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Home Front: Culture Wars
Merit and Preferences: Never the Twain Shall Meet
2013-01-21
It seems that the nationÂ’s highest levels of military leadership have succumbed to the false promise of diversity. How much of this is politically mandated? Admitting and graduating under- or unqualified midshipmen will eventually undermine the institution and the officer corps with potentially tragic consequences, but it resonates with the political elite because diversity has become an end unto itself.

Our nationÂ’s civilian and military leadership evidently desire a more diverse military, one that better reflects demographic currents and those to come.

What they are overlooking is that military effectiveness is predicated on discipline, professionalism, and competence. Effective leadership is based on, among other qualities, trust, confidence, fairness, and competence. Everything else, including ethnicity and gender, is, or at least ought to be, irrelevant.

Winning wars, like winning in sports, requires the best talent, irrespective of race and gender. If our military is comprised of all white males or all Hispanic females because they merit the position, so be it. But to artificially construct a military based on a desired composition simply because it reflects the nationÂ’s changing demographics or satisfies a political fetish is egregiously foolish.
Posted by:Pappy

#8  In his book Of Africa, Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, reveals "Africa as it truly is: a land of black victims at the mercy of a world of too many nations that have sought, at one point in their histories or another, to deprive it of its dignity". (note operative word "victim")


Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2013-01-21 14:31  

#7  "Preferences" has no place in command and combat. Colorblindness and competence does.
Posted by: OldSpook   2013-01-21 14:15  

#6  "How very Nigerian."

Sure that's not "Kenyan"?
Posted by: Barbara   2013-01-21 10:56  

#5  In his book Of Africa, Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, reveals "Africa as it truly is: a land of black victims at the mercy of a world of too many nations that have sought, at one point in their histories or another, to deprive it of its dignity". (note operative word "victim")

Soyinka completely ignores the fact Africa experienced a dozen millenniums before the arrival of the first white colonialists, and had made few advances into what one might call modern civilization. To acknowledge this fact would be combative to the narrative and destructive of the mantra of guilt and victimization.

Ironically the downside of American slavery wasn't slavery, it's beginning or it's very bloody end. The true downside is the Soyinkan view shared by many and taught everywhere, that someone else is to blame for African outcomes and that every effort should be made to promote universal guilt and financial restitution through direct grants, Affirmative Action, or by insisting...."the rich to pay a little more."

How very Nigerian.


Posted by: Beoseker   2013-01-21 08:20  

#4  Funny how they don't talk about applying this to sports teams.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2013-01-21 08:01  

#3  Uh-oh.
Double plus ungood.
Improper conclusion based on singleminded pursuit of facts.
Sounds like a job for the lawyers at Dept of Justice.
Posted by: ed in texas   2013-01-21 07:34  

#2  The method at the Academy, it seems, is to craft preferences for various groups based on ethnicity and gender—a policy of “affirmative action.”

Shocking! I say again, shocking!
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-01-21 02:22  

#1  Plus: these who rose on merit, you never know if they are loyal to the glorious leader or to some outdated document.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2013-01-21 02:11