Air Traffic Control Manager Prohibits Kilt

[Rex_Tremende]

I'm having a little trouble understanding how folks can complain about having been subjected - unwillingly, apparently - to diversity issues in one breath, and in the next cry foul when someone tries to enforce conformity. If you don't like diversity (as others would have it), rejoice in conformity!

Or...

If you don't like conformity, form an alliance, get political (in the sense of wielding influence), and explain patiently to policy makers how one's choice of clothing is but one aspect of diversity. Small gains can be won over, one employer at a time, but I think it will be a long slog before the government requires public contracts to be bid on by companies run by kilt-wearers.

For me, diversity ≠ tolerance, but rather it is learning to respect, if not appreciate, people's unique talents, cultures, experiences, strengths, and struggles. It's about what people contribute, not what people can get away with. No doubt, many an employer's diversity program began after the exit interviews. They learned that if you want the very best and the brightest, you can't be too picky about the package.

Regards,
Rex in Cincinnati


Oh...,

The plane doesn't land because an ATC does or doesn't do their job. Nor does it not land because a woman is wearing a mini skirt and a tight cashmere sweater. The plane lands because the flight crew makes it land and they can't see into the tower. The government is wrong on this as well as many issues.

Whether or not the government has a right to dictate policy that it believes minimizes distractions in the workplace, the flight crew does not navigate busy and often confusing airfields and air space alone. Forty-nine people died in Lexington, KY, this month because a pilot turned down the wrong runway on takeoff, while the sole ATC turned his back from the controls to do paperwork and was unable to spot and correct the mistake. It takes teamwork, not heroes, to fly commercial aircraft.

[rbuxton]

And to add to this a bit,,,, a female co-worker a couple of days ago wore a kilt to work and nothing was said to her except that it looked good. This is an example of the diversity and equality stuff the governement preaches but ignores.

Why is it okay for a woman to wear a kilt and not a man? And, the lame reason I have heard is that a kilt is a dress. Oh really?

[McClef]

But was she wearing a male kilt or a tartan dress female version?

[rbuxton]

But was she wearing a male kilt or a tartan dress female version?

I didn't see it. She told me it was a kilt. I suppose it is possible she didn't properly describe it.

[davedove]

If you have Scottish ancestry, you could always play the "heritage" card.

As a DoD civilian, I know that you would have a REAL hard time fighting the bureaucracy. I'm lucky in that I can wear my kilt from time to time without any hassle, although I don't know what the reaction would be if I tried to wear it every day.

Even if you did want to fight it, you would quickly be labeled a troublemaker, and that is certainly not good for your career.

[pbpersson]

Geez R,

Kilts is the most comfy thing for a man to wear while seated...you'd think it would improve performance and maybe save lives.

Ron - I agree with you 100%!


Phil

[Angus MacSpey]

Andrew Green:

Admittedly, my rant about government excesses was a bit extraneous. The bottom line -- in my opinion -- is this: if you don't like your boss's rules, go get a new boss. It would be like joining the Army if you didn't want to wear camouflage. Personal experience from years of "fighting the man" told me this, and I either quit a job or got fired more than a few times. Now I am self-employed, which is where mavericks belong in life.

Fortunately for society, most people are sheep. If everyone was a maverick, noone could cooperate with others long enough to accomplish a task that required teamwork. However, many owners of small businesses are mavericks, and will give a lot of leeway for their few employees. Utilikilts Co. seems a fine example.

Mega-corporations have employees so far separated from the actual owners (aka stockholders), and one's superior is usually the person who was more authoritarian than the others to achieve that promotion. Large businesses promote mediocrity; that's just how it is. Mediocre people do not challenge conventions. Mediocre people tend to drag the mavericks down to their level any way they can. Government agencies are the same, only more so.

As for what's not Politically Correct about the kilt, it's really quite simple. It's traditionally or typically seen as a Heterosexual White Male thing. Heterosexual White Males are not considered "diverse."

[McClef]

Andrew Green:As for what's not Politically Correct about the kilt, it's really quite simple. It's traditionally or typically seen as a Heterosexual White Male thing. Heterosexual White Males are not considered "diverse."

They are quite as diverse as anybody else and I know heterosexual white males who are into cross dressing and camp as ninepence.

The kilt is a male garment, irrespective of sexual orientation or race and therefore such PC attitudes require to be challenged as they are making some fundamental errors in their assumptions.

[Angus MacSpey]

I would agree, McClef. However, that is not my opinion I expressed, but rather a description of the current political climate in the United States.

[cbiegel]

I think it really depends on the nature of the federal building/operation. I work for NOAA Fisheries (National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Division) and I wouldn’t have any problems wearing a kilt to work other than the standard ribbing about skirts.

Perhaps it’s that we’re all coming from science/field work backgrounds and tend to be a little more informal anyway. Perhaps it’s that a commercial fisherman is going to have an even more negative reaction to us if we were wearing a suit and tie. Who knows but we can wear jeans everyday and some of the groups are even allowed to wear shorts if they’re going to be spending any part of the day outside.

It’s not the government; it’s the local division chief or even the head of that particular department that’s making the decisions. I don’t think it’s fair to just say “get a new job if you don’t like it.” If you don’t like the way things are, try and change them don’t just run away.

Of course understand that you’ll be fighting a VERY uphill battle if you’re dealing with any government be it state or federal.