Hey! It’s March….and we all know what that means…….
Yes, its that oh so special time of the year when we get to celebrate the history that women want us to know about while whitewashing the details they would rather just not see printed in the paper.
So, as is my custom in March, I make it my mission to report on women’s history-the stories you won’t hear at a convention like this one.
Now when I read this story and saw this picture I was a just a tad bit miffed. Imagine, in a gender-neutral Navy, that women would actually be paid to go to a convention where the aim was, to get women aviators together for purpose of “build{ing} the right networks, help develop our people professionally, and establish effective mentoring opportunities between our Senior Leaders and our young folks. “
Captioned as follows: Rear Adm. Wendi Carpenter, Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, is surrounded by Naval aviators and aircrewman attending the 22nd Women in Aviation Conference in Reno, Nev. The conference hosts over 3,000 people involved in the aviation industry and provides a great opportunity for networking, mentoring and recruiting.
Now if, as a man, you are not more than a little offended by that-go back and ask this question, ” When is the Men in Aviation convention in Reno, for the purpose of building the right networks”?
Oops-I forgot. When you go to those, you don’t follow up by sorting your business cards-but by saying hello to your [not so] friendly NCIS agent.
And exactly how many men are in that picture anyway? I’ll bet there are few that would like to network with some of the “talent” in that crowd. What’s up with that?
Now before everyone heads on out to send this link to the Navy IG. ( Please feel free to do so -I will be happy to write about them too), I’ve got a serious point to make. There is a Woman Officers Professional Organization (WOPA), where is the MOPA? There are associations for Hispanic Officers, African American Officers-even groups that align Asian American officers. Where is the WASP Officers Professional association?
There is isn’t one-and even suggesting that there should be is considered a non-career enhancing move. Some readers might remember when I quoted a guy named Christopher Caldwell back in 2007:
Racism and certain other forms of exclusion corrode a society morally. But diversity, as an ideology, is not a matter of avoiding those occasions of sin. It is an active, ruthless and crusading belief system. Its effects resemble those of “meritocracy” on the community life of London’s Bethnal Green, as described in Dench, Gavron and Young’sThe New East End. It involves identifying, discrediting and breaking up close-knit communities in the interest of mixing them more easily into some new ideal of the nation.
If the Navy were true to its rhetoric-it would not give aid and comfort to associations like this. It would encourage all of its female aviators to join ANA, Tailhook, and the NHA and show up there. As I have pointed out in many different ways under this yearly ritual of posts, by being so hell bent for “diversity”, companies and the US military are turning their back on the thing that makes mission-driven organizations succeed-namely a unity of identity.
And people wonder why we have JO’s who don’t understand how the food chain works when we read about these exchanges between an O-8 and an O-2:
One milestone with which I was involved, and which gives me great sense of satisfaction, is the newly formed WAI Chapter in Iraq. This has materialized over the past year since the last WAI Conference where I met a young Air Force C-130 pilot, 1st Lt. Chrystina Short. Chrystina has just returned from a deployment to Iraq a month ago. While she was overseas, we were “Facebooking” one another (which is an easy and effective way for me to mentor). The thought occurred to me after having just spoken at the WAI Conference in Johannesburg, Africa and posting the pictures on Facebook… “Why not start an Iraq-chapter of WAI?” So when Chrystina commented on the posts for South Africa, I responded that she should start such a chapter. AND so she did! The rest is now being written in the pages of history, and joining us at the WAI Conference this year are two young women from Iraq – Shahad & Zahrau. They have just this week graduated Air Traffic Control School in Miami. These young ladies are exceptional women, motivated and passionate about aviation. They both hold other degrees to include Laser Physics and Computer Science.
Funny, and here I thought she was just over there to make the flight schedule.
There is so much that is so wrong about this. Let’s start with WAI-its a 501(C)(3) organization. These groups are not supposed to engage in any political activities, though some voter registration activities are permitted. Women’s advocacy groups don’t exactly meet that definition. For the Navy to actively support it-borders on the dangerous ground that brushes up against the Hatch Act. The group admits men to be sure-but go back and look at the picture, not a lot of swinging body parts on that stairway.
And when did it become Wendi Carpenter’s job to mentor officers outside her chain of command? Somewhere I don’t think that is the billet description of the Commander Naval Warfare Development Command.
You cannot have it both ways- claim to be gender neutral and then have actions that turn women into preferred customers within the system. Now that DADT has been repealed, what’s next? A GAI convention?
I just got a TAD cancelled due to the looming budget crisis, but I bet if I did a quick operation I would have been able to attend this, budget impasse or not. Where is the WIS (Women in ships) convention going to be held? Oops I guess they don’t have that organization. I guess the radical Femmes didn’t think that the Surface navy really mattered too much. I wish Tom Cruise would have filmed “Top Gun” on ship with a 5″/54 gun vice a Tomcat.
I imagine there will be a WIS soon, Women in Subs. Give it another 5 years.
I love the picture of the gurls. What I find most amusing about aviators is their naked aggression for “look at me, I’m an aviator!”. They used to wear the golden wings and then submariners wore the sea slugs and finally the SWO’s wore the swords. Well, enough was enough dammit! Now aviators have to dress funny in public in order to call attention to their exalted status. I didn’t see a single leather jacket though. They probably don’t make those in gurl sizes.
working with the Navy, I have found that what the new hardcore diversity has accomplished is a dilution of respect for the uniform. back in the 80’s and 90’s, when dealing with someone with an oak leaf or an anchor on their collar, the unconscious thought was, “This is someone who has their shit together. I had better pay attention to what they do and say.” Now, that thought and automatic regard for the uniform is delayed while I determine whether this is a person who actually does have the experience and expertise the rank implies, or if is this a person that has been fast-tracked for diversity reasons. So there is a feeling out process that has to be performed. Working uniforms don’t display service ribbons, which would help somewhat. The whole process is unfortunate and time consuming and the opposite of what diversity is trying to accomplish.
Skippy,
As always thanks for being the voice for those of us on active duty in the silent majority.
Thanks!
Anon active duty middle aged white guy
Check out the Blue Angel in the back.
No wings on the “Blue Angel”
Look at the tattoo on the second from the bottom. Can’t wait to see her in about 10 years when she finally grows up.
Wonder how many “tramp stamps” are underneath those flight suits-speaking of tattoo’s.
What’s the deal with all the different colored underwear? Red, blue, purple, black. Is that just part and participle of navy officer’s too fucked up to wear a uniform in a public place of business while on business? Are those in red in the airborne artillery and the blue in the air cavalry? What’s the black for? The airborne sex corps?
Wow-you can see their panties through their flight suits? You’re good.
Well Skippy, I can. But I was referring to the scarf things they are wearing UNDER their togas. Thus, underwear.
Curtis, up until last month those T-shirts were legal. I can’t see holding them responsible for that.
But I do admire you for being able to see their panties. Victoria’s Secret popular among female aviators?
Oh Skippy I know this might make you feel better about the month of March or at least use it to throw in the face of your next friendly pen is hating feminist. March 9th 1959 the doll known as Barbie made her appearance at the New York Toy Fair. She is 52yrs young and still mainting that figure and lookl
Yea but I am told she has a somewhat plastic personality.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Skippy-san. “Diversity” is nothing more than institutional racism (or in this case, sexism).
But you can take comfort in knowing that NCIS agents universally hate all this diversity crap too. And since attending a MAI meeting is fortunately not illegal (yet), you have nothing to worry about.
I have never heard so much dribble and ego sulking in one blog in all my life. The wanking going on by the non-aviators is hysterical… "Wah, I can't wear a flight suit so I'm going to call them names, wah." And how old are we? I'm not going to take the time to list the hundreds of organizations that support the 'good ole boys' networks but what I will point out is the obvious lack of numbers of women in naval aviation. Having 'grown up' as one and about to retire as one I know exactly what I was up against as I plowed through the 'firsts' in naval aviation. It's hard as an outsider looking in to understand this I realize. There wouldn't be a women in history month or celebration of women in the military if it wasn't still unusual. While it takes time to become integrated (generations in my opinion) this kind of women-hate is why it's still important to celebrate, support and put an effort toward it by leadership. And before someone chimes up and says something to the effect of 'there aren't a lot of women because they quit to have kids, etc'… I doubt there's any female aviator that's going to say 'I quit because bastards like you make it so difficult to compete equally'. Our pride just wouldn't want to give you the satisfaction. Your egos are so fragile you have to vent in trash posts like this. An intelligent discussion regarding the real issues of women integration wouldn't result in discussions about 'Barbie', 'looking for my next ex-wife', and 'talent' in quotes. Why is it that men like you look at women and assume non-talent? Your precious egos cannot admit women can do the tough jobs just like you and some may even be better. While the Navy (and at that time it was 99% men who did this) did a horrendous job of bringing in and training female naval aviators into the combat arena, don't blame the females for this. They were facing discrimination at it worst. I was tested before I even had the course criteria just so the RAG could get the 'X' for the day because they needed me to deploy at a certain date to satisfy congress. This kind of shoving the training down our throats so the Navy could get the check in the block demonstrates the poor leadership in place then. I will readily admit there may have been some 'sub-standard' female pilots back then (there is no basis in this comment, I just know my own sub-standard training and how much additional effort it took because of it)but given the appropriate (what everyone else got) training, they would have been just fine. Hopefully in time this in-bread philosophy you've demonstrated here will dwindle as it becomes a non-issue. I do 'get' your non-understanding of why there still needs to be these WIA forums…it does appear to be divisive from the outside looking in. But as the ONLY female in 95% of the working environments I've been in in my 22+ years in naval aviation, it's great to be able to let the guard down and talk to like-women who've been-there/put-up-with-that. We work with some entirely incredible men… I love my male counterparts, but just think of all the banter you shield from the women within earshot. Is it so bad that I get to do that once every couple years in a forum like this? Since there's obviously still a lot of women-hate out there (as evidenced from this blog) is it so bad to band together once every 5 years (most women don't go to these annually) and address how to fix this or make these relationships better? I don't go to these forums personally, I merely don't have the time but I should make the time to support the young ones coming in from the old geezers like you guys who harbor hate against them merely because your egos are hurt every time we walk in the room with a flight suit on.
Well first of all, I wore a flight suit. For many years- probably a lot longer than you. Secondly, I commanded a mixed gender squadron, so I happen to know what I am talking about. Whether you agree or not-mixed gender units take more overhead to run. Now that is neither here nor there-but it points out, as another blogger more savvy than I am, the continued promotion of the diversity industry within the Navy. "Again, this isn't harmless. In the zero sum game that is selection, support, promotion, and award – special treatment based on race, creed, color, gender or national origin is discrimination. It also puts in a perverse incentive to lie, cheat, steal, and to tolerate those among you who do." And you are kidding your self if you think networks built on your gender do anything but that.
As for the training that went on in the 90's-that was driven a great part by people like Wendy Carpenter. It was her and a lot like her who threw an obstacle into some perfectly sensible policies that would have required the Navy to access female aviators at the grade of LT and below-precisely because that would have allowed women to pay their dues JUST LIKE A MAN. She is in great part a source of the outrage that many male aviators like Anon felt when placed against the reverse double standard. None of those "good old boys networks" that you cite-at this point in time, prohibit you from joining them. None. So my point remains more than valid-there are opportunities for you to come together as aviators with fellow aviators. And if the Navy is indeed truly gender neutral it will support those recognized associations-not one as dubious as this.
And finally I have to point out-this discussion is not about any one can do. Its about the cost in doing so. And don't kid yourself, all this change comes at a cost to American society in general. Now its clear-after 20 years-that we have chosen to pay this cost. But the end results are not pretty and its taking a toll on the Navy as a whole. Again its not about what one can do-but what one should do. Those are two different things.