Political correctness #23,672

Dave Downing relates an interesting example in support of a "political correctness" double standard.

What if someone suggests that women are BETTER than men? This is a true story. I witnessed it myself. No members of the media were there to report it, but even there had been, I doubt they would have seen anything newsworthy.

It was at my children's St. Paul public elementary school a year ago. There was a general assembly, and the speaker was Debbie Montgomery, a new St. Paul council member and long-time police officer. Montgomery talked about police work, and encouraged girls to consider law enforcement as a career.

Nothing wrong with that.

But then, Montgomery went on to say that she thinks women are better suited to police work than are men, because women have better communication skills!

Of course, she may be right. But can you imagine the uproar if a male firefighter told the kids he thought men were better suited to his job, because men are stronger than women?

Actually, we don't have to imagine. We already know he can't get away with that. We know, because the city of St. Paul has been through a lawsuit over that very issue. And now, the city has been forced to modify the physical skills test given to firefighter candidates, to try to qualify more women for the department.

Actually, if you want "better than men. . . ."

UPDATE: Dave Downing comments:

I should add that I wrote a polite letter to Debbie Montgomery, expressing my concern about what she had said. She was apologetic, and I hope that I taught her to consider her words more carefully. I don't want to vilify her. But my point is, this is the sort of innocent, offhand comment that is apparently OK in one case, but possible grounds for firing in another.