Most of the coverage of the Costa Concordia disaster at the moment seems to be focusing on the Italian cruise ship’s captain and his douchey behavior, which involved not only running the ship aground but also abandoning ship prestissimo while passengers remained trapped on board.
MRAs, by contrast, are using the tragedy as an excuse to rail against the notion of “women and children first” and, of course, to make jokes about women drowning.
Now, the Titanic aside, “women and children first” isn’t now, and hasn’t ever really been, the standard way to evacuate those on a sinking ship, though many in the public — including some of those who were on board the Costa Concordia – seem to believe that it is. (See here for more details on how evacuations are typically handled these days; generally only those with mobility problems are given special treatment.)
In the case of this particular evacuation, some on board apparently tried to enforce an informal “women and children” policy, but many men weren’t willing to wait.
What’s got some MRAs in a snit is that some people, in the media and online, are calling these dudes cowards. In The Daily Mail, a right-wing British tabloid, A N Wilson wrote:
[I]n our day, with the advent of feminism and the professional woman, chivalry and manners are considered stuffy and old-fashioned.
As the father of three daughters, I do not, with a single fibre of my being, wish to go back to a time when women could not have the vote or get a university degree. Nor do I, surrounded by extremely strong-charactered and intelligent women in my family and among my friends, feel tempted to regard women as the frail sex.
But the fact remains that there is a longing among most men to protect women and children, and chivalry is simply a manifestation of that longing.
And whatever transpires about the reason for the Costa Concordia disaster, the disappearance of a chivalric code is a sorry reflection on society today.
This is not what you’d call a feminist argument; it’s a traditionalist argument, published in a tabloid rag that’s generally quite hostile to feminism.
Nonetheless, some MRAs are using the Costa Concordia disaster as an opportunity to deliver a big “told you so!” to the … imaginary feminists who live in their head.
Over on The Spearhead, where one familiar commenter actually described Wilson’s Daily Mail article as “feminist,” guest poster Lyn87 wrote:
The MRM is getting more vocal, and a lot of guys are now saying, “You wanted equality. This is what it looks like.” And they are saying it aloud and in public. Even a few women chimed in, saying that men have no obligation to die for women if women want equality. (Somehow I suspect there wasn’t much, “I am woman, hear me roar, watch me drown” on the Costa Concordia itself, but hey, it’s a start.)
MRAs: Always up-to-the-minute with their pop culture references!
This post was helpfully illustrated with a stock photo of a woman drowning.
Commenters got in their digs as well.
Keyster riffed on Lyn87’s incredibly au courant Helen Reddy reference:
I am woman hear me…blurp….rah…gurgle…raha…ffftt…orr…roar…gurgle…help me…somebody…fffft…please…blurp…help…help me please!
Aharon told both ladies and fish what’s what:
I eat fish. Fish don’t eat me. My life is too precious to sacrifice it so some spoiled bitch can have a pussy pass into the life boats.
Anti Idiocy got all hypothetical-cruise-ship tough guy on us:
Anyone who attempts to keep me on a sinking ship because of the genitals with which I was born is attempting to murder me. I have the right to respond accordingly.
And Thomas Tell-truth kicked chivalry – not to mention basic human decency — to the ocean floor:
Equality means that when the ship is going down and you are a woman, you had better get out of my way or you are going to drown with my footprints on your back.
Apparently Thomas Tell-truth is actually George Costanza:
Jeb, meanwhile, offered a more scientific rationalization for being a complete douchenozzle:
As far as I’ve heard, the one and only sport in which women naturally out-do men is endurance swimming. Women are also more bouyant, and as survivalists will explain, women float easiest on their backs (making it easy to breathe while expending minimal energy) whereas men float easiest in “the dead man’s float” (ie. face down, head in the water) and must expend more energy to stay alive. Furthermore, women have more body-fat than men which insulates them better against aquatic dangers such as hypothermia.
Given all these factors it is quite rational for men to pick women up by the seat of their pants and toss them overboard to make way for men and children to safely be rowed ashore on the lifeboats.
It’s all about doing the right thing and saving lives, after all.
MRA humor is very sophisticated indeed.
EDITED TO ADD: The Spearhead has put up a followup post, once again taking aim at imaginary “lifeboat feminists,” though the only person the post cites lamenting the end of “women and children” is Rich Lowry from the National Review (not a feminist publication).
Its ran off, dim wit. lol. It should be “more scared then I thought.”
But then again, you aren’t really worth meeting anyways.
Amused that you keep posting–must have really got to you. I just popped back in and this is what find? You must really be pissed and upset if you keep logging back on here to post useless crap.
You must really be pissed and upset if you keep logging back on here to post useless crap.
Indeed. Why would anyone do that?
Also: “has run off” is correct. It wouldn’t be correct to write “has ran off.”
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Ozy a radical feminist??? are you fucking kidding me? that is brilliant!
Agreed Bathrobe. I didn’t post for a couple of days and he continues on? Run off means present or currently but it is past tense.
Anyways. I’ll leave you male feminist alone. Looks like Nephrite Yeqon can be your MRA go to guy.
Nephrite can’t be serious. His shtick is just too note-perfect. Also, there are references to Manboobz in-jokes in his rants. This may be one our regulars trolling us.
HAS run off. Present perfect tense–referring to an action that occurred at an unspecified time in the past. Learn it, live it, love it.
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html
That is one hilarious mental image. Though, I must confess I don’t know what Hitler was like in bed (not that it particularly matters in general), but you must, considering you think women are literally Hitler while having sex.
Are you advocating murder of PUAs? That’s violent and unhinged.
Wow, feminists kill more people per day than die in the world. How do we manage that one? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_deaths_per_day_are_there_in_the_world
Also, if Ozy is a radical feminist, what does that make me (the actual socialist feminist)? I’m going to go with the Egyptian god Set, because I’m humble like that ;).
Yeah, I’m calling a Poe: the literally Hitler part clinched it for me.
efasfas’s comments can be summed up as:
insultinsultinsultinsultinsultnaturenurtureinsultinsultinsultinsultinsultinsult
and does anyone else find it hilarious that some MRA trolls attack the appearance of male feminists? first David, now Pecunium. Pffft….catty much? I thought you big strong manly man MRAs were above such stereotypical bitchy female behavior.
I gotta agree with the others, the trolls have been really blah this 2012. Nephy was alright for awhile but I’m pretty sure he’s MRAL, or even a Poe. Someone might be able to let us know though…David? *hint hint* XD
also his arguments are basically “duurherp I can throw a ball better than stoopid wimminz thus I am superior lololz”
I sure hope your ball throwing skillz can help fix this economic crisis! Hey maybe those superbowl dudes can put their meaty heads together and find a cure for cancer!!!
And that he’s not actually aware of where I live. That and the, oh so intelligent, want to meet, as if I have something to prove.
Then again, his lack of attention to detail is about what I’d expect, what with his poor grasp of the past perfect, and the failure to actually track the target of his affections.
I’m not sure whether to be amused or alarmed that Amira wants to cut my cherry tomatoes. He’s almost as much of a weirdo as MRAL, that one.
aMiRA, is sad and confused.
The MRM is a hell of a drug. Take cocaine instead – it doesn’t make you nearly as paranoid.
Maybe he just has an understanding of “literally” like this woman? xD
Also surprise surprise efas is back xD As I said, he can’t leave. xD
Well, I have occasionally been known to make off with various bits of radical feminism like a magpie decorating a nest, but generally they are cunningly enough disguised that no one notices. (I am still pleased by the time I made the Feminist Critics crowd agree with the basic thesis of Intercourse.)
Also I think that if you are worshiping women you are probably Doin Feminism Rong. Feminism is the radical notion that women are people, not the radical notion that women are goddesses. Women are fully capable of being assholes, of being abusive, of supporting patriarchy, of being stupid, of being anti-feminist, because women are people and people are fully capable of all the above. Also, you shouldn’t worship women because you shouldn’t worship people. We tried that. It didn’t work.
Alsoalso I, uh, don’t support Game. Parody, dude. Look it up.
I think Nephrite’s just read way too much AVfM xD Has he quoted nething else? XD
http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/in-the-shadows-of-dachau/
Sadly, while not literally HITLER, AVfM def does say that we’re basically Nazis e_e
I wonder if he distinguishes by race. Am I literally a sexual Mao? xD
Ozy, what’s the basic thesis of Intercourse, and were you trolling?
Ozy, you really need to try your Game comments on actual PUA sites. I mean, if MRAs read them as completely serious…granted that most PUAs aren’t on average quite as stupid as most regular MRAs, but you’d still catch a few.
Unless that’s a poe. Then we are getting into weird paradox territory. xD
Oh I just noticed while looking at that page… xD Have you noticed that all of AVfM’s “featured offenders” on their sidebar are “bigots”? It’s almost like they don’t care about female murderers, abusers, rapists and false accusers. xD
The only thing that makes me pause in declaring myself a Radical Feminist is the transphobic and whorephobic implications, honestly. I consider that the radical strain of feminism has the strongest critique of the State and associated heirarchies, and thus, oddly enough (or not so odd?) when you get down to it, the most applicability to a left-Libertarian view of things.
Ami – Oh… We’re in paradox territory, I don’t think there’s a way out at this point. Or we’re already out. Or the way out is the way in. Or we only got in because we already got out. Or something.
I wonder if MGTOW ever considered that they might have been happier if they’d taken the blue pill. Given that the first blue pill that I can think of is Ecstasy. A few days spend wandering around Burning Man hugging random people might cheer them up considerably.
@ Ami
Yes, it’s almost like they staged the entire registry of actual female criminals in order to publicly describe some other women as “bigots” and “corrupt public officials”. It’s nothing more than a happy coincidence that some of these “featured offenders” are high profile names and might draw some attention to their sad little website. But that couldn’t be, noble soldiers in the gender war would never, nay COULD never stoop to such a pathetic level.
Re In the Shadow Dachau
I couldn’t stop laughing when I first read that. It’s like reading a MRAs most deranged, projected fantasy.
Elam sure knows how to pick ’em!
I wonder what AVfM internal politics consist of. “To join AVfM you REALLY have to hate “feminists” – how much do you hate “feminists”?
A lot!
“Prove it”
I think they’re wanting to put all men in death camps and murder us!
“You’re in, son. Write 1500 words and let’s FTSU”
@Pecunium
He was threatened by you. *holds up Pecunium’s arm and blows whistle* I declare Pecunium the alpha male! xD
@Ozy
The whole posing women as goddesses thing is weird and uncomfortable. Its like what those conscious men did on youtube. They had good intentions but it wasn’t really…I dunno. I like the goddess in fantasy fiction, but not irl. Though I am a bit pissed that a ton of pagan beliefs with female goddesses were completely destroyed with the birth of a Patriarchal Christian God and anyone who still worships female Gods are considered kooks…