and nonwhite men from participating in them. "If we’re gonna be preaching diversity and being inclusive," he argues, "then, for crying out loud, let's back it up... 

"Let's make the rhetoric meet the reality," he said. Though his word choice is vague, he appears to have meant that he wants CAP-USAF officials to stop "preaching" about "diversity and being inclusive" and instead make diversity and inclusivity a "reality."

TRMLX, an account that claims to "maintain accountability in the Armed Forces," shared the video on Twitter on Monday morning, and as of early Tuesday afternoon, it already has over 1.6 million views. It also has over 25,000 views on TikTok, where user @airforceamnncosnco shared it last week. However, according to Jim Thompson of Red State, Wootan actually made the remarks sometime last year.