The worst part is, for qualified competent people who happen to be in a protected group, one must approach them with "you probably didn't earn it, and I'm going to assume you did not." This is inherently unjust for those people, and it is the DEI systems that make it so.
Meritocracy is the only way to largely universal trust and respect. Were I a protected class, I'd hate this stuff even more than I do, because it screams "I didn't earn it."
3. They are getting exactly what they need, mentally unstable people that will do exactly what their overlords want them to do regardless of the ethics or morality of it.
"Diverse teams have been shown to score higher on performance, excellence, and innovation indicators."
Prove it.
Instead of trying to match skin tone chips, perhaps they should be seeking people who will emulate Douglas Munro, or Joshua James and the ways they made the Coast Guard great. I bet that not one of the USCG Diversity zampolits can identify those white cis-gender males or what they did, and I am damn sure that the zampolits themselves would never repeat any of their deeds.
The trick is in the wording. The diverse teams do not perform at a higher level, or display greater excellence, or show more innovation; they score higher on INDICATORS of those traits.
Indicators which have been created, defined, and manipulated to be essentially self-referencing, so that anything that shows "diversity" is in and of itself an "indicator" of high performance.
Abolish USCGA. Fire the professors & ban them from federal employment. Send the Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff to the fleet. Tear it down and salt the earth.
Wait a decade.
Start over with a new USCGA in the mid-Atlantic states, staffed by a faculty of mustangs (and senior enlisted) from the fleet. Require every incoming 4/c cadet to have one complete enlistment under his belt before Reporting-In Day.
As a '63 grad with a lot of history to look back on, I'm impressed with what I superficially see when I visit the Academy, but the Alumni Bulletin is rife with so many ethnic / racial / gender group hugs that I wonder if these young men and women can cope with any real adversity if the overall goal is to avoid being offended. My first experience with being called a swab and ranking lower than the Admiral's cat was lesson one in growing a backbone. Neither was I impressed with the recent implication of five dozen second classmen in a cheating scandal. Despite all the supposed ethics training I wonder what the actual trajectory is.
The enrolled student population at United States Coast Guard Academy is 61.5% White, 11.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11% Two or More Races, 7.53% Asian, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.286% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.191% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
They are underrepresented as a percentage by 7% at USCGA. Which is the topic of the post.
The reason that the numbers are what they are is because they reflect the pool of applicants that apply. No amount of political Tom Foolery can change that. Historically speaking, people of the Caucasian persuasion have long made up a higher percentage of casualties than their representation in the general population during times of war. Look at how MOS’s shake out by race. Different people have different preferences and make their choices based on their backgrounds. If people had no choice,we would be having an entirely different discussion. There need to be objective standards when you are talking about organizations that undertake missions like the USCG. Pilots, mariners, techs, mechanics, etc. all require different aptitudes. You just can’t waive those and plug somebody into those jobs based on sex, skin color, religion, national origin or any other of a plethora of subgroups created to define an “oppressed” or “marginalized” population. I really don’t want to be a patient of the doctor who would be picked for medical school based on his genitalia, race, sexual preference or any other extraneous, shallow characteristic. This really is a war on those who have proven their ability to perform. Two things rise to the top and going this route certainly isn’t going to result in it being the cream.
We've had affirmative action for 50+ years. If you served in the military for any length of time, did you notice much difference in the quality of leadership or technical competence between whites and others? I didn't. Heck, I even met Austin in Baghdad and found him to be a knowledgeable and subtle thinker on Iraqi affairs at the time. I went to a Navy school with ADM Michelle Howard, she was an obvious superstar even as a LT.
There are no "objective standards" when it comes to leadership ability and even many areas of technical competence like ship handling or infantry tactics.
Posts like this, exaggerating the effect of aspirational language in favor of diversity are a kind of propaganda. The effect is to degrade the morale of white Americans out of any proportion to any conceivable adverse effect to white Americans in the military. In other words, suck it up, if you failed in the military it's on you.
".....to degrade the morale of white Americans..."
BTW? a USN Canvasser told my son he could bring him in as a JG, not an Ensign. Not because he was 20 with a Math Degree, but because he is black. Instead my son may commission next year at 26 as a USAF Major because Math PhD equals Major irrespective of color.
It also does not change the commenters fact that some specialties within DoD are both over and underrepresented. Black aviators for example are only 2 or 3 percent of the total USAF pilots.
"did you notice much difference in the quality of leadership or technical competence between whites and others?"
That is not the right question. "Did you notice special treatment and lower standards for females and non-Caucasians, some of whom were clearly passed on basis of their special characteristics?"
You seems to be conflating a refusal to endorse DEI special treatment with some sort of racial or ethnic animus. Is it your position that in the absence of special programs these brave young people would not have been able to serve? That is a scary proposition, in that in a profession of arms, competence should be the primary consideration. Recall McNamara's Morons.
For what? What did the volunteers at Valley Forge count on? The armies,, north and south, during the Civil War? "What's in it for me" ?
As far as I can tell, being an American is already a good bargain. Perhaps that is why millions of people risk their lives and mortgage their futures to come here to be poor Americans. Even as an oppressed minority.
I'm just an ordinary person but I seem to have more brain power than most government and educational officials. It is so obvious that all this DEI stuff is designed to destroy our educational system and is moving deeper into government institutions, including military. I'm glad there are people like you that can see the truth. Are the Chinese practicing DEI in their military? Are Muslims practicing DEI in their military and population in general? NO. There are so many people, like Soros, that want to destroy our way of life. They support abortion to lower our population, similar to how the Chinese had the one child per family thing a few years back and now do not have the population to support their country. They want to destroy our farms, our industrial jobs, and everything else that has given us strength in the past. Why is this so hard to see for so many ignorant people?
I have more than once listened to some conservativish folks believe that the military services will always be "on our side" against the leftist commissars. They simply do not understand the effects of the long march through the institutions. Or, for that matter, that even the left can raise armies.
Perhaps if their feedstock of high-school candidates improved there would be less need for these initiatives. Perhaps the equity folks should focus on the overall lack of candidates from the major population centers.
I attended boot camp in the winter of 1975 at Great Lakes. (I recall referring to the place as "Great Mistakes.") Our Company Commander, MM1 Spitzer, repeated to us, over and over again, that we were all equal and part of the same Navy regardless of our economic, ethnic, or religious background. (He used colorful Navy language that would not be accepted in today's organization ) Whenever I read the words "equity " and "diversity " I am of the opinion that the senior officers and enlisted have sold out to the "People's Commiserate. " (Just the rambling thoughts of an old hermit. )
We need to start calling DEI what it is, a CANCER...and treat it as such. Remember Chemotherapy to a Cancer Cell is Genocide. So be it to the cancer cells and the industry it has built.
But then, this is all about what's Legal. OK, get the legal types to get a lawsuit going challenging the aspects of DEI - Specifically Equity - as a violation of the 14th Amendment's equal protections clause, and frame the case as such. Targeted outcome- Anyone or organization that practices "Equity" is guilty of a "per se" violation of the Law, (Per se = you do it, your guilty, period). Net follow the money and destroy any career path it funds. That will at least separate the zealots from the various grifter's looking for a salary. Nuff Said - See Grandpa Pettibone for reference
USNA will be next.
It's already there. They want Trans identifying men and drag queens.
They don't want strong men with mental acuity.
That is very scary…
DEI = Didn’t Earn It.
It’s really the only answer.
The worst part is, for qualified competent people who happen to be in a protected group, one must approach them with "you probably didn't earn it, and I'm going to assume you did not." This is inherently unjust for those people, and it is the DEI systems that make it so.
Meritocracy is the only way to largely universal trust and respect. Were I a protected class, I'd hate this stuff even more than I do, because it screams "I didn't earn it."
I heard a CO use the term protected groups at an All hands event in the context of don’t say anything that might offend them. It offended me
A true college or military academy would take anyone who applied and met the basic qualifications.
The stupid rainbow and racial nonsense should have no bearing.
All the quotas are making it so the people they need won't apply.
Why would an intelligent white person join an organization that doesn't want them?
1. True
2. True
3. They are getting exactly what they need, mentally unstable people that will do exactly what their overlords want them to do regardless of the ethics or morality of it.
4. That's the point.
Everything as gone to hell, my med school is now in the crapper.. Glad my diploma dates from the mid 1970s when it chose the best and the brightest.
https://x.com/aaronsibarium/status/1793657774767022569
Spousal unit and I have already decided to never go to a doctor or cross a bridge or ride in an airplane designed by people who graduated after 2010,
The old shibboleth is thrown up again:
"Diverse teams have been shown to score higher on performance, excellence, and innovation indicators."
Prove it.
Instead of trying to match skin tone chips, perhaps they should be seeking people who will emulate Douglas Munro, or Joshua James and the ways they made the Coast Guard great. I bet that not one of the USCG Diversity zampolits can identify those white cis-gender males or what they did, and I am damn sure that the zampolits themselves would never repeat any of their deeds.
More discrimination does not end discrimination.
The trick is in the wording. The diverse teams do not perform at a higher level, or display greater excellence, or show more innovation; they score higher on INDICATORS of those traits.
Indicators which have been created, defined, and manipulated to be essentially self-referencing, so that anything that shows "diversity" is in and of itself an "indicator" of high performance.
I noticed that too
"Prove it" <---This!
Abolish USCGA. Fire the professors & ban them from federal employment. Send the Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff to the fleet. Tear it down and salt the earth.
Wait a decade.
Start over with a new USCGA in the mid-Atlantic states, staffed by a faculty of mustangs (and senior enlisted) from the fleet. Require every incoming 4/c cadet to have one complete enlistment under his belt before Reporting-In Day.
With Disgust And Sadness,
A grad from the mid-90s
At least abolish requirement of political nominations to academies. A donator kick back
As a '63 grad with a lot of history to look back on, I'm impressed with what I superficially see when I visit the Academy, but the Alumni Bulletin is rife with so many ethnic / racial / gender group hugs that I wonder if these young men and women can cope with any real adversity if the overall goal is to avoid being offended. My first experience with being called a swab and ranking lower than the Admiral's cat was lesson one in growing a backbone. Neither was I impressed with the recent implication of five dozen second classmen in a cheating scandal. Despite all the supposed ethics training I wonder what the actual trajectory is.
Hey, maybe they'll appropriate money to create safe spaces with coloring books on the cutters in case they find themselves getting shot at.
"this translates to" - in your head.
What language do you object to, and what specific effect do you think it will have?
This anodyne language does nothing but put a brake on the most exclusionary individuals.
When the USA goes to war, it's going to have to count on the African-American, Hispanic, and Asian minorities.
Who suffer from an overall abundance of disqualifications for a myriad of reasons, and/or are merely not interested in joining.
You've never scrolled through this, have you?
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/
The proportion of Hispanic names among USMC fallen is particularly striking.
How many were commissioned or academy graduates?
The enrolled student population at United States Coast Guard Academy is 61.5% White, 11.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11% Two or More Races, 7.53% Asian, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.286% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.191% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
They are underrepresented as a percentage by 7% at USCGA. Which is the topic of the post.
The reason that the numbers are what they are is because they reflect the pool of applicants that apply. No amount of political Tom Foolery can change that. Historically speaking, people of the Caucasian persuasion have long made up a higher percentage of casualties than their representation in the general population during times of war. Look at how MOS’s shake out by race. Different people have different preferences and make their choices based on their backgrounds. If people had no choice,we would be having an entirely different discussion. There need to be objective standards when you are talking about organizations that undertake missions like the USCG. Pilots, mariners, techs, mechanics, etc. all require different aptitudes. You just can’t waive those and plug somebody into those jobs based on sex, skin color, religion, national origin or any other of a plethora of subgroups created to define an “oppressed” or “marginalized” population. I really don’t want to be a patient of the doctor who would be picked for medical school based on his genitalia, race, sexual preference or any other extraneous, shallow characteristic. This really is a war on those who have proven their ability to perform. Two things rise to the top and going this route certainly isn’t going to result in it being the cream.
We've had affirmative action for 50+ years. If you served in the military for any length of time, did you notice much difference in the quality of leadership or technical competence between whites and others? I didn't. Heck, I even met Austin in Baghdad and found him to be a knowledgeable and subtle thinker on Iraqi affairs at the time. I went to a Navy school with ADM Michelle Howard, she was an obvious superstar even as a LT.
There are no "objective standards" when it comes to leadership ability and even many areas of technical competence like ship handling or infantry tactics.
Posts like this, exaggerating the effect of aspirational language in favor of diversity are a kind of propaganda. The effect is to degrade the morale of white Americans out of any proportion to any conceivable adverse effect to white Americans in the military. In other words, suck it up, if you failed in the military it's on you.
Thomas: We've also not won a war in 50+ years.
".....to degrade the morale of white Americans..."
BTW? a USN Canvasser told my son he could bring him in as a JG, not an Ensign. Not because he was 20 with a Math Degree, but because he is black. Instead my son may commission next year at 26 as a USAF Major because Math PhD equals Major irrespective of color.
It also does not change the commenters fact that some specialties within DoD are both over and underrepresented. Black aviators for example are only 2 or 3 percent of the total USAF pilots.
"did you notice much difference in the quality of leadership or technical competence between whites and others?"
That is not the right question. "Did you notice special treatment and lower standards for females and non-Caucasians, some of whom were clearly passed on basis of their special characteristics?"
Yes
You seems to be conflating a refusal to endorse DEI special treatment with some sort of racial or ethnic animus. Is it your position that in the absence of special programs these brave young people would not have been able to serve? That is a scary proposition, in that in a profession of arms, competence should be the primary consideration. Recall McNamara's Morons.
When the USA goes to war, it *Should* only have to count on Americans.
It's a reciprocal bargain. All Americans - not the just richest and most privileged by birth - *should* be able to count on the USA.
The principle of the Social Contract, incorporated into the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The New Deal was a major source of strength of the USA during WW II. When you feel the government has your back, you're more willing to fight for it.
Nowadays, not so much: see what the cult of "free trade" did to the Rust Belt and how the GINI index has increased.
The government never has your back. The more powerful it becomes, the more corrupt it is.
"should* be able to count on the USA.'
For what? What did the volunteers at Valley Forge count on? The armies,, north and south, during the Civil War? "What's in it for me" ?
As far as I can tell, being an American is already a good bargain. Perhaps that is why millions of people risk their lives and mortgage their futures to come here to be poor Americans. Even as an oppressed minority.
Who can "count on" people who have been held to separate standards? I agree with your last sentence, but this DEI stuff makes that impossible.
I'm just an ordinary person but I seem to have more brain power than most government and educational officials. It is so obvious that all this DEI stuff is designed to destroy our educational system and is moving deeper into government institutions, including military. I'm glad there are people like you that can see the truth. Are the Chinese practicing DEI in their military? Are Muslims practicing DEI in their military and population in general? NO. There are so many people, like Soros, that want to destroy our way of life. They support abortion to lower our population, similar to how the Chinese had the one child per family thing a few years back and now do not have the population to support their country. They want to destroy our farms, our industrial jobs, and everything else that has given us strength in the past. Why is this so hard to see for so many ignorant people?
I have more than once listened to some conservativish folks believe that the military services will always be "on our side" against the leftist commissars. They simply do not understand the effects of the long march through the institutions. Or, for that matter, that even the left can raise armies.
The American communist has almost finished purging the military.
Perhaps if their feedstock of high-school candidates improved there would be less need for these initiatives. Perhaps the equity folks should focus on the overall lack of candidates from the major population centers.
You've been making this point for years, and I continue to agree with you.
I attended boot camp in the winter of 1975 at Great Lakes. (I recall referring to the place as "Great Mistakes.") Our Company Commander, MM1 Spitzer, repeated to us, over and over again, that we were all equal and part of the same Navy regardless of our economic, ethnic, or religious background. (He used colorful Navy language that would not be accepted in today's organization ) Whenever I read the words "equity " and "diversity " I am of the opinion that the senior officers and enlisted have sold out to the "People's Commiserate. " (Just the rambling thoughts of an old hermit. )
"psychological and physical security?" That's the last we see of this stuff: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=coast+guard+submarine+bust&mid=7CCBCC0D39D6E38057067CCBCC0D39D6E3805706&FORM=VIRE
We need to start calling DEI what it is, a CANCER...and treat it as such. Remember Chemotherapy to a Cancer Cell is Genocide. So be it to the cancer cells and the industry it has built.
But then, this is all about what's Legal. OK, get the legal types to get a lawsuit going challenging the aspects of DEI - Specifically Equity - as a violation of the 14th Amendment's equal protections clause, and frame the case as such. Targeted outcome- Anyone or organization that practices "Equity" is guilty of a "per se" violation of the Law, (Per se = you do it, your guilty, period). Net follow the money and destroy any career path it funds. That will at least separate the zealots from the various grifter's looking for a salary. Nuff Said - See Grandpa Pettibone for reference
I won buzzword bingo less than halfway through reading that.