They called it “Affirmative Action” back in the day.
Or “Affirmative Blacktion” for the American History X fans out there.
That’s back when employers hired people "without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin," and most people associated the practice with the drones and drabs of the corporate world and, increasingly, the hallowed halls of academia.
That was all well and good. But over the years, Affirmative Action popped out of its cocoon into a DEI butterfly. Only this one isn’t pretty.
And now, qualified candidates are overlooked for “representation of marginalized communities.”
Would you feel comfortable getting on a plane if you knew the pilot got the job because of their hook-up app preferences rather than aviation background?
I spent five years working on the road, and many pilots have greeted me at the end of a jetway or bid me adieu after landing.
Yet whether coming or going, I never questioned their qualifications.
I just wanted to sit down and turn on my e-book so I could promptly fall asleep and lose my place in the story.
But companies like Boeing and United have Americans considering a road trip for their next vacation.
Meet Scott Kirby (left), CEO of United Airlines. On the right, a pilot, apparently.
But this isn’t a “knee-jerk phobia from a privileged white male.”
According to a 2022 statement, Boeing financially incentivizes managers to consider DEI in hiring.
Recently, Charlie Kirk found himself in the hot seat for his comments on the matter:
I’m sorry. If I see a black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’ -Charlie Kirk
Of course, the horde ignored what he said afterward:
I don’t want to think like that, its not who I am - Charlie Kirk
It sounds like Charlie, myself, and many other everyday Americans never wondered whether our black, female, or gay pilots and aircraft manufacturers were qualified.
Not until everything started falling apart.
Recent Air Scares
Have you noticed a pattern recently?
I’ll take the aisle seat, actually.
You might recall the Alaska Air incident earlier this month, where an emergency door blew off mid-flight due to missing door plugs.
Nobody was hurt, thank God.
However, the duty-free shops sold out of underwear shortly after landing.
Either way, did Boeing overlook safety standards in favor of drag queen maintenance workers?
What about Alaska Air? Did they sacrifice safety to their divisive DEIty?
Let’s check out Alaska Air’s website.
It’s possible. We’ll see what NTSB comes up with. Intersectional oppression, I’m sure.
Transgender Bender?
Last week, two Jet Blue planes collided at Boston Logan Airport while taxiing at low speeds, leaving one craft with a broken wingtip.
But this could have been much worse.
Were the pilot's diversity hires?
Survey says….. could be! Courtesy of jetblue.com:
But wait a second. Let’s not be too quick to assign blame. Maybe the blunder was air traffic controls bad.
Let’s check out Boston Logan’s website who presumably is in charge of hiring for the tower:
Naples Crash
OK, airlines are globalist corporations. Not exactly a shocker that they all subscribe to the DEI insanity.
But what about private aviation?
Earlier this week, a Bombardier Challenger crash landed on I-75 in Naples, Florida, killing the pilots, but thankfully, three passengers escaped.
Pilots Edward Daniel Murphy and Frederick Hofmann were white males, so they were unlikely diversity hires. (Being a gay white male doesn’t score points anymore.)
Initial reports say both engines lost power while nearing their descent.
I checked out the aircraft charter company, Hop-a-Jet, based out of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, and found no DEI garbage.
And they claim to handle maintenance internally, so there could be an oversight here, but woke hiring practices don’t appear to be a factor based on what’s available.
Buffalo Crash
A Diamond Star aircraft, a small prop plane, cut its flight short earlier this week after a door fell off shortly after take off.
Hundred Dollar Hamburger LLC claims the aircraft, whose website is straight out of 1995 with no hiring or DEI info.
However, Signature Aviation, the airport where the Diamond Star departed, does. Still, we don’t know if Signature serviced the plane.
But just because you're not a DEI hire doesn't mean you’re immune from user error.
WKBW Buffalo says, “A similar problem happened in the Netherlands in 2011. The Dutch Safety Board compiled an 11-page report noting a Diamond Star lost its rear door mid-flight. The report said the pilot saw the door handle move out of the closed position.”
The board concluded that "the most probable cause of the door separation was the door handle not being in the locked position in combination with excessive free play in the forward door hinge."
Maybe We’re Getting Off-Track
Before the Norfolk Southern train incident in February 2023, I couldn’t tell you the last time I heard of a modern train derailment.
Last year, it seemed like a weekly occurrence.
NTSB reports say an overheated bearing was at fault and 100% preventable.
Did proper inspections fall short while the railroad focused on “equity”?
Let’s see:
Rut ro! Welcome to Norfolk Southern!
According to AP, there were 53 major derailments in 2023, a 33% increase.
But is Norfolk Southern the only racist-on-the-rails?
Welcome to Union Pacific!
Welcome to BNSF!
Welcome to CSX!
Welcome to Canadian National!
Cleanup on Avenue 5
In April of last year, a NYC parking garage collapsed, killing one and injuring five.
Erected in 1925, there were obviously no diversity practices for construction workers.
However, modern inspectors and maintenance have plenty. I’m guessing you don’t need a snip of NYC’s public works department to believe that.
Also, in December 2023, a seven-story building in the Bronx collapsed. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but 138 residents were displaced.
Hopefully, the illegal immigrants in hotels and shelters were generous enough to offer some floor space.
Watch Your Step!
On December 16th, 1960, a United plane collided with a TWA craft above Brooklyn, killing all 128 aboard and six on the ground.
The investigation concluded there was an error with United’s navigation system.
So, let’s remember there will always be negligence and accidents to some degree, and I don’t want to be like the people who cry racism every time a cop shoots a black person.
But when corporations actively set merit and objective qualifications aside in the pursuit of American Maoism, it’s natural to question if professionals know what they’re doing.
Go forth and tread lightly.
And here’s a tip: when duct-taping your plane seat to the floor, use all colors of the trans flag.
Lest we forget why we can’t have nice things.
-GB
Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. -Albert Einstein