I continually see other conservatives argue that standards should not be lowered to allow women into combat positions in the military (or in what ever other roles), but the U.S. Navy has already lowered fitness standards because so many men were failing their fitness tests.
Here we have Powell arguing that “people” (he does not specify what he means here, but I take it he’s not limiting his comments to women only, but he is including boys or men), to say that people, males included, are not up to meeting current military standards.
I notice that men not meeting career standards is rarely treated as a problem by society, especially not by my fellow conservatives, but if allowances are made, or even considered being made, for women in any way or form, some portions of society, and some conservatives, start complaining and screaming about “lowering the bar,” “lowering standards,” or “political correctness.”
Funny how that stuff isn’t a concern when it’s boys or men who are failing to live up to some measurement so that the bar is lowered for males.
I have a question about these standards. If and when these standards are lowered, does that not also indicate that they are somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary in the first place?
If your organization is fine with, say, ditching some requirement that says a member must, for example, do something like do 100 push-ups, but then, due to lack of qualified applicants (whether male and/or female), drops the requirement altogether, or limits it to only two push-ups to gain more applicants – doesn’t that really demonstrate that push-ups are not that big of a deal in the first place?
Being willing to bend or dump a requirement altogether indicates to me that having a lot of upper body strength, being able to pull off 100 push-ups, is not that necessary of a characteristic to perform in the first place, in whatever task it is meant to accompany. So why have it as a requirement at all, to begin with? It makes no sense.
Powell: ‘Pretty Shocking’ That So Many American Youths Lack Smarts, Fitness for Military
Snippets:
by N. Ballasy
WASHINGTON – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said too many young people do not qualify for military service due in part to obesity and criminal records, which is reflective of many “scary” problems in local communities that must be addressed.