On Gender Roles, The Proclamation, and USA Today

[smac97]

We are living in strange times.  Times when gender roles are not merely being questioned, they are being cast as the devil's work.  In the LDS context, we are excoriated for having the nerve to maintain and advance the notion of complementary gender roles in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

And then . . . Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.  And this picture went viral:

This is a wonderful image.

And now I am coming across online articles that are discussing the goings-on in Texas and dare to broach the thoughtcrime of . . . praising gender roles.

From National Review:

Quote

Men. We are just the worst, with our toxic masculinity and patriarchal privilege. We are the source of literally all of the world’s problems, from war, income inequality, and “rape culture” to the misogynistic microaggressions of “mansplaining” and “manspreading.” If we are ever to create a nonviolent, truly gender-equal world, we must rip away the false, culturally constructed façade of masculinity. We must free ourselves from the strictures of macho posturing, embrace vulnerability, and redefine what it means to be strong.

That is the message being promoted incessantly today from celebrities like John Legend to the halls of academia to media outlets such as Slate, Salon, and HuffPost. Seemingly overnight, our culture has unquestioningly embraced the term “toxic masculinity.” Male nature itself is the problem, we are told, and the solution is the deconstruction of our understanding of what it means to be a man. But photos and news reports coming out of the devastation wreaked in Texas by Hurricane Harvey are putting the lie to this subversive idea.

In addition to the men among law enforcement and first responders, whose daily mission it is “to serve and protect” while putting their own lives on the line, thousands of volunteers among regular citizens have stepped up and made their way to the region to bring aid to those endangered by Harvey. Some examples among them, which the media singled out:

The Cajun Navy, a network of volunteers with their own boats who trace their origins back to Hurricane Katrina, battled the elements and exhaustion to help anyone they could. Another ordinary guy who brought his personal boat to the stricken area was asked by a reporter what he intended to do with it, and the fellow replied matter-of-factly, “I’m going to try to save some lives.” There was no boasting or posturing or “mansplaining” about it; he was simply doing what good men do. The Daily Mail published this photo of the Houston fire department’s dive team in a motorboat searching for people who needed rescuing. Bitter feminists at Salon will no doubt complain that they seem to be “manspreading” on that raft, but these men don’t have time for that nonsense, and neither do Hurricane Harvey’s victims.

Another ordinary guy who brought his personal boat to the stricken area was asked by a reporter what he intended to do with it, and the fellow replied matter-of-factly, “I’m going to try to save some lives.” There was no boasting or posturing or “mansplaining” about it; he was simply doing what good men do.

The Daily Mail published this photo of the Houston fire department’s dive team in a motorboat searching for people who needed rescuing. Bitter feminists at Salon will no doubt complain that they seem to be “manspreading” on that raft, but these men don’t have time for that nonsense, and neither do Hurricane Harvey’s victims.

...

This photo captured Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Johnson, the father of four and a veteran of Iraq and Kuwait, going door to door in Cypress, Texas, along with his colleagues, trying to bring people to safety. In the picture, he is carrying two children to a boat as their parents gathered up important documents. “I’ve always liked helping people out,” Johnson said simply. How toxic of him.

...

Some will (and did) complain that such reports were not examples of toxic masculinity. Of course not — that is the point. These stories and photos in the news media depicted the true chivalric nature of masculinity: men acting upon their natural responsibility as protectors, stepping up, at risk to their own lives, to help those unable to help themselves. It is this aspect of manhood for which men are never given credit by those deconstructionists in the culture and in academia who view masculinity as an obstacle to their agenda. Misandrist activists and intellectuals never acknowledge that there are positive aspects to masculine strength or that women want traditionally masculine men.

"It is this aspect of manhood for which men are never given credit by those deconstructionists in the culture and in academia who view masculinity as an obstacle to their agenda. Misandrist activists and intellectuals never acknowledge that there are positive aspects to masculine strength or that women want traditionally masculine men."

I wish I could write like that.

And this from USA Today:

Quote

Chivalry lives.

In a viral photo from the Associated Press, a woman is pictured cradling her baby as a man carries them both to safety amid the Hurricane Harvey floods. While the image is quaint, it has a thoroughly modern feel. She has a topknot, leggings and Hunter rain boots.

She could be me.

The image has become iconic of the still unfolding disaster, a photographic balm on a nation still wounded deeply from the vitriolic events at Charlottesville and elsewhere. Thousands upon thousands have shared the image on social media, many adding the phrase, “This is America.”

But the picture has also sparked jokes about “toxic masculinity” as some sarcastically remind others of the reality that in a crisis such as this, it is typically strong men pulling terrified victims from danger.

This is no time for jokes or sarcasm. The picture however, is a reminder of the reality that men and women are different, and that those differences can serve society for the better.

"The picture however, is a reminder of the reality that men and women are different, and that those differences can serve society for the better."

I wish I could write like that.

And I wish that we did not have to write such self-evident truths in 2017.

Quote

Men are the stronger sex, and crises such as these offer men the opportunity to put their strength in service of others. Moments such as this give even the most ordinary of men the chance to become valorous, to become heroes. In one of the most touching hurricane images I have seen, a man in a soiled shirt and sweats clutches the hood of a sinking car and peers inside for victims to save. He’s no brawny SWAT officer like the man in the AP photo, but he’s every bit as heroic.

But the AP photo also captures the sacrifice that women make. Connie Pham heroically gave up her body in order to bring new life into the world. No doubt she put her own safety at risk to stay behind with a vulnerable child. Escaping a flood of Biblical proportions is quite a bit harder to do with a 13-month-old in tow. In the picture, she grasps her baby with an intensity familiar to any mother.

Indeed, as some have pointed out, the scene captured in the photo is almost reminiscent of the Nativity. Silent masculine strength, maternal beauty and innocence.

...

The reality is that our culture is hungry for chivalry. But chivalry demands as a starting point an understanding that women are deserving of it. And that requires acknowledging that women are different. It requires a celebration of their differences, particularly those that enable them to bring the next generation of life into the world.

The AP photo is important. In it, the man and woman each do something the other cannot. They are co-equal contributors who in their own way have given of themselves so that someone more vulnerable might live. And all of this points towards what’s at the center of the photo, a child. Men and women are different, and we help each other be our best selves by helping direct our focus towards those who are more vulnerable.

It's just one picture, and yet it's so much more. It's the inarguable reminder when things get real, and get real fast, we men and women are very much not the same. And yet we love it. We love it, because when men and women work together, unthreatened by those differences, it is a beautiful sight to behold.

What a great reminder these photos and the above articles are.

We are not alone.  Many other people in the world feel as we do about the amazing / differing /complementary strengths that men provide to women, and women to men, and men and women to children.  I only wish we could remind ourselves of these things as a matter of course, without the prodding and prompting brought about by natural disasters.

So this evening I express gratitude for the amazing men and women who are working to help others in Texas.  I am grateful for the respective strengths and skills both genders are bringing to bear.  I am also grateful that men, so regularly maligned as Homer Simpson-like idiots and worse, are being recognized for . . . being men.  For utilizing their physical strength and protective instincts to literally save lives.

The Proclamation is not the source of these axiomatic truths about the complementary gender roles God has set for us.

Reality, most recently manifested in the form of Hurricane Harvey, is.

Thanks,

-Smac

Edited September 2, 2017 by smac97

[thesometimesaint]

If I'm in trouble any of these ladies is welcome to help me.

SEE https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccmgR6pZoLAAZ8wPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=women+fire+fighters&fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt

[Darren10]

4 hours ago, smac97 said:

We are living in strange times.  Times when gender roles are not merely being questioned, they are being cast as the devil's work.  In the LDS context, we are excoriated for having the nerve to maintain and advance the notion of complementary gender roles in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

And then . . . Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.  And this picture went viral:

This is a wonderful image.

And now I am coming across online articles that are discussing the goings-on in Texas and dare to broach the thoughtcrime of . . . praising gender roles.

From National Review:

"It is this aspect of manhood for which men are never given credit by those deconstructionists in the culture and in academia who view masculinity as an obstacle to their agenda. Misandrist activists and intellectuals never acknowledge that there are positive aspects to masculine strength or that women want traditionally masculine men."

I wish I could write like that.

And this from USA Today:

"The picture however, is a reminder of the reality that men and women are different, and that those differences can serve society for the better."

I wish I could write like that.

And I wish that we did not have to write such self-evident truths in 2017.

What a great reminder these photos and the above articles are.

We are not alone.  Many other people in the world feel as we do about the amazing / differing /complementary strengths that men provide to women, and women to men, and men and women to children.  I only wish we could remind ourselves of these things as a matter of course, without the prodding and prompting brought about by natural disasters.

So this evening I express gratitude for the amazing men and women who are working to help others in Texas.  I am grateful for the respective strengths and skills both genders are bringing to bear.  I am also grateful that men, so regularly maligned as Homer Simpson-like idiots and worse, are being recognized for . . . being men.  For utilizing their physical strength and protective instincts to literally save lives.

The Proclamation is not the source of these axiomatic truths about the complementary gender roles God has set for us.

Reality, most recently manifested in the form of Hurricane Harvey, is.

Thanks,

-Smac

I gave this post a heart (it's from my feminine side) like. Could admins update this specific thread so I can heart like it 99 more times?

Thanks in advance.

 

Darren

[Darren10]

2 hours ago, thesometimesaint said:

If I'm in trouble any of these ladies is welcome to help me.

SEE https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccmgR6pZoLAAZ8wPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=women+fire+fighters&fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt

[california boy]

Don't be silly.  Only men know how to carry two children at one time on their hips.  Sorry, it is just a gender thing and we don't want any confusion here.

[Darren10]

6 minutes ago, california boy said:

Don't be silly.  Only men know how to carry two children at one time on their hips.  Sorry, it is just a gender thing and we don't want any confusion here.

I think you're deemphasizing the point quite a bit California Boy. 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Darren10

[california boy]

1 hour ago, Darren10 said:

I think you're deemphasizing the point quite a bit California Boy. 

Quite honestly I find this tread pretty insulting to women.  It may very well fit the gender roles assigned by the church, but it certainly does not reflect the truth or reality.

"I am sorry I can't save you from drowning.  I am only a woman.  And women don't rescue people that are drowning.  I know this to be from God because the Mormon church has assigned that gender role to me.  I can pray for you or offer you some Jello if you like."

Who in their right mind thinks that only men are capable of helping others in life threatening situations.  Are men stronger in general than women?  Most of the time.  Does that make women helpless and completely dependent on men to rescue them?  HEdouble toothpicks NO.  I appreciate the sacrifice and service these men have made.  But to use these photos of a huge disaster to promote some kind gender agenda is, well, offensive.  I find it as equally offensive as this attitude quoted in the article.

Quote

 

Men. We are just the worst, with our toxic masculinity and patriarchal privilege. We are the source of literally all of the world’s problems, from war, income inequality, and “rape culture” to the misogynistic microaggressions of “mansplaining” and “manspreading.” If we are ever to create a nonviolent, truly gender-equal world, we must rip away the false, culturally constructed façade of masculinity. We must free ourselves from the strictures of macho posturing, embrace vulnerability, and redefine what it means to be strong.

 

Who in their right mind believes this?  But making women out to be helpless saps is every bit as ignorant.

[rpn]

We always read into things from our own perspective.   It takes real work to try to look at situations from other eyes.  

None of this seemed like "making women out to be helpless saps" to me.

[CV75]

9 hours ago, smac97 said:

the thoughtcrime of . . . praising gender roles.

There. Fixed it.

.

[ALarson]

5 hours ago, california boy said:

Quite honestly I find this tread pretty insulting to women.  It may very well fit the gender roles assigned by the church, but it certainly does not reflect the truth or reality.

"I am sorry I can't save you from drowning.  I am only a woman.  And women don't rescue people that are drowning.  I know this to be from God because the Mormon church has assigned that gender role to me.  I can pray for you or offer you some Jello if you like."

Who in their right mind thinks that only men are capable of helping others in life threatening situations.  Are men stronger in general than women?  Most of the time.  Does that make women helpless and completely dependent on men to rescue them?  HEdouble toothpicks NO.  I appreciate the sacrifice and service these men have made.  But to use these photos of a huge disaster to promote some kind gender agenda is, well, offensive.  I find it as equally offensive as this attitude quoted in the article.

Who in their right mind believes this?  But making women out to be helpless saps is every bit as ignorant.

I don't think the OP is trying to make women "out to be helpless saps", but I do think that women could have been pictured doing the same things as these men were doing (especially trained firefighters or police who are women, women who are military/ex-military and many others).  Women also have "protective instincts" and I'd imagine that there were women involved in rescues as well as these men.  I am touched by the pictures above and would be just as touched if it were women carrying children on their hips or helping just as these men were doing.  It's not a male/female thing, IMO, but these are human emotions and desires to help, protect and rescue someone in trouble.

Edited September 2, 2017 by ALarson

[Robert F. Smith]

12 hours ago, smac97 said:

We are living in strange times.  Times when gender roles are not merely being questioned, they are being cast as the devil's work.  In the LDS context, we are excoriated for having the nerve to maintain and advance the notion of complementary gender roles in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

....................................................From National Review:

"It is this aspect of manhood for which men are never given credit by those deconstructionists in the culture and in academia who view masculinity as an obstacle to their agenda. Misandrist activists and intellectuals never acknowledge that there are positive aspects to masculine strength or that women want traditionally masculine men."

...................................................And this from USA Today:

"The picture however, is a reminder of the reality that men and women are different, and that those differences can serve society for the better."

.........................................And I wish that we did not have to write such self-evident truths in 2017.

.......................................We are not alone.  Many other people in the world feel as we do about the amazing / differing /complementary strengths that men provide to women, and women to men, and men and women to children.  I only wish we could remind ourselves of these things as a matter of course, without the prodding and prompting brought about by natural disasters.

So this evening I express gratitude for the amazing men and women who are working to help others in Texas.  I am grateful for the respective strengths and skills both genders are bringing to bear.  I am also grateful that men, so regularly maligned as Homer Simpson-like idiots and worse, are being recognized for . . . being men.  For utilizing their physical strength and protective instincts to literally save lives.

The Proclamation is not the source of these axiomatic truths about the complementary gender roles God has set for us.

.....................................................

Anthropologists have long recognized as normal the actual division of labor based on gender in most primitive societies.  Such complementary gender roles were set by nature, not God, and there are no self-evident or axiomatic truths requiring people to be hamstrung by such roles in modern times.  If left to the conceptual world of the writers at National Review, women would never have been allowed to vote or to demand equal pay for equal work, much less to compete with men for exclusively male jobs.

The silly, sexist notion that women are just too weak to take on many traditional male roles needs to go by the boards.  Only men without real manhood feel threatened by women competing with them for jobs -- including jobs requiring brute strength.  I have a Zumba dance instructor who is better muscled than most men I know -- a Samoan woman with children.  In law enforcement, I have worked under the supervision of female sergeants and captains who did an excellent job.  Female judges, doctors, and lawyers bring wonderful professionalism to our society -- and we need their unique perspectives.  I am saddened by the way in which women are treated like chattel in some Islamic and other traditional cultures.

[thesometimesaint]

A pedestal is an uncomfortable place to stand on for very long.

[Darren10]

8 hours ago, california boy said:

Quite honestly I find this tread pretty insulting to women.  It may very well fit the gender roles assigned by the church, but it certainly does not reflect the truth or reality.

"I am sorry I can't save you from drowning.  I am only a woman.  And women don't rescue people that are drowning.  I know this to be from God because the Mormon church has assigned that gender role to me.  I can pray for you or offer you some Jello if you like."

Who in their right mind thinks that only men are capable of helping others in life threatening situations.  Are men stronger in general than women?  Most of the time.  Does that make women helpless and completely dependent on men to rescue them?  HEdouble toothpicks NO.  I appreciate the sacrifice and service these men have made.  But to use these photos of a huge disaster to promote some kind gender agenda is, well, offensive.  I find it as equally offensive as this attitude quoted in the article.

Who in their right mind believes this?  But making women out to be helpless saps is every bit as ignorant.

"I am sorry I can't save you from drowning.  I am only a woman.  And women don't rescue people that are drowning.  I know this to be from God because the Mormon church has assigned that gender role to me.  I can pray for you or offer you some Jello if you like.""

What church are tou talking about? The LDS Church? The one whose wonen helpes men across the plains? That church? 

Quote

2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

1 Nephi 17

Yes, there are gender roles by the LDS Church. That stregthens women, not diminishes them. The point of this article is that men have come out in droves to rescue people in crisis. They did what men do, which is, as the article pointed out, to protect others despite risk they may take in doing so. They are filling their gender roles which does not in any bit diminish roles women have made in rescuing people. It only points out men being men. Please tell me what women have done so far as boating out snd physically bringing people to safety during these floods. You'll find many cases of women doing great things but this specific aspect of rescue was done primarily by men. That's insulting to who? Women were perfectly welcome to do the same but the overwhelming amount of people doing this were men. Please show me otherwise. 

"Who in their right mind believes this?  But making women out to be helpless saps is every bit as ignorant."

I think the overblown whistle blowing of a so called rape epidemic on college campuses is a perfect example of what the article is talking about:

Quote

An army of salesmen took to the road, selling advice to administrators on how to structure sexual-assault procedures, and lecturing freshmen on the “undetected rapists” in their midst. Rape bureaucrats exchanged notes at such gatherings as the Inter Ivy Sexual Assault Conferences and the New England College Sexual Assault Network. Organizations like One in Four and Men Can Stop Rape tried to persuade college boys to redefine their masculinity away from the “rape culture.” The college rape infrastructure shows no signs of a slowdown. In 2006, for example, Yale created a new Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources and Education Center, despite numerous resources for rape victims already on campus.

https://www.city-journal.org/html/campus-rape-myth-13061.html

Not that rape doesn't happen, nor that it's serious when it does, but there is a definite movement by feminists, by no means all feminists, who believe rhey can improve the world by demasculinizing men. 

Everything from boys "playing with blocks" and army men is blamed for men being bad. 

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/12/toxic_masculinity_is_killing_men_the_roots_of_male_trauma_partner/

It's a destructive force in society and I was very glad to read an article to counteract the feminist points of male toxicity. 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Darren10

[Darren10]

19 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Anthropologists have long recognized as normal the actual division of labor based on gender in most primitive societies.  Such complementary gender roles were set by nature, not God, and there are no self-evident or axiomatic truths requiring people to be hamstrung by such roles in modern times.  If left to the conceptual world of the writers at National Review, women would never have been allowed to vote or to demand equal pay for equal work, much less to compete with men for exclusively male jobs.

The silly, sexist notion that women are just too weak to take on many traditional male roles needs to go by the boards.  Only men without real manhood feel threatened by women competing with them for jobs -- including jobs requiring brute strength.  I have a Zumba dance instructor who is better muscled than most men I know -- a Samoan woman with children.  In law enforcement, I have worked under the supervision of female sergeants and captains who did an excellent job.  Female judges, doctors, and lawyers bring wonderful professionalism to our society -- and we need their unique perspectives.  I am saddened by the way in which women are treated like chattel in some Islamic and other traditional cultures.

"If left to the conceptual world of the writers at National Review, women would never have been allowed to vote or to demand equal pay for equal work, much less to compete with men for exclusively male jobs."

Because they opposed the Equal Rights Amendment? 

[Darren10]

32 minutes ago, ALarson said:

I don't think the OP is trying to make women "out to be helpless saps", but I do think that women could have been pictured doing the same things as these men were doing (especially trained firefighters or police who are women, women who are military/ex-military and many others).  Women also have "protective instincts" and I'd imagine that there were women involved in rescues as well as these men.  I am touched by the pictures above and would be just as touched if it were women carrying children on their hips or helping just as these men were doing.  It's not a male/female thing, IMO, but these are human emotions and desires to help, protect and rescue someone in trouble.

There are women who did the same but, overwhemingly, the *types* of rescuing depicted in the National Review article were done by men. Please show me otherwise. 

[ALarson]

1 minute ago, Darren10 said:

There are women who did the same but, overwhemingly, the *types* of rescuing depicted in the National Review article were done by men.

True.

1 minute ago, Darren10 said:

Please show me otherwise. 

Why?  I never stated anything in disagreement (that what was depicted in the National Review were pictures of men doing the rescuing). 

[Darren10]

13 minutes ago, ALarson said:

True.

Why?  I never stated anything in disagreement (that what was depicted in the National Review were pictures of men doing the rescuing). 

You suggested that National Review show women doing the same work. While that did happen, the type of work done in the rescuing of flood victims in Houston was overwhelmingly men. National Review simply pointed out "men being men" as a good, not an evil.

[ALarson]

9 minutes ago, Darren10 said:

You suggested that National Review show women doing the same work. 

I didn't mention the "National Review" in the comment I made (from the title of the thread, I thought the pictures were actually in USA Today).  

I simply stated:

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

I don't think the OP is trying to make women "out to be helpless saps", but I do think that women could have been pictured doing the same things as these men were doing (especially trained firefighters or police who are women, women who are military/ex-military and many others).

Do you disagree?

Edited September 2, 2017 by ALarson

[thesometimesaint]

Editing what they do write is just as important as what they don't write. Don't miss the trees for the forest.

[Darren10]

52 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Anthropologists have long recognized as normal the actual division of labor based on gender in most primitive societies.  Such complementary gender roles were set by nature, not God, and there are no self-evident or axiomatic truths requiring people to be hamstrung by such roles in modern times.  If left to the conceptual world of the writers at National Review, women would never have been allowed to vote or to demand equal pay for equal work, much less to compete with men for exclusively male jobs.

The silly, sexist notion that women are just too weak to take on many traditional male roles needs to go by the boards.  Only men without real manhood feel threatened by women competing with them for jobs -- including jobs requiring brute strength.  I have a Zumba dance instructor who is better muscled than most men I know -- a Samoan woman with children.  In law enforcement, I have worked under the supervision of female sergeants and captains who did an excellent job.  Female judges, doctors, and lawyers bring wonderful professionalism to our society -- and we need their unique perspectives.  I am saddened by the way in which women are treated like chattel in some Islamic and other traditional cultures.

I like these National Review articles on equal pay. Please show me where they are factually wrong and how their positions keep women from earning equal pay. Thanks.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/345106/equal-pay-day-debunked-three-minutes-carrie-lukas

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/375725/obamas-bogus-equal-pay-stat-michael-barone

I also like this New York Times article of equal pay: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/us/politics/as-obama-spotlights-gender-gap-in-wages-his-own-payroll-draws-scrutiny.html

Edited September 2, 2017 by Darren10

[Darren10]

4 hours ago, ALarson said:

I didn't mention the "National Review" in the comment I made.  I simply stated:

Do you disagree?

I do not disagree a bit but the point of the article is that "men being men" is a social good. In fact, it's very good for society when "men are men". This counters the talking point of how "men being men" destroys others, particularly women. The fact of the matter is that the overwhelming gender doing the types of rescue n this National Review article were done by men. Women are doing an equally important part in rescuing people and nothing in the article diminishes that.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Darren10

[Nofear]

Toxic masculinity? Oh, we get all kinds of displays of manly-manliness in media (time segment 14-24 seconds). For the record, I did not watch the movie, nor ever will.
 

 

[california boy]

4 hours ago, rpn said:

We always read into things from our own perspective.   It takes real work to try to look at situations from other eyes.  

None of this seemed like "making women out to be helpless saps" to me.

 

1 hour ago, ALarson said:

I don't think the OP is trying to make women "out to be helpless saps", but I do think that women could have been pictured doing the same things as these men were doing (especially trained firefighters or police who are women, women who are military/ex-military and many others).  Women also have "protective instincts" and I'd imagine that there were women involved in rescues as well as these men.  I am touched by the pictures above and would be just as touched if it were women carrying children on their hips or helping just as these men were doing.  It's not a male/female thing, IMO, but these are human emotions and desires to help, protect and rescue someone in trouble.

Then telll me, what is the point of the article?

[ALarson]

15 minutes ago, Darren10 said:

I do not disagree a bit...

Good.

I just think that quotes like this...

14 hours ago, smac97 said:

The AP photo is important. In it, the man and woman each do something the other cannot.

...are not accurate and are just more divisive on this topic.  

My post was to point out that women could have been pictured just as these men were.  I'm not being critical that they weren't, just stating that women could have done these things too.

[ALarson]

Just now, california boy said:

 

Then telll me, what is the point of the article?

I think we agree, california boy (just not about the use of the term "helpless saps"....although it came close to using that ).  Overall, this article states many things I don't agree with and I already expressed my opinion regarding it.