I read many, many (MANY!) things on the internet. One blog I follow belongs to Inspector Gadget, nom de plume of an anonymous police inspector who would be fired for blogging if he were caught. He wrote a post about a female police officer in Britain who sued her force, and won, after she failed a fitness test: https://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/police-riot-training-fitness-test-to-be-scrapped/ and I felt compelled to comment:
I read the original post and all 405 comments. Bad idea — I’m now a combination of appalled, sad, and above all, angry.
When my sister went through the police academy here in the states, it was run in a gender-blind military fashion. The training was physically and mentally intense, and all recruits were held to the same high standards. She was paired up with men of similar height and weight for the street fighting training and boxing, ran up and down the same six flights of stairs as the men did, needed the same high scores on the firing range, etc. The washout rate of both genders was high. I was so proud when I attended her graduation, and stayed proud as she rose through the ranks as the years went by. Because everyone in her force was required to stay fit and qualified, there was never any doubt that she belonged there and deserved to have her job. (This didn’t stop some fellow officers from hating the women’s guts just on general principles, of course).
Anyhow, as Fee said: “Well done, that woman. She’s succeeded in setting back the cause of equality no end. My mother’s generation fought to be judged equally, and to earn the same wage for the same work. Not so that lazy cows could sue an already skint police force because she (boo hoo, lovey) couldn’t cut the mustard.” Absolutely. Anybody who can’t do the job, shouldn’t have the job. Standards need to be met. Demanding special treatment demeans the others who CAN do the job and don’t need or want special treatment. If this particular constable was deliberately misinformed and set up by enemies within her force who wanted to see her humiliated, she should be embarrassed that she didn’t see it coming. She should have been fit, ready, locked and loaded and waiting for the sons of bitches.
One last thing. From the memory banks when I worked on a road crew:
Foreman: You’re working out real good. I was a little worried about hiring you, because we had a woman grade checker once, and she didn’t work out at all.
Me: Did you ever have a man who didn’t work out?
Foreman: Yeah, sure.
Me: Did you stop hiring men?
Foreman:……(laugh)…..Damn it, Susie!
Anyhow, folks, this is what I'm doing when I ought to be writing. Wait...I AM writing! LOL! Feel free to comment, and you'll be writing too! :)
copyright 2011, Susan Cameron
I just love reading what you write. As usual, this piece is extremely well written and engaging, thoughtful, humorous, irreverent and right-on! How the hell can one blame one's fitness failure on an organization? I hope this does not cause them to lower their standards. I think we've lowered standards as low as we can afford to go - actually further - but I digress - this IS YOUR soapbox. Keep using it!
ReplyDeleteI do love it when Hasgaard gets on her high horse! Such pure, common sense logic, expressed in inimitable Hasgaardese. Go Susie!
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree Sue. If the shoe doesn't fit you must quit. No, wait, it's - "if the glove doesn't fit you must aquit." Something like that!! Well, you know what I mean!! Like Nancy mentioned, I hope they don't lower their standards. We are "dumbing down" enough of our "tests" and "requirements" for a multitude of things. (I'll keep my comments to myself concerning becoming President!!)
ReplyDeleteWell, I've tried to comment about three times and for some reason I keep getting a message that the "service" is not available. So, I'll try again. Right on, Miss Susie. You are eloquent as ever and on target as usual.
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