Trump's Theory about the Plane Crash

[NameChangedForThis1985]

Just watched his press conference in absolute disbelief. He's just blamed the air traffic controllers as apparently under the Biden administration they recruited people into the role who weren't intellectually capable. He actually blames diversity criteria and basically box ticking.... 'hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities' - that's a direct quote.

As someone with ASD, anxiety and depression who works in a high level, highly skilled role, I am angry on behalf of anyone like me.

The man is a dangerous liar.

(edited by MNHQ)

Thats not what I asked. You’ve gone off on one about one aspect of policy.
Democrats are pretty right wing when compared to centre left parties in Europe.

Maybe the air traffic control should do a protest and a line up of all the deaf, dumb, blind and totally paralysed day to day practitioners - given the tests to get in are extremely vigorous indeed. What is he going to say if the fault is indeed military - given that an absolute ton of his supporters think the military can do no wrong or have been in it -

trump and his trumpsters, have forgotten that such investigations are painstaking and could take years to reach a decisive conclusion!

It's on YouTube in full. It is fascinating watching full versions compared to packaged news reports.

So, based on what's happened and happening, who here would be comfortable with their DC flying into the US at the moment. Who has faith that despite the President of the United States plainly telling the investigators what they need to find rather than letting them do their jobs, air travel in the US is safe ?

Or next month ?

Or in June ?

Agree, but that's assuming usual protocols are followed. With a fully staffed investigation, aimed at making air travel safer via lessons learned, where investigators are allowed to reach their own conclusions, even if they differ from Dear Leader's, without fear of repercussion or retribution.

Does anyone believe that's what we're going to get here? If so, I wish I shared your optimism.

For all Trump knows the air traffic controller was a white male. By the time that gets out everyone will have forgotten all about it and all that will remain is his supporters blithering on the internet about psychopathic dwarves crashing planes.

It is sad that the mourners can't grieve in dignity without this ignoramus trotting out his theories.

And if it was DEI that was responsible, he just jeopardised a fair trial.

This is actually a very good article on the issues this crash plus this administration raise going forward.

For transparency The American Prospect is rated left for bias and high for credibility, so you can read with that in mind.

https://prospect.org/infrastructure/transportation/2025-01-30-donald-trumps-second-term-american-airlines-crash/

Asian and white students have much higher scores on the LSATs than black students. That is just the reality.

Do you really want to give a bonus/penalty based on race to artificially try to make the cohort reflect the general population? Because that is what the law schools were doing.

IMO it just breeds resentment and you end up with students struggling to keep up or dropping out.

Graph from here
www.lsac.org/sites/default/files/research/tr-22-01_june-2023-edition_accessible.pdf www.lsac.org/sites/default/files/research/tr-22-01_june-2023-edition_accessible.pdf]]]]

DEI targets caused the FAA to
reduce standards essentially. Here’s a good overview from someone who is not a DJT supporter (and anyway was written last year). Appalling tbh

https://www.tracingwoodgrains.com/p/the-faas-hiring-scandal-a-quick-overview

No. I'm saying that the evidence that they're recruiting people who are capable of the job is that the job is done so incredibly safely. And it's done that way so close to invariably that it's 100%, to all intents and purposes.

Even in this case, I don't think that we can say that it's an air traffic controller mistake. And there's no reason at all to believe that the air traffic controllers had any disabilities. We're only discussing it because the suggestion was made, without foundation, by someone who really does have intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.

No. I'm saying that the evidence that they're recruiting people who are capable of the job is that the job is done so incredibly safely. And it's done that way so close to invariably that it's 100%, to all intents and purposes

There have been a lot more near misses in the past few years, you can google this. It is also true that they threw out their former hiring process because their applicant pool was ‘too white’. In fact this department was supposedly the whitest in the government so that’s why it had to be changed as far as their logic goes.

Yes, I do. The fact is that systemic factors are huge and the less diversity in places like law schools the more it's perpetuated. As an American (former city) lawyer, I can tell you absolutely that some of the very very best people I worked with were those that came up through programmes aimed at increasing diversity in the profession.

And I really don't care that it increases resentment. Men resent women usurping their places. Does that mean we do away with initiatives to make jobs more appealing to/welcoming of women? I mean, maternity leave is essentially a DEI initiative, but we believe in it because it's good for society.

My kids, through chance, were born into the most fortunate demographic on earth and have all done very well, but I would be extremely unhappy if they resented a helping hand to someone born and raised in less fortunate circumstances. And, yes, sometimes that has meant missing out on an opportunity that was deserved, but they are fortunate enough to have plenty of other options.

Article in the Telegraph this morning: a would-be ATC in the US says he was on track to be accepted for training until the FAA changed the recruitment rules and he had to reapply using a biographical test, which he failed. The ATC role is more about aptitude and approach to stressful situations, amongst other things; tickbox recruitment is criminal, IMO. (The article is behind a paywall, but this link should open it.)

archive.ph/OSx2Y

So if it turns out the ATC in charge at the time is black, would you consider Trump correct in his assertion that the accident was caused by DEI hiring?

A stopped clock is right twice day.

When you claim it's not racism because I get had Obama you sound ignorant.

Having one black President doesn't mean racism was eradicated.

Do you remember the racists during that election? Even McCain was standing up for Obama again dy his own supporters who were attacking Obama for being a " Muslim terrorist".

Why would you even assume it's a DEI hire? Because they are black and got the job?

You would know nothing other than their skin colour? Not even if they are responsible for the crash?

You are the reason the DEI exists.

If you assume black people can't get jobs on their own merit ( which is EXTREMELY racist ) what do you think the chances are other racists will hire them.

Because let's be clear, what you wrote is racist.

No in a word. Washington in particular seems to have a problem. After all this is the second aircraft to crash into the Potomac River . A 737 did so in 1982. A year or so after Reagan fired 11, 000 air traffic controllers. That's correlation v causation I know. And Reagans remarks on the tragedy were dignified and compassionate at least.

I know @SerendipityJane through other threads and I think you can safely assume she's joking.

Literally in some cases it comes down to life or death. Do you really want safety compromised because you/government believe a department is ‘too white’?

Literally nobody should care when it comes to these high-stakes situations.
Only competency matters!

I’m not sure why you think the previous accident over 40 years ago means Washington DCA has a problem.

The1982 737 accident was for once a crash that can genuinely described as being down to “crew error”, and nothing else. That aircraft was in such a state it would probably never have got off the ground at any airport.

It’s a long story but weather was not unusual North American winter with falling snow and ice. Nevertheless for some reason the crew failed to fully carry out all the required cold weather procedures, then missed the fact that as a result amongst many things the engines were underperforming and so went off the end at high speed.

That said I do agree with you about Reagan’s remarks

Regardless of the outcome, DEI hiring has been a disaster for the FAA. They need to go back to color-blind cognitive tests and tbh I can’t imagine why anyone would argue with that.

You have completely, but completely misunderstood @SerendipityJane's post.