Beyond despicable
[yes, that's the President of the USA I'm talking about]
[warning - this is not a carefully edited post. I just wrote and published.]
It hasn’t taken long. I’ve had enough, and I can’t stay silent. In the wake of unimaginable tragedy (the helicopter-CRJ incident in Washington DC), it is just beyond despicable that the President of the United States would somehow see an opportunity to blow ferociously into his dog-whistle for racism and inhumanity. Not surprising, just disgusting. People died, and he couldn’t even let that just be for a minute.
He knows what he’s doing too. Every scenario that could emerge here will be held up as validation.
If the controller and helicopter pilot were both straight cis white men, then it will be their struggle to have to compensate for the others around them that led to an unfortunate mishap.
If both were anything other than that - well, Bob’s your Uncle.
If one was, and the other wasn’t, you know where the blame will be placed.
In a world where some companies are falling all over themselves to either curry political favour or embrace their complete lack of comprehension of socio-politico-economic history by racing to eliminate DEI (and let’s leave aside the ridiculous weaponization of the term), I’m not willing to keep my mouth shut and not stand for what’s right. And kudos to those companies that have the guts to do the same, even if they are few and far between.
DEI exists, and needs to exist, because over decades, actually centuries, of oppression and marginalization, we have NEVER actually operated in a meritocracy. That’s a false premise.
Don’t let the people who benefited from this over generations convince you that they are where they are purely because they and their ancestors are people of superior intellect. They’re there because they benefited from the total absence of meritocracy. An absence which has persisted to the point of it conferring an inherent advantage to certain people from the moment of birth. Or conception if you don’t believe women should be able to control their own bodies.
It’s entirely on that basis that those same people will preach sanctimoniously that DEI is a farce that is promoting incompetent people (btw, every Air Traffic Controller passes the same rigorous exam, so that’s just utter nonsense) and we should revert to a meritocracy. Something that never actually existed, but will now work for certain people and their progeny because the system is set up to enable that.
The real challenge with DEI is actually the opposite of the narrative that is being propagated (and I’m sure now amplified in the fact-free world of Meta and elsewhere). DEI needs to expand, to *all* facets of life right from birth.
If we’re actually going to have a meritocratic society, then we have to ensure that what newborn children can do is determined solely by their merit, and not by the generationally determined socio-politico-economic status of their birth. Yes, MAGA supporters - let’s actually have a meritocracy. One that holds in all cases. One in which I would not prefer to be a straight cis white male over any alternative in pretty much any situation in life.
It’s fatuous to suggest that there’s a debate over whether meritocracy is philosophically good or bad when the meritocracy your overlord is championing is by definition not a meritocracy.
If you’re not buying, then I invite you to allow me to have one of my living ancestors cut off your arms and legs and then challenge you to an race up the stairs, with the winner taking the pot of gold. And because we want the winner to win on pure merit, you don’t get any advantages. Don’t make me suffer for the sins of my ancestor, and don’t you dare ask for an advantage or enablement, because, well, that wouldn’t be fair.
Rant not really complete, but temporary catharsis achieved.
My heart goes out to everyone affected by this soul-crushing tragedy. I cannot even begin to imagine. May you eventually find a way to celebrate the lives lost and reach some form of peace with your grief.