Elon Musk’s ‘woke mind virus’ tweet about NHS diversity jobs is getting backlash - here’s why

In yet another instance of Elon Musk wading into UK politics, the Twitter/X owner and Doge boss has now taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) within the NHS, claiming several job adverts within the health service are examples of “the woke mind virus”.

The billionaire Trump ally has repeatedly waged war against the fictional virus, which he has previously blamed for his transgender daughter not wanting anything to do with him, and believes could “destroy civilization and humanity”.

As for DEI, Musk’s assault on inclusive employment practices follows several attacks by US president Donald Trump himself, as on the day of his inauguration the Republican signed an executive order focused on “ending radical and wasteful DEI programs and preferencing”.

Then, when a plane crash claimed the lives of 67 people in Washington towards the end of January, Trump falsely suggested it happened as a result of government DEI initiatives.

Yes, really.

Now, after another Twitter/X user shared a list of jobs which appear when searching “diversity inclusion” on the UK Government website, Musk shared the tweet and added: “The woke mind virus propagates like cordyceps through government and corporations”.

Cordyceps, by the way, is also known as the “zombie-ant fungus”, because of its parasitic nature when infecting ants.

It’s also the cause of the zombie outbreak in the popular video game and TV franchise, The Last of Us.

NHS jobs shown in the Twitter/X video include vacancies at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Isle of Wight NHS Trust.

The job titles range from DEI administrator to lead and project manager.

However, the original tweet has since been hit with a draft Community Note, pointing out that “if you search yourself” for DEI jobs on the government website, while the first few jobs are specifically DEI-focused, “not all of the roles are” and others “simply include phrases relating to it in the job description”.

Oops.

And two of the trusts included in the search criticised by Musk have since commented on the tech entrepreneur’s tweet.

In a statement to BBC News, the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trusts said they “strive to ensure everyone has equal access to career opportunities and care”, and that the managerial role in question “plays a crucial rule to ensure our services and employment are equitable for all and meet the diverse needs of our local communities”.

Sounds sensible to us.

Why not read…

• What is 'Trump derangement syndrome' that Elon Musk claims his friends suffer from?
• Elon Musk shares bizarre AI image of himself as a gladiator and vows to destroy ‘woke mind virus’ again

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