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Is Equality Everyone Being Treated The Same?
- Thread starter ChristineES
- Start date
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
My daughter is in the Air Force. She brings a talent set to her position which is a definite asset to our military. Consequently, she is promoted ahead of her peers - men and women alike.
Men and women bring different assets and talents to our armed forces, our police force, etc. I see no problem with allowing a different physical/fitness test for women and men. After all - they ARE different physically. Why should they be treated exactly the same?
Women are still barred from most infantry positions. This makes perfect sense to me. Infantry positions are extremely physical and often require significant upper body strength, which the vast majority of women lack when compared to men.
Now - if there were differences in the MENTAL tests, that would be another matter. But that's not the case.
Equality and it's distribution for me is based on what I believe to be our common trait... to avoid suffering and striving to be and stay happy.
Everything after that, to me is reason for compassion for others in their exercising their helpful and not so helpful means to achieve that end.
This is how I practice an awareness to have Equality in my interactions with people,
And using myself as a quotient in that equanimity equation I make sure I've included a healthy helping of the "Golden Rule"....
In other words, knowing people are trying to do the same thing I am in the suffer/happy dichotomy, to varying levels of awareness, there is loads of room for practicing equality.
Our hope to be happy and not suffer is the equalizer for me.
Everything else happens after that.
:namaste
SageTree
Everything after that, to me is reason for compassion for others in their exercising their helpful and not so helpful means to achieve that end.
This is how I practice an awareness to have Equality in my interactions with people,
And using myself as a quotient in that equanimity equation I make sure I've included a healthy helping of the "Golden Rule"....
In other words, knowing people are trying to do the same thing I am in the suffer/happy dichotomy, to varying levels of awareness, there is loads of room for practicing equality.
Our hope to be happy and not suffer is the equalizer for me.
Everything else happens after that.
:namaste
SageTree
I prefer a different approach: instead of making gender a requirement for the job based on some notion of the different capabilities of men and women, just set the job requirements based on the actual needs of the job, and let the gender divide sort itself out all on its own.
For example, if doing ___ pushups is reflective of the actual need for upper body strength in the infantry, then make this the requirement. If they're right and it really is too much for women, then no women will end up in the infantry... without ever putting in a requirement that explicitly says "no women need apply", only criteria that were directly related to the job.
Basically, if we're saying that gender is a proxy qualification that implies certain relevant skills and abilities, as long as we can test those skills and abilities directly, there's no need to use gender as a proxy this way.
Songbird
She rules her life like a bird in flight
No.
Well, I could refine my simplistic statement. It was too general. No, not everyone has the same value in relation to different people - in some contexts I'd call that inequality. In others, I'd call it triage.
devorncauser
New Member
equality amongst human beings is likely impossible, however it provides a motive for humans beings to create equality within themselves. To give every thought a chance at life whether it is positive or negative, to give every emotion a chance at existence no matter if it feels pleasurable or not. Once we can do that, we'll be able to find bliss within by upholding the LAW of EXISTENCE that allows all beings to exist regardless of what they are.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Actually, I agree - but I'm not going to waste time trying to get the US military to change their policy. I'll leave that to someone else - got bigger fish to fry.
When I was in the Navy, I only had to do 11 push-ups (this was the 80s) and the men had to do 21 (I think). I was able to do 21 push-ups. I could also do 88 sit-ups in 2 minutes. At that time, I was one of only 8 females at the command I was at. 
Thanks for all the comments. I really enjoy reading the responses. I originally wrote the question out of frustration, because someone was insinuating that "it isn't fair that one person gets what another one gets". All I could think was "but do you really want that or do you just want it because someone else has it?" (I would rather not get into any details about it, as it may be controversial).
Again, thanks for responding. All of you guys more than answered the question to my satisfaction.
Again, thanks for responding. All of you guys more than answered the question to my satisfaction.
Barcode
Active Member
I still think the standards ought to be evened out because it isn't equality. If men did 11 push-ups instead of 21 (which is the standard for men) he is disqualified. Women are physically different yes, but I don't think physical differences ought to be the standard as far as a candidate's capabilities.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
But...men and women ARE physically different. I believe that the physical requirements for the job should be taken into consideration and that every soldier, sailor, airman or marine should be able to perform ALL the physical requirements of their particular job within the military.
My daughter works in procurement, not the infantry. She aces her PT tests every time. She's in excellent physical condition and excels in her job. For her to be disqualified because she can't do as many pushups as a man would be ridiculous and a loss for our military forces.
jarofthoughts
Empirical Curmudgeon
Agreed.
When I was in the military I could do about ten times that number... :sarcastic
Alceste
Vagabond
No, I don't think so. I don't believe anybody thinks this.
Discuss, please (if you want) (remember that it is a discussion and not a debate, I am interested in everyone's pov.)
Equality implies a few different concepts to me. To start with, the rule of law should apply equally to everybody, regardless of age, gender, class, race, or physical ability. Wherever I see this is not the case, I advocate change.
Secondly, fundamental public services (education, health care, water, etc.) should be equally accessible to everyone (accepting that some problems posed by rural distances will involve a little extra effort on the part of those who choose to live there). Wherever I see this is not the case, I advocate change.
Finally, I consider the fundamental worth of a human life to be equal for all seven billion individual humans populating this blue-green ball, philosophically speaking. That last is the one is most problematic when trying to talk to other people. It seems humans tend to assume a heirarchy of worth with "us" at the top and "them" at the bottom.
Alceste
Vagabond
I used to do 4 sets of alternating 20 push-ups and 30 curl-ups every morning just to wake myself up.
waitasec
Veteran Member
yes
i think so
fair
what things are you referring to...
respect, absolutely
a line of credit, a car, a house? no...these things are have no bearing on the basics of life as we know it.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Well, 21 push ups is higher than the Canadian minimum standard.
Canadian Forces physical fitness standards
Just sayin'.
Canadian Forces physical fitness standards
Just sayin'.
Alceste
Vagabond
That seems low too. That explains why I see so many spindly little noodle-armed babies in uniform in all that footage recorded by embedded journalists.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
You must have been doing that when I was walking four miles uphill there and back barefooted in the snow to school every morning.
Seriously, I'm not doubting what you're saying. I used to do 100 situps and 50 pushups every night before I went to bed - in about 8 minutes. I know it was no more than 10 minutes because that's the time it took for the two Earth, Wind and Fire songs that I did them to, to play.
Actually, the minimum for WOMEN in the US military is 19 for a 21 year old. It's 42 for a male the same age. And it's a very short time frame in which to do it - two minutes.
Army Physical Fitness Test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia