WORLD.
THEY ARE AMAZING, THOSE RUSSIANS
THEY ARE AMAZING, THOSE RUSSIAN
RUSSIANS.
[LAUGHS]
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAE
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAC
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAR
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAN
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAC
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAE
ON THIS SHORE       SHOW, WE HAD
THE WAR ON STANDARDS AT THE FAA
WHERE RELEVANT BIOGRAPHICAL
QUESTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON
ASPIRING AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS.
SADLY, THIS IS FAR FROM THE ONLY
EXAMPLE OF STANDARDS DECLINING
IN THE UNITED STATES.
BENEATH PUBLIC VIEW, THERE IS
NEVER A DEBATE ON ANY OF THIS.
IT JUST HAPPENS IN SCIENTIFIC
FIELDS.
YOU WOULDN'T THINK IT WOULD COME
UP BUT IT IS.
HEATHER McDONALD HAS
CHRONICLED IT IN DETAIL.
HOW SCHOOLS AND OTHER
INSTITUTIONS ARE CUTTING
REQUIREMENTS IN AN EFFORT TO BE
MORE DIVERSE, WHATEVER THAT
MEANS.
HEATHER MacDONALD ALSO WROTE
THE UPCOMING BOOK, AND SHE JOINS
US TONIGHT.
HEATHER, THANK YOU FOR COMING
ON.
WE WERE STUNNED TO FIND THAT THE
FAA WAS INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO
HIRE UNQUALIFIED AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS BECAUSE IT'S INSANE
AND DANGEROUS.
BUT YOU WOULDN'T THINK THAT SAME
IMPULSE WOULD FIND ITS WAY INTO
HARD SCIENCES, LIKE MEDICINE OR
RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, BUT YOU SAY
IT IS?
>> Heather: IT'S VERY
DISTURBING, TUCKER.
THERE'S NOT A SINGLE POINT THAT
IS FREE AND THAT'S THE
IRRELEVANT CRITERIA OF RACE AND
GENDER.
IT'S DOING RESEARCH ON THIS AS,
GET THIS, ENTER SEXUALITY.
THIS IS NOT WHAT CONGRESS HAD IN
MIND WHEN THEY CREATED THE
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION IN
1952 SPONSOR SERIOUS SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH.
WE ARE PUTTING OUR SCIENTIFIC
COMPETITIVENESS AT GREAT RISK BY
INTRODUCING THE TOTAL
IRRELEVANCY OF RACE AND GENDER
DIVERSITY INTO SCIENTIFIC
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
>> Tucker: WILL CONFUSED
BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE LEFT
BELIEVED IN SCIENCE, THEY HAD A
LITTLE MARCH ANNOUNCING THAT I
THINK ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF
AGO.
IS THERE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF
RACE OR GENDER OF A SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCHER, FOR EXAMPLE, IS
MATERIAL THAT AFFECTS THE
OUTCOME OF THE EXPERIMENT IN
SOME WAY?
>> Heather: WHILE THE LEFT
HATES SCIENCE WHEN IT'S PROVING
FACTS THAT THEY DON'T LIKE, AND
IT HATES OBJECTIVITY.
THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.
WE HAVE HAD 200 GRANTEES OF THE
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION THAT
HAVE ONE ABOUT PRIZES.
THINGS LIKE DISCOVERING DARK
MATTER, DISCOVERING HOW VIRUSES
WORK, AND THIS WAS WITH UTTER
INDIFFERENCE.
TRUE COLOR BLINDNESS, A TRUE
MERITOCRACY.
AND THEY CAN SEE ON THE LEFT
THAT DIVERSITY MATTERS IN
SCIENTIFIC THINKING.
WELL, IT DOESN'T.
IF THE LAB IS ALL-FEMALE, ALL
ASIAN, ALL-BLACK, GREAT.
ALL THE PUBLIC CARES ABOUT IS,
ARE YOU WORKING TO CURE
ALZHEIMER'S?
THAT WE DO THAT IS BY BEING
COLOR AND GENDER BLIND AND
HIRING ON MERIT, NOT BASED ON
GENDER.
>> Tucker: IT'S TERRIFYING,
