VIDEO: DEI pilot song... nothing to do with Delta Airlines, of course

As we write, Air Canada is shutting down all flights in preparation for a strike by its stewardesses flight attendants, or a lockout of its stewardesses flight attendants, which could begin tomorrow (Saturday) unless there is a last-minute intervention by the government of Canuckistan. 

Oddly overlooked in the boiler-plate list of demands by CUPE, the union representing the FAs, is any mention of more DEI. Perhaps AC is already "woke" enough. And of course it's not an American airline, most of which are suffering from too much DEI.

If you're about to fly with Delta (see "Further viewing", below) or any other US airline which has wokeness built into its mission statement and hiring practices, consider this little ditty.

 

Walt suggests you take seriously the problems posed by too much DEI. United Airlines has vowed that 50% of its future pilot hires will be women and people (of other genders?) of colour by 2030. American and Southwest have pledged similar DEI commitments, and Delta is already regretting theirs. 

The point of the song is not about hate or toxic masculinity or white supremacy, but about how the woke goals affect airline standards, pilot competency, and aviation safety. Will qualified candidates be passed over in the name of diversity? Can DEI hiring and meritocracy coexist at 30,000 feet? Give this some thought before booking your next flight. 

And if you decide (or are forced) to fly anyway, Walt hopes you won't hear the pilot say, "Hello dere! Dis is Captain Latisha!"

Further viewing: "Last moments of Delta 4819 - Who was flying?", WWW 28/2/25, and "Delta 4819 crash: all signs point to DEI pilot error", WWW 21/3/25.

Innocent question from Ed.: When pilots were almost all men, they called the place where they worked "cockpit"? What's it called now?

New poll shows more Canadians than Americans opposed to DEI hiring

The Association for Canadian Studies just released the results of a survey done for them by Leger Marketing. Surprise finding: A majority of Canadians say that employers should not take cultural or ethnic backgrounds into consideration when hiring.

According to the poll, 57% of Canadians disagree with the notion that equity should be a part of hiring. Jack Jedwab, President of the ACS, said, "The survey results point to some pushback on the issue of minority hiring in Canada and the United States." 

36% of Americans support affirmative action, while only 28% of the residents of Canuckistan support it. Leger didn't ask people why they were for or against equity hiring, but a visit to any Canadian government office... or any McD's in Toronto or Vancouver... will give you the answer.

Although diversity hiring is unpopular across all age groups, it's most unpopular, at 62%, among Canadians between the ages of 45 and 54. Even among supposedly liberal young Canucks (18 to 24 year-olds), 50% oppose hiring based on race and ethnicity. Men and women equally oppose such policies, with 57% against. 

The new poll disclosed some regional difference. In Québec, where the provincial government has attempted to prohibit the wearing of religious dress and symbols in some workplaces, the objection to equity hiring is most strongly held: 63% of Québécois disagree with it. 

In Alberta, 58% of respondents said background shouldn't be a consideration in hiring. The province's governing United Conservative Party now has policies that explicitly endorse the elimination of DEI hiring within the public service and Crown corporations.

In British Columbia, where 57% hold that view, while 55% of Ontarians polled agreed, as did 53% of residents of the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There was no outright majority only in the Maritimes, where 50% opposed diversity hiring.

The latest opinion survey comes as DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), has come under increased scrutiny in the business and political world. Last month, Walmart scrapped its diversity program, as did John Deere and Harley-Davidson.  

At the other end of the earth, the government of New Zealand is rethinking its promotion of DEI in its armed forces. Here's why.

Walt kids you now. That's a true story. Seems the lady (?) in command of the ship didn't have all that much experience at sea, and had the ship on autopilot. You won't find the part about the commander being a lesbian in the lickspittle media, but you can check out this thread on Reddit.

Back in the Excited States of America, America First Legal, a non-profit led by former members of the Trump administration, filed complaints with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that American, United and Southwest Airlines engage in "overtly discriminatory practices" in their diversity hiring and retention programmes.

The group pointed to the airline's focus on "expanding [its] Cadet Academy to ensure prospective pilots, particularly people of color and women, have access to the support needed to enter the profession." They also called out airline statements that it met "companywide diversity goals for any underrepresented positions," including "Black representation and retention."

America First Legal argues that such practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because they are "based on the race or color of the individuals involved." Earlier this year, they made similar arguments in complaints to the EEOC against Southwest and United, which it accused of using unlawful quota systems to further DEI goals. What do you think? Do you feel safe flying the inclusive skies of United?

The backlash against DEI policies isn’t just external. In a 2021 Gartner survey, 42% of employees said they resented their employers' DEI efforts. And in a November 2022 online survey by ResumeBuilder.com and Pollfish, 52% of hiring managers who work for a company with a DEI initiative said they believed their company practices "reverse discrimination" in hiring. Nearly half said they'd been told to prioritize diversity over qualifications. Now we see how that worked out for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Further reading:"10 ways to improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at your workplace", WWW 21/10/23.