So someone on YouTube decided to put together what was intended as a heartwarming and inspirational video — assembled mostly from Russian dash-cam videos — showing an assortment of ordinary fellows taking a few moments from their day to help out their fellow human beings, and even a few animals. We get to see little old ladies walked across the street, cars pushed or pulled from snowbanks, and so on.
But when Paul Elam of A Voice for Men — the alleged Men’s “Human Rights” site that posts an open call to firebomb courthouses and police stations in its “activism” section — watched the video, all he saw was what wasn’t there — that is, helpful women.
For you see, as far as anyone can tell with all that heavy winter clothing, this five minute video features only helpful men, and I think one helpful boy, and no helpful people of the lady persuasion. Mr. Elam underscored this point by headlining his post “Where are the women?” and ending the post with the very same question.
I’m not exactly sure why Mr. Elam thinks this is a particularly important question to ask (twice). I don’t know the precise gender breakdown for helping little old ladies across the road either in Russia or the US, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t 100% male. I’m almost positive that there are some women in the world who actually help their fellow human beings (and animals) from time to time. I’m pretty sure I know a few myself.
Indeed, if you look at the actual statistics for volunteering from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — generally considered a better source of data than compilations of Russian dash-cam footage — you will discover not only that substantial numbers of both men and women volunteer but also that, in the US at least, women consistently volunteer at rates higher than that of men. Take it away, BLS:
The volunteer rates for both men and women (23.2 and 29.5 percent, respectively) changed little in the year ending in September 2012. Women continued to volunteer at a higher rate than did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics.
I guess that’s where the women are. Volunteering.
If you’re interested in seeing the video that got Mr. Elam’s heart feeling so warmed, here you go:
Oh, wait, that’s not it. That’s not dudes helping. That’s dudes punching each other and acting like assholes. Here it is:
Damn it! More punching and assholism. Let’s try again.
Oops again.
In my defense, the videos I’ve posted are assembled mostly from Russian dash-cam footage, and I’m pretty sure there are no women in any of them.
Here’s the actual video, for reals.
I guess Pauly thinks men should get cookies (if not medals, citations and lifelong free blowjobs on demand) for what most people would call “basic human decency” because he’s so singularly lacking in it?
One way to scare geese is to open your arms very wide, run at them, and hiss. Yes, you will look stupid. Thing is, when you retreat you can’t turn your back or you can say goodbye to your butt.
Kittehs, the whole thing is set to music so you can’t tell if he’s blowing his horn even with sound.
Re: geese, I am so glad you all understand my terror. Truly, I knew this was a sensible place. 😀
David, are you aware of this website? antimanboobz.wordpress.com/
Why isn’t it on the boob roll?
Seconding (thirding? fourthing?) the sentiments about swans. They are nasty. Geese on the other hand are pretty cute:
Geese (birds in general) react to spread arms as if they were wings, which makes you a big bird.
But… being goosed hurts, so make sure they are really cowed.
Push come to shove you can just pick them up and carry them to a pond.
Ok, I’ve kept geese, most people ought not try this (and it may be illegal, depending on the geese, and local law).
You could almost guarantee that if there’s going to be a good-natured goose, it’d be one of texasgirly1979’s! 🙂
Here are some black swans at the University of York. I read once that black swans did so well when they were introduced to England that there are more there than here.
http://youtu.be/olNeqs10mHw
I do a lot of voluntary work for different charities and in my anecdotal experience women vastly outnumber men in every organisation I have volunteered for. I could acknowledge the reality that there are different social expectations of men and women that could make it less likely for men to be involved in charity work especially as one of the charities I volunteer for helps vulnerable children. Or I could go the paul elam route and decide that my very limited experience proves that men do nothing to help other people.
When I was little, I led the neighbour’s geese down the road to my house by flapping my arms, honking, and doing a little squat-walk.
This is my crowning achievement.
gelar, what a great image! 😀
I suspect that if people were stopping in the middle of the road like that in the US or here, especially in front of an MRA, especially if the person stopping was a woman, they would not get a warm response.
But I think that harsh weather like that will bring out good things in people, just because of how high the chances are that you’ll need help yourself one day. Similar to how happy to help 4WDing people are if you get bogged. The only way you can deal with those conditions is altruism.
And since altruism is an alien concept to MRAs, it makes you wonder why they aren’t completely confused by the people on that video. Surely they’d be like “but… they are doing something for someone else… and they’re getting nothing out of it. What’s the point?”
gelar, I wonder if they followed you because they thought you were a goose, or because they were like, “what the hell is this person up to, I gotta see how THIS develops.”
What gets me is the people who aren’t stopping at zebra crossings. Can they see the people trying to cross? Okay if they can’t, but if they can – wtf?
Kim, I do think that weather and other conditions really influence a lot about stopping to help. I live in the desert and often am in really remote areas, and I always stop for people on the side of the road whether they flag me down or not (well, occasionally I get a skeevy vibe and drive on, but it’s rare). It’s so easy to get dehydrated and overheated in those conditions. When I lived up north, I was also more likely to stop in winter conditions.
I’m living in a large town right now (I call it a city but others…not so much haha) and I am a lot less likely to stop. I’ll stop for really obviously safe people–mothers and children, elderly people–but I don’t stop nearly as often as I would in other conditions.
I’ve never had to stop in the middle of traffic like in a lot of those shots, so I don’t know how it would affect other drivers, but I’m sure it would have an impact on how others react.
It’s also influenced how I pick up hitchhikers. Most of the hitchers I’ve picked up in my life were Native Americans who lived on a (relatively) nearby reservation, but it was fairly remote and there was no public transportation of course. They’d often get a ride from the nearest major city to a truck stop just outside the reservation, but no further. If I happened to meet them at that truck stop (where I usually stopped for gas as it was the only fueling station in our small town or within about 20 miles), I’d take them home. A huge part of that was that I really worried about those folks walking home in the heat and desert conditions. It was only about 5 miles to the small town on the rez and I think about 10 miles to the farthest home I ever dropped someone at, but that is a huge distance when you’re alone and it’s 100+ degrees and there’s no shade, water or civilization between the two stops. I knew it was dangerous to give people rides, but I couldn’t bear to let them walk. And I never had a bad experience, either. One heartbreaking one (I gave a lift to an older man who kept getting me confused with his daughter, who was the first Native woman to win a certain award), but mostly it was just pleasant conversation until I got them home, and nice scenery on the way back.
But as a single woman in a populated area, I’m a lot less likely to pick someone up because I figure there is going to be someone else along soon, someone less vulnerable than I am. The conditions just change the calculation. Waiting for another ride becomes less of a big deal.
Er, just to be clear, I’m not actually a single woman…happily married in fact. 😉 But Mr. AK is pretty adamantly against picking up hitchhikers so when I pick them up, I’m solo.
@Kitteh: Haha, thank you! My mother certainly got a kick out of it.
@David: I prefer to think that for a brief period of time, I was the Goose Lord. Until they lost interest and wandered home.
Only a total asshat could watch a video like that and use it as an excuse to reinforce their hate.
It reminds me of something I saw while driving a few years back. A mother duck was crossing the street with a crowd of tiny ducklings. There was a sidewalk with a curb on both sides, so when they reached the side of the road the ducklings were too small to get up onto the sidewalk. The mother and ducklings were obviously in distress, so I was going to pull over and help but the car in front of me beat me to it. A lady in a business suit got out and started scooping the ducklings onto the sidewalk in her hands while the mother duck ran around a few feet away.
But according to MRAs, women are all heartless bitches so that obviously never happened.
Can anyone imagine Pauly Rageboner helping ducklings? After all they’re with their MOTHERS, so it’s obvs misandry.
Helping animals don’t count, because women spend all the money on kitty litter. Or something.
But I think that harsh weather like that will bring out good things in people, just because of how high the chances are that you’ll need help yourself one day.
I’ve thought this is likely true as well. It does seem that the more likely it is the weather could randomly hurt or kill you, the more a culture of “go lend a hand to people who are stuck” develops.
Nature has a fine way of reminding you that “I need NO ONE” is not the best strategy.
“Helping animals don’t count, because women spend all the money on kitty litter. Or something.”
True enough in our house! 😀
Reblogged this on woosterlang87.
This discussion has reminded me of a documentary on birds narrated by Sir David Attenborough. I am now thinking of a distinguished British gentleman describing the accuracy of the idiom “like shit through a goose” in awed tones. The amount of time I spent on youtube finding this is appalling.
Public Shaming has collected some tweets reacting to the news that the lead singer for a Christian metal band tried to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife. They all agree the bitch probably deserved it.