The roles of grievance and diversity mongers has grown so lengthy in the past decade that from time to time I am tempted to think that the ranks of the discontent must surely have been satisfied by now, that there is no group left undenied to complain. I am tempted to believe, and then reality slaps me once again, and the foolishness begins anew.
The target in this instance is the U.S. Air Force. It seems in their fervor to maintain something resembling a "fighting" force, the USAF has been acting in a discriminatory fashion. As amazing at it may sound (definite pun intended) the hearing impaired are prevented from becoming officers. (I have not researched as of yet whether the sister services are behaving in a similarly deplorable fashion.) According to Civics teacher David Bird, deaf people should have the "right" to serve in non-combat roles, that it's a matter of treating deaf people "equally." Annie Sullivan wept...
Such stirring words remind me of my own first days in Navy basic training. I, and several hundred of my newly-closest friends, were informed point blank that there was no "right" to enlist. Period. Military service, it was explained, was a privilege for those who qualified. In our modern, more enlightened society, these words of 35 years ago sound like despotic prattling, just one step removed (or perhaps half a step) from screaming for the wife to have dinner on the table, or taking a mint-julep out on the porch to watch the evening beatings. Nevertheless, that was the prevailing law at the time, and the government seemed to take the principle seriously. Of course, a lot has happened since then with regards to the services, and I find little of the change appealing. It's not that I am opposed to social progress. It's just that I can't tolerate enforced fiction.
The call for such changes in policy often begins with an appeal for "equality." Sadly, it seldom ends there. If it did, these matters could be dispensed with quickly, and with a minimum of disturbance. In fact, few groups desire, or are willing, to join such organizations on an equal footing. Women said they just wanted an equal chance, but they did not want the chance to pass the same physical tests or participate equally in selective service or combat. Some, mind you, complained until they had the right to "choose" combat roles (a right no man gets, by the way), but that was as far as it went.
What was desired was the right to pursue a position and gain the full prestige and advantages without shouldering the full responsibilities. It's a pattern that has been repeated lots of times in numerous venues. A group yells for equality as a method of getting into an organization, and things proceed from there. I suppose the hearing impaired community deserves some measure of credit. At least they are stating up front that they are only interested in non-combat roles. Just what the service needs, another group to take up the non-combat roles that people use for lower stress and rotation out of combat roles...
Anger at the situation solves little. The precedent is well established, so they'll probably get most of what they want. Where the hearing impaired will fall short, however, is in the area of what some of them crave the most: Respect. The service can make their fellow airmen train them, salute them, report to them, but they can't make the rank and file respect them. For that, they would need to be able to serve in an equal capacity. They aren't. What they are is another group demanding what they don't merit. It's a large group, and carries no real honor, but at least they meet the requirements for that one.
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