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Westerly

Well we know what group skydivers fit into now...

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I used to think skydivers were smart, cool people but this pandemic is making me realize a lot of them are actually not very intelligent and they are actually pretty uncaring towards others. Take for example my local DZs. During the peak of COVID in the last wave our state was hit hard. Harder than most. A lot of people died and the hospitals were overwhelmed. Yet all the DZs were carrying on as total business as usual. Many had absolutely no mask requirements at all and if you even so much as suggested COVID safety you were cast out as some hippy liberal tree hugger that needs to 'stop watching fake news' or some BS like that. Now that we are headed into what is already a record for the entire world and will continue getting even worse, the local DZ is planning a huge Thanksgiving and Christmas boogie with tons of beer, live music, and a 'week-long party'. In other words, literately the stupidest possible thing you could be doing right now. That bullshit is exactly what caused the mess we currently are in, but no one cares. Thus my conclusion is skydivers are not special. Many of them are uncaring all-about-me's the same as most other people. It just happens that we share a common hobby, but said share of a common hobby doesent actually make them a good or intelligent person.

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2 hours ago, Westerly said:

I used to think skydivers were smart, cool people

Skydivers are just people, and nothing special.

In fact, the demographics skew skydivers to be old, white, male (84%), ex-military and conservative, and sexism and racism has been a problem in my DZ.

The sport is inching towards slightly more diversity, but there's a long way to go.

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Skydivers are no smarter or cooler than anyone else. They just think they are. In the 1970s and early 1980's, they skewed young and male, because the round landings you had to go through to get to squares were too rough for most older guys. Now a lot of those guys are still jumping, or jumping again.

And they tend to reflect the local political and cultural beliefs. Up here, there are plenty of liberal old guys.

Wendy P.

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5 hours ago, olofscience said:

Skydivers are just people, and nothing special.

In fact, the demographics skew skydivers to be old, white, male (84%), ex-military and conservative, and sexism and racism has been a problem in my DZ.

The sport is inching towards slightly more diversity, but there's a long way to go.

If the DZO doesn't want it, and if it's not in the nature of the local customer base, it wont happen.  

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47 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

If the DZO doesn't want it, and if it's not in the nature of the local customer base, it wont happen.  

The only thing different than the population as a whole that I see in skydivers is that there are few or no really stupid people because they can’t cut it. There are many sub groups that would apply to.

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6 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

The only thing different than the population as a whole that I see in skydivers is that there are few or no really stupid people because they can’t cut it. There are many sub groups that would apply to.

It also occurs to me that skydiving is one the most selfish activities a person can indulge it. It is all about thrills and self fulfillment. So of course many jumpers are unwilling  to give up their fun.

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On 11/16/2020 at 10:29 AM, olofscience said:

Skydivers are just people, and nothing special.

In fact, the demographics skew skydivers to be old, white, male (84%), ex-military and conservative, and sexism and racism has been a problem in my DZ.

The sport is inching towards slightly more diversity, but there's a long way to go.

I get so fed up with this "NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY!!!!" bullshit. Did it ever occur to you that maybe other demographic groups just AREN'T INTERESTED IN IT?! That maybe they have better sense than to risk their lives by jumping out of perfectly good airplanes? Stop seeing other groups through your own lens.

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4 minutes ago, markharju said:

I get so fed up with this "NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY!!!!" bullshit. Did it ever occur to you that maybe other demographic groups just AREN'T INTERESTED IN IT?! That maybe they have better sense than to risk their lives by jumping out of perfectly good airplanes? Stop seeing other groups through your own lens.

I just finished reading Joe's post speculating about your psychology and life. Thinking that its a mite bit of a stretch. Then came to this and burst out laughing.

I just might have to go drinking with Joe some day for another laugh.

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9 minutes ago, markharju said:

I get so fed up with this "NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY!!!!" bullshit. Did it ever occur to you that maybe other demographic groups just AREN'T INTERESTED IN IT?!

That's been the rallying cry of segregationists throughout history.

"Women don't WANT to be CEO's or VP's.  Why should we bend over backwards to get them into positions they don't want in the first place?"

If there are no black people or women or gay people at your company/DZO/school - it's probably not them driving that.

 

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27 minutes ago, markharju said:

I get so fed up with this "NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY!!!!" bullshit. Did it ever occur to you that maybe other demographic groups just AREN'T INTERESTED IN IT?! That maybe they have better sense than to risk their lives by jumping out of perfectly good airplanes? Stop seeing other groups through your own lens.

Nope, because I'm actually part of those "other demographic groups".

What, did you think I'm "old, white, and male"?

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On 11/16/2020 at 1:34 AM, Westerly said:

I used to think skydivers were smart, cool people but this pandemic is making me realize a lot of them are actually not very intelligent and they are actually pretty uncaring towards others. Take for example my local DZs. During the peak of COVID in the last wave our state was hit hard. Harder than most. A lot of people died and the hospitals were overwhelmed. Yet all the DZs were carrying on as total business as usual. Many had absolutely no mask requirements at all and if you even so much as suggested COVID safety you were cast out as some hippy liberal tree hugger that needs to 'stop watching fake news' or some BS like that. Now that we are headed into what is already a record for the entire world and will continue getting even worse, the local DZ is planning a huge Thanksgiving and Christmas boogie with tons of beer, live music, and a 'week-long party'. In other words, literately the stupidest possible thing you could be doing right now. That bullshit is exactly what caused the mess we currently are in, but no one cares. Thus my conclusion is skydivers are not special. Many of them are uncaring all-about-me's the same as most other people. It just happens that we share a common hobby, but said share of a common hobby doesent actually make them a good or intelligent person.

The demographics in the sport have changed over the years, and they vary greatly from area to area.

The DZs I have frequented of late have mask requirements posted, but enforcement was somewhat iffy.

An N-95 keeps the inoculum down and it works fine in freefall, so I'm not too strung out about it.

 

BSBE,

Winsor

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29 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

I just finished reading Joe's post speculating about your psychology and life. Thinking that its a mite bit of a stretch. Then came to this and burst out laughing.

I just might have to go drinking with Joe some day for another laugh.

Can't refute the statement, so go ad hominem. works every time.

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25 minutes ago, billvon said:

That's been the rallying cry of segregationists throughout history.

"Women don't WANT to be CEO's or VP's.  Why should we bend over backwards to get them into positions they don't want in the first place?"

If there are no black people or women or gay people at your company/DZO/school - it's probably not them driving that.

 

I'm sure rednecks with shotguns are running them off the DZ, hollering "This is MAGA country!" Yeah, right.

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22 minutes ago, markharju said:

I'm sure rednecks with shotguns are running them off the DZ, hollering "This is MAGA country!" Yeah, right.

No.


They're wearing their Confederate Flag t-shirts. Making racist and sexist jokes. Not inviting them on jumps. Not socializing with them after jumping.

Generally demonstrating that anyone not like them aren't really welcome.

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35 minutes ago, markharju said:

I'm sure rednecks with shotguns are running them off the DZ, hollering "This is MAGA country!" Yeah, right.

Nope.  Nothing so blatant.

When someone sees someone do something stupid, they say "that's so totally gay!"  And that lesbian woman thinks "I'm not going to be so welcome here."

When a front floater can't hold on while the inside chunk takes its time getting set up, and he falls off, and someone says "oh girly man couldn't hold on!" then the woman who showed up to do a tandem thinks "well, maybe one tandem is enough."

When a guy shows up in his pickup truck flying two confederate flags, and talks loudly about how the libs and the blacks want a free ride - but of COURSE he's not racist, just a realist - the black FJC student thinks "well, maybe I'll try hanggliding instead."

That's how it works.

 

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44 minutes ago, billvon said:

Nope.  Nothing so blatant.

When someone sees someone do something stupid, they say "that's so totally gay!"  And that lesbian woman thinks "I'm not going to be so welcome here."

When a front floater can't hold on while the inside chunk takes its time getting set up, and he falls off, and someone says "oh girly man couldn't hold on!" then the woman who showed up to do a tandem thinks "well, maybe one tandem is enough."

When a guy shows up in his pickup truck flying two confederate flags, and talks loudly about how the libs and the blacks want a free ride - but of COURSE he's not racist, just a realist - the black FJC student thinks "well, maybe I'll try hanggliding instead."

That's how it works.

 

Hi Bill,

Re:  'That's how it works.'

My all-time favorite is what happened at Ted Mayfield's dz about 1970.  I was packing my ParaCommander on a packing table & I noticed a young woman ( ~ 17 yrs old ) and her father walk in the door.  They walked over to where I was packing & were watching when I asked if I could help them.  The dad said that his daughter wanted to make a parachute jump & he came out with her.  As I continued packing, I was answering more of their questions about the sport.  Then, suddenly, Ted leaned out of his office & yelled as loud as he could, 'Hey, Fergie, some pussy wants you on the phone.'

I casually looked over to the father & daughter and saw them leaving the building; I'm sure never to set foot on a dz again.  And, I don't blame them.

Jerry Baumchen

 

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2 hours ago, Pirate0321 said:

Ridiculing others who aren’t scared and prefer freedom is not the answer and doesn’t make you better or more intelligent. If you dont want to go to a boogie, don’t go. Nobody is requiring you to participate. 

But of course it’s just the facts when “you don’t lose your girlfriend you just lose your turn.” Give me a fucking break. It’s male-dominated. It has been since I started in the mid-1970’s. It’s only because I came off as standoffish and intimidating when I was a young blond jumper (so I’m told) that I’ve only had 3-4 unwelcome advances. Unwelcome as in they really tried social pressure; not physical. But I know people that’s happened to also 

And everything Bill said, too. I used to jump at a southern DZ where all the conservatives could talk loudly about politics; the liberals were expected to keep quiet  

Wendy P. 

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8 hours ago, Pirate0321 said:

Ridiculing others who aren’t scared and prefer freedom is not the answer and doesn’t make you better or more intelligent. If you dont want to go to a boogie, don’t go. Nobody is requiring you to participate. 

I never thought to equate wearing a mask with wearing a set of handcuffs. And they, of course, have the freedom to choose. Burial or cremation...No need to be scared.

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12 hours ago, airdvr said:

Hardly a playground in here...but I see what you did.

Quiet...yes.  Hoping Trump transitions power nicely...yes.

 

 

Hi airdvr,

Re:  'Hoping Trump transitions power nicely'

Just another way your guy is nothing but a dipstick.

Aren't you glad you voted for him?

Jerry Baumchen

 

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14 hours ago, airdvr said:

Hardly a playground in here...but I see what you did.

Quiet...yes.  Hoping Trump transitions power nicely...yes.

 

 

Someone needs to tell him that just because he's empowered to be an asshole, it is not a requirement.

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