Gender Issues

Knight Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 386 Location: Canada

I want to respond to a bunch of stuff here, and I will when I have time, but for now I'm going to focus on this specific question:

My father used to be the Chief of the Fire Department in the town I grew up in. This was a small town Fire Department, where only 2-3 people were full time and the rest were part-time (what we usually consider "volunteer firefighters", but they still get paid).

This small-town force had no women on staff. My dad used to get criticized for it. And he had the best response. Something to the effect of "None of the women who've applied have ever out-competed the men who applied, especially with regards to physical strength. And when your house is on fire and you're trapped inside, would you want to be rescued by the person who was hired because of affirmative action and can't pull you to safety? Or the person who can physically carry you out?"

He's Fire Chief of a larger city now, and they have women firefighters, but there's a larger sampling. More women apply, more likely some will meet the physical requirements.

The city I live in now did a blitz a few years ago actively trying to hire more women and minority firefighters. My first thought was "...this could result in people dying, because you may select people of a specific gender or race over someone who is more qualified." But it turned out that the firefighters being hired were for outreach purposes. When the firefighters visit schools to teach about fire safety, kids respond better to a woman than they do a big, burly, bear-type of a man. And the minority recruitment was to have better insight into specific fire hazards that certain cultures may have (e.g. a culture that cooks a lot with grease is more likely to have a grease fire), and so someone of their own background was more likely to identify that risk and teach safety (maybe even in the right language).
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It was the year of fire… the year of destruction… the year we took back what was ours.
It was the year of rebirth… the year of great sadness… the year of pain… and the year of joy.
It was a new age. It was the end of history. It was the year everything changed.
The year is 2261.
The place: Babylon 5.

^ I agree with your dad 100%, Taral. The person who is best for the job should be hired regardless of gender, race, or the percentage of demographs already in the field.
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Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

EUC Staff Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 1120 Location: Kansas

Knight Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 386 Location: Canada

Master Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Posts: 1411

I absolutely don't deny there's gender bias against men, and as the mother of 3 sons, it really gets me going. I just don't think it's nearly as institutionalized as other forms of bias or bigotry. Nor do I want to see it institutionalized. Not only would that be hypocritical, it would be a giant step backwards.

But the facts are that, as a group, white males hold the majority of wealth and political power in this country. That is a tremendous advantage, and it's also an historical one. It hasn't even been 100 years since women got the right to vote (let alone run for office). It's been even less since all white male juries fell by the wayside. Until the 20th century, pretty much only white males went to college. Why do you think the United Negro College Fund exists? White males have simply never had to come from behind to achieve parity in this country, like the rest of us.

I'd like to think that more blatant forms of bias and bigotry have been eradicated, but then I went on Facebook this morning and saw this. *sigh*

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Roqoo Depot co-founder.

Don't worry about that "white in the white house" guy. He's not appealing to Romney voters. No one is taken seriously in this country who is openly and self identified as a racist. The real problematic racists are far more subtle and intelligent about making statements that people will actually have a chance of getting behind and convincing that they are not actually racist.

In all likelihood that person is not serious at all and he's probably just a plant to generate propaganda. He's either a Democrat plant to make Romney supporters look like open racists, or he's a Republican plant to deflect away from race issues by getting people to attack a non issue of fake racism.
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They have taken the hearts and minds of our leaders. They have recruited the rich and the powerful, and they have blinded us to the truth! Our human spirit is corrupted. Why do we worship greed? Because, outside the limit of our sight, feeding off us, perched on top of us from birth to death are OUR OWNERS. They have us! They control us! They are our masters! Wake up! They’re all about you, all around you!

Master Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 1349

That "White back in the White House" guy really saddens me. Why do we still have people like that in the 21st century? Confused

But honestly, I think that the people who voted for Obama only because he was black are just as racist. We need to stop looking at skin color altogether.
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Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4419 Location: Korriban

EUC Staff Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 1120 Location: Kansas

Master Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Posts: 1411

In regards to Malala, the girl the Taliban shot, there's a massive backlash against the Taliban occurring in Pakistan.

Also after she survived, the Taliban vowed to finish the job. Malala has been evacuated to a Birmingham, England hospital for her safety and recovery. The United Arab Emirates sent a special medical jet to transport her there. The hospital in Birmingham already had to refuse entrance to two "well wishers".
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Roqoo Depot co-founder.

Knight Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 386 Location: Canada

EUC Staff Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 1120 Location: Kansas

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