I’m wondering where the line between safety and discrimination sits in our society?
We’ve got this kind of ‘special’ guy in our aviation class this year. While he’s a new face to most of us, many of the staff or fellow students can bang off amusing stories of past experiences with the guy. I can chat with him and such, while he looks kind of funny and has what I can only describe as a ‘bizarre intellect’, he’s just your average super friendly, 30-year old first nations guy, who’s got to be suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome, or something of that nature. It really isn’t any of my buisiness and he’s a nice enough guy, but truthfully isn’t the brightest bulb on the tree, and let me leave it at that. Alright, fine! Lots of people are different, and we do the best we can to include them in everything, trying not to discriminate against them in anyway, especially when it comes to their decision of what they want to do for a career. So this particular fellow wants to be a professional pilot. That might seem fine to most of you, but when I’m bombing around the countryside and this guy is within reception distance, I can’t help but to stay the fuck away from wherever he’s flying. Why? Well, from word of mouth of others involved, earlier in the year, he apparently was on the wrong frequency at the wrong time on the wrong side of the valley, at the wrong altitude and almost took out a company plane that he never even saw… right, and so I’ll just keep my distance for now. YESTERDAY, driving to my exam, (you have read this form yesterday, maybe?), there was a warning on the radio about a reckless driver who was followed by police until he pulled into the flight centre parking lot, the same parking lot I was about 5 minutes away from. I didn’t bother to ask anyone what happened. The cops were just about to leave to scene when I arrived. It wasn’t until just now that the full story came to my attention, and frankly I can hardy believe it. So this guy… this weird guy… this weird guy that flies airplanes! Apparently cut his tire off of his rim last night, and proceeded to DRIVE to school from Westbank on his rim… Intentionally. In his mind, this was fine, safe and probably just one of the everyday kind of activities he indulges in. Obviously, If someone thinks for a moment that driving your car, ~50km to school, through the centre of Kelowna out to the airport on a rim, is a good idea, they shouldn’t be driving at all, let alone fly! What do you think? I honestly find somewhat improper of the flight school to allow someone witha condition like this to spend this amount of money on training that will probably never benefit them. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars here, wasted. What’s worse, cutting him off or letting him continue? Is it safe to let him continue? I feel I shoud also point out that he has been passing all of his courses, and from an admisitrative point of view he probably appears as an average student.
Its all about choices and this guy would like the chance to try atleast. Granted he isn’t that smart but isn’t it better to try than not try at all.
And what makes you think that your classmates can trust you when you start flying. You could fuck up just like anyone else. So what makes you so different from everyone else.
We, humans all have a disablity in some way or another. Yours may not be as visable to those around you but that doesn’t stop you from making your choices, does it.
I can not spell correctly but that doesn’t mean I can’t be support worker. Wake up! Everyone deserves a chance in life if they want to take that chance.
And if this topic is such a concern to you perhaps you should make a choice and bring it up with your teacher instead of talking about it in a forum.
Are there any prerequisites needed prior to starting flight school training? If there are, he must have satisfied them, as he currently is in training. Now, as this person is still in training, I hope the flight school doesn’t allow him or anyone else to fly solo until certian competencies have been demonstrated. Furthermore, isn’t there a final competency test, prior to getting one’s pilot licence?
But, the second part of your post is the most interesting. I think it really comes down to establishing a high entrance level (measured by a test, for example, that identifies those who are likely to have the needed skills.) Thus the test discriminates between the different applicants. The same process is often used for most professional schools (eg Law or medicine or graduate school). It is likely your flight school could have dangerously low standards.
You need to chill out a bit buddy. Like I said in my post “Lots of people are different, and we do the best we can to include them in everything, trying not to discriminate against them in anyway, especially when it comes to their decision of what they want to do for a career.”. I don’t believe I said he doesn’t deserve a chance becuase of who he is. I havn’t named any names or companies involved here. This is an open forum and I’ll post whatever I want on it. Obviously, I’m interested in seeing what other people think about the topic and I don’t see a problem with bringing it up, espeically when it’s annonymous.
As for competency exams and such. There are a whole swack of tests and examinations this guy woudl have needed to satisfy in order to get to where he is now. However, from my understanding he’s been working at getting here for several years and the tests don’t really change. Once you write one and fail, the second, third or fouth attempt wouldn’t require much effort or knowledge at all. Anyway, like I said before, he’s a nice enough guy and he’s passing all his classes. My point is based on how somebody can think a rim is a suitable tire, and if they do is that person even safe to have around the machinery we operate.
Maybe requirments for him are different based on his status? I just wonder becuase he up and left our GEOG final last semmester, which would have failed most of us, but he passed in the end without any consequence. I feel i’m targeting him now. This shoudl be more of a society as a whole discussion, I’m just using this example. Feel free to critisise my askings. I have an exam to write… BRB!
well… you do seem to be approaching this with a level head. That’s good.
I wonder what these questions are motivated by? Are you concerned for the safety of the public or is it something else? All I ask is to question yourself on this.
[quote]
Maybe requirments for him are different based on his status? I just wonder becuase he up and left our GEOG final last semmester, which would have failed most of us, but he passed in the end without any consequence.[/quote]
What I’m getting here is that you think that he’s getting a pass grade because he’s FAS or first nations. That is, in my estimation, nothing short of inflamitory. Have you asked the teacher? I suggest that before you spread these types of rumours, and that is what they become despite your best intentions. This sort of thing is one of the root causes of prejudice. I’m not pointing any fingers Tang. I’m just saying that these types of questions, as valid as they may be, tend to become fuel in the tanks of lesser men. That is dangerous territory.
Wow, this guy was pushing the limits of the auto, driving on the edge. Getting the job done with no casualties, only rode dammage and a little fine. Pushing through the breakdown and getting himself to his destination at minimal cost, sounds like an inventive pilot to me. Companies way out the dammage it takes to successfully get the passangers where they need to be.
[quote=“steph”]What I’m getting here is that you think that he’s getting a pass grade because he’s FAS or first nations. That is, in my estimation, nothing short of inflamitory. Have you asked the teacher? I suggest that before you spread these types of rumours, and that is what they become despite your best intentions. This sort of thing is one of the root causes of prejudice. I’m not pointing any fingers Tang. I’m just saying that these types of questions, as valid as they may be, tend to become fuel in the tanks of lesser men. That is dangerous territory.
steph[/quote]
I was just wondering if it’s possible that he only needs to satisfy a lower standard or criteria. I don’t actually believe that is the case at all though. It just came to my attention that he should have failed GEOG at the time. Like I said, “Maybe requirments for him are different based on his status?”, and like you said, “I’m not pointing any fingers Tang”. Thanks I’m only curious of what other people would think about this. And no, i havn’t spoken with teachers on the matter. I don’t feel it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask such things. Anyway, I sat next to him again today for the Met Exam, which I didnt’ do so great on. Maybe he beat me
I wouldn’t doubt for a second that he gets graded differently than everyone else. I know for a fact that one of my professors at BCIT has decided to not do his job at times to keep me in this course. He even said right to my face that me still being there has been racially motivated.
To test this theory, I decided not to do any homework in his class for the whole rest of the level. Needless to say, homework was no longer being assigned, quizzes no longer being assigned, and homework not being handed back at all. Even professors and institutes that have policies against this, it’s all a pile of bullshit. The average white guy gets the shaft, plain and simple.
All sorts of so called stupid people are in charge of our lives, look at the Governments of all the Great Nations. All you have to do is be repetitious and persistent and you will rule people no matter how insightful or blind you may be. The bus and taxi drivers, the captains of what ever ships in our harbors and even the people shuttling lives around above our heads only have to remember how to do something over and over and meet some minimal prerequisites. I’m not too sure how many tests are there to test the person when the shit hits the fan but I’m sure the tests are weak. Disasters usually are very hard to handle during hands on experience, In the moment life training. I admit that in the air you usually only have one test, maybe another but after that you would probably be full of fears of crashing again. This guy you talked of, is it a racial thing or a persistence thing.
This is just too hilarious. This guy actually cut a tire off his rim? And he’s training to fly airplanes? This cannot be for real. How exactly does one cut a tire off a rim? And did he do it just for the sake of entertainment or did he have a flat or something? i probably wouldn’t want to fly with the guy but i’d definately go for a ride with him.
and what’s wrong with someone who has advanced Parkinson’s becoming a brain surgeon? It’s sheer discrimination that we don’t have programs so they can! Nothing else…
As long as the person with Parkinson’s is the best person for the job (or at least passed the exams that qualify him/her to practice) nothing is wrong. We have various professional licensing boards and different professional exams to demonstrate levels of competency. If we lower the bar (or standards) for various groups, we are doing neither them nor the public a favor.
I didn’t bother to ask him how it was done, nor do I intend to. But yes he did and yes he does. As for entertainment… no, he honestly thinks it was a good idea. Personally, I can’t even imagine the thought process behind doing something like that, or what it felt like driving over the steel part of the bridge Yes, he had a flat the night prior, but used the rim instead of the spare.
Dave! Parkinson’s is the disease that makes you shake uncontrollably. My Dad’s got it, it’s awful. Some guys in his ward go into tremors and fling their whole bodies to and fro. Then you get to be completely lucid and aware for a few minutes… just to rub it in. You can’t be a surgeon if at any moment you could slice the patient up like a sushi chef! I vas joking, in really really bad taste…
I was just trying to point out with gross exaggeration how our society bends so much to accomodate everyone that 99,000 people have to cross the street to avoid the one person who won’t take their schizoid meds.
[quote=“herbie_popnecker”]Dave! Parkinson’s is the disease that makes you shake uncontrollably. My Dad’s got it, it’s awful. Some guys in his ward go into tremors and fling their whole bodies to and fro. Then you get to be completely lucid and aware for a few minutes… just to rub it in. You can’t be a surgeon if at any moment you could slice the patient up like a sushi chef! I vas joking, in really really bad taste…
I was just trying to point out with gross exaggeration how our society bends so much to accomodate everyone that 99,000 people have to cross the street to avoid the one person who won’t take their schizoid meds.
<i’m not learning disabled. ‘m fuckin’ stupid>[/quote]
[quote=“herbie_popnecker”]Dave! Parkinson’s is the disease that makes you shake uncontrollably…You can’t be a surgeon if at any moment you could slice the patient up like a sushi chef! …
I was just trying to point out with gross exaggeration how our society bends so much to accomodate everyone that 99,000 people have to cross the street to avoid the one person who won’t take their schizoid meds. [/quote]
I’m fully aware what Parkinson’s does. My point is that we shouldn’t discriminate simply based on the presents of a disease. Find out. Can the person perform the duties of a surgeon? You and I know that this is unlikely. The tasks (surgery, in our example) will discriminate for us. We don’t need to say, “you have Parkinson’s, you can’t do x, y, or z!” See if the person can pass the competency tests. Let the tests discriminate for us.
I’m only curious of what other people would think about this. And no, i havn’t spoken with teachers on the matter. I don’t feel it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask such things. Anyway, I sat next to him again today for the Met Exam, which I didnt’ do so great on. Maybe he beat me 
Yes, he had a flat the night prior, but used the rim instead of the spare.