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Comment by kepler1 | Hacker News Reader

I was thinking the same thing. We’ve gone so far down the insane rabbit hole that there’s random DEI-motivated genuflecting in a straightforward apology.

I mean, maybe because those people face discrimination and bigotry basically everywhere they go and having a program to specifically support them will help bring in more new staff, particularly during a time when staffing is difficult? It says it at the beginning of the sentence: "To bring new pilots into our ranks"

Further, it's not "political" to make people feel welcome at your organization. It's just being a good person.

I'm curious to know how much your logic and position depends on you agreeing with the opinions being advocated for. You would, I suppose, equally defend a company in "especially welcoming applications from candidates who believe in Jesus Christ and a right to life"?

That's also just "being a good person" for people who face a certain kind of discrimination, yes?

Is there actually a history of hiring discrimination against those folks? At least in the US I would think the discrimination would have been against atheists.

In Silicon Valley, I bet you will find people who feel they've been discriminated against or feel they have to hide such loyalties/opinions/affinities in tech, just as much as any other group.

And by the way, what is the criterion, that someone feels that they've been discriminated against, or that you as an independent judge (or some authority) declare that they have? As a group, or individually?

Why did they leave out a program for trans pilots? Why aren't they being made to feel welcome too?

What a waste of time to talk like this

Just because you don't EXPLICITLY include everyone, doesn't mean you aren't inclusive. It's the same as "Black lives matter" doesn't mean "ONLY black lives matter"

If they really meant it, they would have had a bipoc program all along, and not just founded one when they were really in trouble with staffing. You seem to be defending them, but you don't seem to see how clearly it comes across as pandering to many other people.

89% of airline pilots are white. Supporting programs to help train and support BIPOC pilots is tapping a potential source of new recruits.

https://www.zippia.com/airplane-pilot-jobs/demographics/

Don’t most pilots learn to fly in the military and the Air Force does not discriminate right?

So any disadvantaged person can join the military and learn to fly?

No, not these days (70% go to private training schools and take out massive student loans). Also, most military pilots are white males (86.7%), although that I'm assuming straight (gender identity isn't in the data I can google).

Apparently less than a third.

Beyond that, even if that was theoretically possible, the empirical outcome seems to suggest it's not working, and another pathway isn't a bad idea.

Given that it was in a paragraph where they describe what exactly they are doing to increase pilot supply, it does not seem out of place.

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