But What Matters Is How It Looks

Further to this, on women in front-line military roles, and the last item here, on attempts to attract female fire-fighters by dramatically lowering standards of competence, here’s something to feel inspired by:

Instructors reportedly ‘fudged’ the scores of Choeurlyne Doirin-Holder, allowing her to graduate the FDNY Fire Academy despite not receiving a passing score on the Functional Skills Test and the required 1.5 mile run, the New York Post reports. Doirin-Holder, 39, was a court-mandated priority hire [on grounds of “diversity”], who had previously failed out twice, and has been described by a former classmate as, “the most pathetic specimen of physical fitness I’ve ever seen.” She completed the Functional Skills Test with a time of over 24 minutes, the passing time required is 17 minutes and 50 seconds. The test requires trainees to complete a course of job-related tasks such as dragging dummies all while in full gear. According to an FDNY insider, Dorin-Holder failed to complete the required 1.5 mile run in under 12 minutes, finishing it in 12 minutes 6 seconds. This was after the start and finish lines were moved, shortening the course a quarter-mile.

So, physically incompetent and therefore a danger to both the public and her colleagues.

Ms Doirin-Holder is, however, female and black. So full marks there.

Comments

[Anna]

Burn to death for diversity! You know it makes sense.

[David]

Perhaps the “diversity” hustlers are hoping she’ll eventually become competent through osmosis, ideally before anyone dies of smoke inhalation. Or perhaps they’re just assuming that they won’t be the ones whose lives depend on Ms Doirin-Holder being able to do the job.

And that’s the thing. In academia’s Clown Quarter, “diversity” dogma can lead to fairly minor irritations and quite a bit of surrealism, even comedy. Imposed on the real world, in areas of life-and-death importance, the effect can be less amusing.

[Anna]

It's an insult to women who *are* competent and *can* pass the tests.

[David]

It’s an insult to women who *are* competent and *can* pass the tests.

Yes. And an insult to her more competent male colleagues. And to the public. And yet this insulting and hazardous lowering of standards is presented elsewhere as a feel-good story.

[Hal]

There certainly are quite a number of women who have shown quite the ability to do duh menz werk---and, in fact, a very specific instance comes to mind of quite emphatically left wing women . . . but of course in all such instances, and particularly for left wing originating arguments, what rather gets demonstrated for a bottom line is genuinely doing the work.

[Atempdog]

Why this obsession with physical fitness? That's just ableism. When this brave, plucky pioneer is described as unable by her peers, that's just proof of racism, sexism, and a hostile work environment that requires reeducation and censorship for the good of the department. If she gets killed on the job, that's just because the job was built around male standards and expectations and the job must be redesigned to accommodate women's needs.

And isn't it time we revisit the requirement that people seated in the exit row be able to preform the functions needed to evacuate the aircraft?

[David]

There certainly are quite a number of women who have shown quite the ability to do duh menz werk

Absolutely. And were I to be hauled from a burning building by a burly gal, I’d be every bit as appreciative. But I don’t think I’d find comfort in being greeted by a clearly incompetent fire-fighter, of any sex or colour, and risking being sacrificed for what is in large part a cosmetic policy – one of political appearance.

[Atempdog]

OT,in case anyone missed it, our brave socially conscious betters are now trying to achieve a new phase:

http://twitchy.com/2015/11/09/hands-up-dont-shoot-cameras-breach-mizzou-safe-zone-with-hilarious-results-prof-gets-physical/

Yes, a professor of mass media calling for muscle to remove the media. This is an exciting time to be alive.

[Sam]

But 'diversity' makes us stronger! Sacrifices must be made.

[David]

But ‘diversity’ makes us stronger! Sacrifices must be made.

I doubt it will make Ms Doirin-Holder stronger. Or faster. Or more generally capable. Or Ms Rebecca Wax, mentioned previously.

[Joan]

If it's good enough for fire fighting let's try it in surgery too. The FDNY Commissioner should volunteer to be the first patient.

[Watcher In The Dark]

Eventually in order to make sure of full diversity, the firefighter test will be for candidates of any ability, and regardless of sex, sexual persuasion, skin colour, aptitude, intelligence or any other remotely useful quality, to be able to recognise what they are dealing with.

"Oooh look, a bright fire" should be enough to win a place on a fire engine.

[R. Sherman]

Dorin-Holder failed to complete the required 1.5 mile run in under 12 minutes, finishing it in 12 minutes 6 seconds. This was after the start and finish lines were moved, shortening the course a quarter-mile.

So, now we call 1.25 miles, "1.5" miles? Note they didn't just say, "We'll allow women to only do a 1.25 mile run." Oh no. That wouldn't do, because of feelings or something resulting from objective measurement. Why not just say six out of ten is "95%?"

[rjmadden]

If someone dies because of this (or if she dies because of this) will the FDNY Commissioner and Mayor Bill de Blasio be the ones standing trial?

[nick]

In academia’s Clown Quarter, “diversity” dogma can lead to fairly minor irritations and quite a bit of surrealism, even comedy.

To think, as too many do, that this idiocy is harmless since it is cloistered in the clown quarters of the ivory tower requires that you ignore the fact that, sooner or later, they let these people out. I have it on good authority that they even let them vote. Once out, they get to run things. They run everything! Clearly, the FDNY has something of this sort in mind for its latest star. She'll be running the joint before you know it.

[wtp]

Why not just say six out of ten is "95%?"

Heard a news report on the radio this weekend about 3 or 4 students on a school bus from an "underprivileged area" getting in a fight and the reporter was complaining about how the incident was handled by inconveniencing the "99.9% of the passengers" who did not participate in the fight. At 99.9% the bus would have to have been the size of a cruise ship and yet it was only about a quarter or half full at the time, judging from the video I saw later. So in the sense that 6 out of ten is 95%, 4 out of maybe 20 is 0.1%. It's the new common-core math. I'm sure they teach it at Yale and Mizzou.

[Stan]

Wouldn't a normal human being bow out and find another line of work if she is clearly a danger to herself, her coworkers, and the public she is supposed to protect?
Her physical weaknesses are the least of her failings.
Obviously it is pointless to ask where her morals are.

[David]

In other news,

Using offensive words is an “act of violence,” according to a majority of students recently surveyed in a nationwide poll.

So there’s that.

[Stuck-Record]

In further news Usain Bolt has been stripped of his 100m gold medals, and they have been given to 87 year oldMs Beatrice Humboldt of 99 Acacia Gardens, Merton. Ms Humboldt, who cannot walk without the aid of a zimmer frame, recently completed the 100m is a thrilling 19 mins 32 seconds.

Asked for comment Ms Humboldt said, "It's a triumph for grey power!" before collapsing and dying of a stroke.

[Tim Newman]

She's 39, FFS! Who the hell decides they want to be a firefighter at 39?!

[Hedgehog]

I don't think Ms. Doirin-Holder is at any risk of injury in an actual fire, nor will anybody be harmed by her inability to do the job, since she will likely never be asked to actually DO the job she purportedly now holds. The FDNY will just increase the size of the department so that enough able-bodied firefighters are around to do the hard work. The taxpayers will pay for a bloated fire department. This is the New York of the progressive idiot de Blasio, after all. The FDNY is a jobs program, like every other city agency, and marginalized sectors of the community must be able to share in the spoils.

[Tim Newman]

Hedgehog makes a good point. If the FDNY is largely a welfare programme masquerading as a public service, perhaps there ought not to be fitness requirements at all. What percentage of the FDNY actually use their physical abilities?

[Hedgehog]

... the progressive idiot ...

But I repeat myself.

[David]

she will likely never be asked to actually DO the job she purportedly now holds.

But if Ms Doirin-Holder were being lined up only for an admin position, why would she be photographed in full fire-fighting gear with other newbie fire-fighters? Why would her athletic shortcomings be an issue? And why would she be so pleased about being assigned “to Engine 301,” her “new home,” after previously being given a compensatory desk job (at full fire-fighter pay) following an earlier failure to pass the competence test?

She seems very pleased to be moving from a desk job to a more exciting and statusful role.

[mojo]

Well, you can always send her in first and let her be the one killed. Probably take some poor schmuck with her, though.

[Deborah]

I hesitate to bring her name into the discussion, as it usually gets me jumped, but Ayn Rand called this! Recall, in Atlas Shrugged that the skills of the general populace are in alarming decline and incidences of calamity are the norm.

Planes crash, trains breakdown and are left where they fail, buildings burn and so on, it all is so predictable.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

[Theophrastus]

"Who the hell decides they want to be a firefighter at 39?!"

Quota fillers.

[Hedgehog]

David, your questions are to the point and I don't have a good answer for any of them. But then I'm the sort of person who believes that qualifications for a job are there for a good reason, i.e. that they weed out applicants who wouldn't be able to do the job. Progressive idiots, on the other hand, (and again, I repeat myself) believe that qualifications for a job are a sinister plot by sexist, ableist shadowy figures to keep underrepresented segments of society out of these jobs. Because patriarchy. And Ms. Doirin-Holder is thus striking a blow for a more just distribution of status, one that allocates it not according to obsolete criteria such as ability, but according to more enlightened ones.

Sorry, David, that's the best I can come up with.

[tkdkerry]

If someone dies because of this (or if she dies because of this) will the FDNY Commissioner and Mayor Bill de Blasio be the ones standing trial?

I think it's a safe bet that part or all of her crew would be the ones on trial. Because, of course, they would have done her share of the work if they weren't bigoted, intolerant pigs.

[nick]

... why would she be photographed in full fire-fighting gear ... ?

Kabuki: She will be unable to do the job of a firefighter, but she will be celebrated, nevertheless, as a firefighter as she struggles against the odds and is promoted through the ranks. The purpose of all this is to get her and her ilk into positions of power in the NYFD. Only that will satisfy the race-hustlers. Once there, we will see real hope and change in the form of revised criteria for becoming a fire-fighter: the most important criterion will be that candidates "have their minds right". Firefighting abilities? Feh! The new and improved NY-SJW-FD will be like a beautiful rainbow. That will be its new purpose. Fighting fires?, not so much.

[nick]

Who the hell decides they want to be a firefighter at 39?

Someone who knows the SJ game; someone who understands that the goals of all our institutions have been supplanted by SJ goals. Someone who knows which side their bread is buttered on.

[nick]

Who the hell decides they want to be a firefighter at 39?

Someone who knows that, given her attributes, she cannot lose. Someone who knows that the FD will turn itself inside out, deny its own raison d'être, undermine its ability to do its job in order to get right with the SJ crowd.

How could she know these things? Just look at what the FDNY has taught her about what its willing to do to itself. If that weren't enough, she's been to college, hasn't she? The new Sj economy, of which this is a prime example, is what the colleges teach nowadays.

[wtp]

She seems very pleased to be moving from a desk job to a more exciting and statusful role.

Actually, I think Hedgehog was on to this regarding "likely never be asked to actually DO the job she purportedly now holds". When I read that, I presumed (granted I haven't looked it up) that to qualify for certain higher, more visible positions, either by actual job requirements or for down-the-road political purposes, one would need to hold a specific job or general job classification in the hands-on (heh...I amuse myself) area of fire fighting. Or perhaps she's politically connected and/or the job pays more money via OT or hazardous duty pay. The compensatory desk job (at full fire-fighter pay) likely would still not get her OT or haz. OT can be considerable, and considerably available, in the world of police and fire.

[wtp]

heh...re-reading that last part, to be more accurate...

"OT can be considerable, and considerably available, in the hands-on, physical real world of police and fire."

There may be OT with a desk job, but I doubt it would be has lucrative as that of riding the fire truck and ringing the bell. Of course there's also that Dalmatian to feed and walk and somebody's gotta do the cooking. So there's that.

[james]

I think each Fire Station should have one unit comprising firefighters recruited through quota programmes.

They would be assigned to fires in City Hall, Government offices and Arts Faculties in universities.

[BeckoningChasm]

It certainly seems as if women who sign up for the fire department do so not to improve (or even help) the force, but to get those sweet benefits.

[Joan]

#NationalOffendACollegeStudentDay

http://twitchy.com/2015/11/10/best-iowahawkblog-idea-yet-lets-make-today-nationaloffendacollegestudentday/

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

And why would she be so pleased about being assigned “to Engine 301,” her “new home,” after previously being given a compensatory desk job (at full fire-fighter pay) following an earlier failure to pass the competence test?

At the risk of sounding like a cynical SOB, though I am one, it is because it is easy to get a minor and probably unprovable injury (e.g., back pain) at an Engine Company that will land you a nice early retirement on a disability pension. Flying a desk, not so much.

[R. Sherman]

Some art as a palate cleanser. (Sorry for the OT, David, but I'm a Mizzou grad from thirty years ago and am presently in mourning for my alma mater. Also, sorry that the art in question is not a "edgy" as normally appears on these pages.)

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

...but I'm a Mizzou grad from thirty years ago and am presently in mourning for my alma mater...

You are not alone, even if I was only at one of the grad schools.

[ACTOldFart]

Frankly, I don't object to Ms Doirin-Holder doing active fire duty, as long as she is directed to rescue only other black women. This should be in keeping with the PC ideals of the NYFD, after all. Just think about the ableism, sexism and racism implicit in a fit, competent white man rescuing a distresed black woman. Why, the Human Rights Tribunal hearings that would result could go on for years.

[ac1]

I heard that sociopaths tend to employ the useless as cover for themselves, as the useless employee knows that they only have their job by virtue of the sociopath, and thus protect them.

[Ray]

She's 39 FFS!

Sorry for the micro-aggression but the linked article says 31.

Choeurlyne? Who names their children after organic chemistry?

[David]

but the linked article says 31.

The other sources I could find, including those linked in the article above, say 39.

[YY]

The Long March of Envy

In this sense the demoralization of the average fighting man isn’t an unintended consequence of introducing women. This is at its heart about demoralizing men, both the fighting men and the other men who are inspired by them. Likewise the lowered standards for women aren’t something which feminists see as a real problem, because this further demoralizes the men while allowing feminists to focus on style over substance. They aren’t looking to win actual battles, only a battle for the way the nation views manhood.

Since the goal is to erase the concept of masculine virtues, the new bargain the introduction of women into combat represents isn’t to have women join equally or even seriously in the fighting and dying. The new bargain is that men will continue to be the ones who fight and die, but they must not feel a sense of masculine pride in either doing this or having this obligation.

[Jeff Guinn]

Female police officers in Denver force Police Dept to suspend "discriminatory" physical fitness tests.

[MikeG81]

Well, apparently our intrepid firefighter has injured herself:

http://www.firehouse.com/news/12141794/fdny-rookie-injured-after-10-days-on-job

[David]

apparently our intrepid firefighter has injured herself

At this point, comment seems unnecessary.