$2M to change culture

[myata]

As heard on the radio today, $2M has been allocated to change the culture of sexual harassment in Canadian Army. Critics argue, not enough. But how much is enough to change culture? What about child poverty culture? Or clean drinking water culture? Industrial contamination culture? Deforestation culture? Astronomical housing price culture? Accelerating income divide culture?

So, keep the thing more or less the same just pour a few millions into it and what? A miracle happens, just like in the flower pot?

Maybe a century and half of total and unbound bureaucratic management made us insensitive to how ridiculous and even insane this sounds. Think of one serious problem that was solved or challenge that was overcome in the last few decades. And would it get any better, how?

[Michael Hardner]

What you are pointing out is the utter inability of the bureaucracy and a public to manage problems together, to any level of satisfaction.

 

Yes, it's a big problem, agreed.

[myata]

Problem and solution has been implicitly redefined, over decades of bureaucratic management from:

a) identifying and understanding the problem

b) producing practical solutions with reasonable and evidence-based chance of success

c) implementing solutions and monitoring progress to full resolution

to:

a) spending (public) $$ on inquiry and report

b) spending more public $$$ on bureaucratic churning around the problem and producing a vague paper plan with no clear understanding or chance of a complete solution

c) allocating huge amounts of $$$$$ to the bureaucracy to produce routine activity rather than working solutions.

The bureaucracy is the first stop and a bottomless funnel for every, even trivial issues or tasks. In this century we have developed no other means and mechanisms to approach problems and issues in the society.

Even trivial in this age, template projects like building a bridge or urban transit routinely end up with massive overruns and technical issues. Following the trend we will end up, in some, possibly near future, being unable to produce anything of meaning and value.

[Army Guy]

This issue is not a solely a military one, Canada as a nation has been struggling with these problems since our nations inception. just look at all the ,media reports about sex assault on campus or other governmental departments like RCMP, Coast Guard the list goers on and on.. The liberal government is just deflecting attention from other major problems this nation is having...

Part of the problem is governments meddling in areas they have no expertise in or know nothing about... Take DND for a second, the drive to make DND an all inclusive department has lead to having more than 2 standards, both Physical and mental it is enshrined in Canadian law that everyone must have the opportunity to serve of have a job in any department or job across the country civil or governmental there is to be NO decimation what so ever, every individual will be given the opportunity to prove they can meet the standards, which are a joke every Canadian could walk off the street and meet the standards, unless your physically disabled. 

SO in lowering the standards they have infact divided the CF into 2 groups male and female, both are competing for the same job, most of them are male dominated, such as infantry, you might find 1 in every 100 soldiers are female, this is a physically demanding job for any sex, and don't get me wrong some females have excelled at being a infantrymen. while others more than 1/2 are there because of the lower standards. they can not perform up to the male standards. Once again it divides the room even more... now add to the fact that some politician in some deep dark hole in Ottawa has a white board with a bunch of graphs on it clearly showing there is a lack of women in the infantry, but also a lack of women in the higher ranks, lack of women all the way across the spectrum... General sort this out...now promotions are handed out like candy and those 50 %v that could not make standards are now being promoted over the soldiers that can make all the standards.  once again the room is divided and now it becomes angry because the system is not set up fairly...  

I just want to point something out for a minute, during the beginnings of Afghanistan, PPCLI was assisting the US forces in clearing the mountains of bad guys the average weight of a ruck sack as 110 lbs, plus what every you had on your body, like bullet proof plates , more ammo, etc...with a lot of guys going well above that mark... remember i said mountains, in plus 55 degree weather, with everything you needed had to be carried, mostly beans , bullets and water.. every man was expected to carry their share, there were a few that could not maintain that weight for long periods of time, meaning someone else had to carry it...long periods of time was 18-20 hours a day, for atleast 3 weeks... on a mountain in the middle of no where,  there is no saying i quit I'm going home...and there is no leaving anyone behind, lets just say attitudes are quickly adjusted mostly through the use of force, like a good pounding. This is what equal rights has given us, the agility of some politician and a white board who wants to make his grap look pretty, has put peoples lives in danger, again more anger, more disrespect...

I won't lie i have soldiered with some women who were part Billy goat and part mule, not very pretty but they could soldier.... they could out ruck most in the company they are the rare gem in the crowd, they i would follow into battle any day ...I have also soldiered with a lot that were a complete waste of oxygen and seen them being promoted do to their sex, not ability. those women are partly reasonable for this culture...we experience today...

Women should be afforded every opportunity to try any job they are qualified for or can meet the standards...Standards set not for what sex you are, but rather on the job, and it's requirements, and in DND case some of those are not typing memos in some office but coming face to face with a 200 lb bad guy, wanting to pull your face off, or part your fore head with a round from a AK 47. Where lives depend on you being able to fight and pull your weight.  

I will give the new Minister of National Defense kudo's on taking the first step, to reign in this so called culture but some of the new softer more gentler ideas that are now policy need to be tweaked, such as the new dress and deportment policy , Men are now allow to have man buns, wear ear rings in both ears, yes, apparently man buns are the new fade, and DND has added them to be inclusive ...also men are now allowed to wear make up, but still must wear a men's uniform... And while i maybe making a mountain out of a mole hill, having long hair in combat is a negative thing i get a hold of your man bun and your going for a ride, and who is going to take serious any man done up like princess going to the ball. the jobs we do are not going to a night club, but to some of the worlds shit holes where bad guys have made a living out of killing.. something tells me they are not considering equal rights. i can't wait to next week to see what the new world brings with it...

Edited November 16, 2021 by Army Guy