@Martin Alonzo thanks for the post. It expresses well some of the problems I have with the diversity mandate currently being pushed in society. Preferences lead to less-qualified people in positions of importance. Women and minorities are being pushed into areas of practice and study that they would not choose if they were not pressured to enter them. I believe the opportunities should be open to all based on their own preferences and abilities, not simply due to the race, gender, or ethnic group to which they belong. One of my sons, who is a mechanical engineer, said that when he entered the field at the University, out of a class of 60-70, about half were women, but after the second year of study, only 8 women were left in his class. Some of these stepped down to Civil Engineering, a less rigorous engineering field, but most changed majors completely or dropped out of school as frustrated, failed students. What a waste of talent! I have seen some of the same things in the various medical fields. Women and minorities are pushed into areas they would not have chosen on their own had they not been pushed to enter fields to fulfill diversity requirements. In the U.S. Navy, there was a big push to get women qualified to pilot fighter and attack aircraft and fly from aircraft carriers. The first class of women pilots eventually all died in accidents landing on the decks of carriers. When the investigation was completed, it was found that all these women had been passed through failures in their training that, had they been male, would have disqualified them for the cockpit. There are now a few women in those roles, but they are usually judged by the same standards as the men they train with. Diversity isn't bad if is accomplished without lowering standards and is freely chosen. By diversity standards, 80% of the NBA and the NFL would be non-Black, and 20% would be Hispanic.
@Don Alaska What you're saying here is that standards were either double-level, or reduced, for the women pilots, which resulted in serious inability to perform properly, or as needed. If that's the case, and mind you, I'm not questioning the veracity, but merely thinking IF it's the case, deaths occurred attributable to either incompetence at high level, or decision'making forced by "Political Correctness". Either are absolutely inexcusable. Therefore, has anyone been put to the screws and punished? Frank
I don't know if anyone has been held responsible, but I suspect not, as the mission was to get women into the cockpits of jets. They cut corners. As I said, they are there now, although I don't think there are many. I think they learned a lesson here, but it has given me pause since the Obama Administration opened up Special Forces to women. I am afraid that similar things will happen there. If they maintain the standards required and if the standards are fairly determined, it may work out, but I again suspect that if women are allowed in but not many are in functioning units, the standards will be lowered or standards will be waived to increase the numbers. That is my concern. I served in the Navy, and I cannot even imagine what co-ed ships (except carriers and hospital ships) would be like--nightmarish, I think. I believe if women are in the Navy and on ships, the entire crew should be female, not mixed.