WOKE and Pilot Hiring

United Airlines has announced their goal to employ 50% of their pilots to be female or those of color. Sadly, any airline with this goal is losing sight of the importance of performance. The plane does not care about gender, color, race, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. My requirement is that my fellow pilot can fly, they have the ability to communicate, can think, manage stress, and a good sense of humor helps with those long flights. 

Furthermore, the strides that women and minorities have taken and achieved to obtain their jobs by performance will all be for nothing. We will flash back to the days when it’s assumed we were a token employee, and many will be. This is not the way the world should attack diversity in any industry. Especially in an industry that demands safety. The most important aspect of a pilot is their ability not the color of their skin or their gender. 

It’s great that we have laws to prevent discrimination, but those laws should protect everyone. If this quota and effort is allowed, then we are discriminating against qualified and competent male pilots. How can that possibly be the right thing to do?

There is one way to ensure that discrimination is non-existent in the airline industry and that is to get rid of managers who have the capacity to differentiate. Each airline should require all managers in every department to take a psychological test to assess their capacity and inclination toward a discriminatory mindset, and remove them from any leadership role or pilot hiring involvement. Remove those people who discriminate and this will ensure that the best candidate is employed. 

United Airlines, you are an inspiring and forward thinking airline, but this is not the best thing to do for so many reasons. You should remove your managers who discriminate and employ the most qualified applicant. 

I’m wondering if this is another means in which the the industry officials are intentionally weakening the pilot force to support their cause for an automation takeover. This is not an assertion that women and those of color are not the best candidates. If they are employed for their abilities then they are the best. Make that happen! 

It’s difficult to believe that anyone thinks this is a good idea. If we continue as a society that differentiates people based upon qualities that don’t matter, we will perpetuate discrimination into the minds and hearts of our children forever. This will never end. Isn’t it time we just behave as good humans with a brain that understands we are all equal and should have the same opportunities as everyone else?  

My vote it’s time to end this language and simply wake up.