(Mark Steyn) The End Of Social Norms, From The Titanic To The Concordia

IBD Editorials ^ | January 20, 2012 | MARK STEYN

[Kaslin]

Abe Greenwald of Commentary magazine tweets: "Is there any chance that Mark Steyn won't use the Italian captain fleeing the sinking ship as the lead metaphor in a column on EU collapse?"

Oh, dear. You've got to get up early in the morning to beat me to civilizational-collapse metaphors. Been there, done that. See page 185 of my most recent book, where I contrast the orderly, dignified and moving behavior of those on the Titanic (the ship, not the mendacious Hollywood blockbuster) with that manifested in more recent disasters.

There was no orderly evacuation from the Costa Concordia, just chaos punctuated by individual acts of courage from, for example, an Hungarian violinist in the orchestra and a ship's entertainer in a Spiderman costume, both of whom helped children to safety, the former paying with his life.

The miserable Captain Schettino, by contrast, is presently under house arrest, charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship. His explanation is that, when the vessel listed suddenly, he fell into a lifeboat and was unable to climb out. Seriously. Could happen to anyone, slippery decks and all that.

Next thing you know, he was safe on shore, leaving his passengers all at sea. On the other hand, the audio of him being ordered by Coast Guard officers to return to his ship and refusing to do so is not helpful to this version of events.

In the centenary year of the most famous of all maritime disasters, we would do well to consider honestly the tale of the Titanic. When James Cameron made his movie, he was interested in everything except what the story was actually about.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Watch the video.

gCaptain’s John Konrad Narrates the Final Maneuvers of the Costa Concordia [VIDEO]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2835530/posts

[Anvilhead]

I agree with you. The problem here is that men are getting fed up with female behavior. It's galling to be denigrated, mocked, and shunted to the side in the name of “equality” only to be expected to cheerfully absorb physical violence on females behalf.

Eventually even the hardest will can be worn away by the constant drip of condescension.

I'm not saying what the men did was right but I can understand how we got here.

[dr_lew]

Ok. Fantastic. An excellent account of the movement of the ship. ( A stark contrast to the melodramatic mish mosh presented to us by the major media. ) However I must note that the invocation of a “current” moving the ship shoreward seemed a little nebulous, as it acted in concert with the activation of the bow thrusters, which caused the rotation of the ship, according to the video. Well, if there was a shoreward drift, that was fortunate, but the ship did maneuver with its bow thrusters, and I wonder who was directing this action. If it was the captain, it seems out of character with the apparent inattention he had ro the ship’s operation around this time, but if it was not the captain, who was it?

[Jack Hydrazine]

I’ve considered that, also. I’m sure the bridge crew, realizing just how perilous the situation had become, were doing their best to get the ship close to land with the bow thrusters while the captain was dining with his lovely lady.

This captain seems to me to be more of drunk playboy out joyriding his boat than being a captain.

[Ann Archy]

This is what the FEMINISTS have done......they have turned MEN inti WOMEN.....

[Sacajaweau]

You can entitle this: The Lady and the Gentleman".

Two days ago, I was leaving the Town Hall. I was a tad out the door and looked to see the man coming INTO the Town Hall holding HIS door open for me. He looked me straight in the eye and said "This is for You".

I smiled and took him up on his chivalry. We both smiled.I said "thank you" and he said "you're welcome".

Made my day!!

[Sacajaweau]

Now you got it. The Captain beached it!!

And the shore was definitely the best spot for the Captain where he could have a fullest view of the ship. If it was upright, I would say something totally different.

And the Coast Guard....Go for the rescue...not the Captain's throat.

[Amberdawn]

No, but then I’m not condemning them. I’m pointing out that while there were many admirable acts of sacrifice associated with that night, there were also acts of tooth and claw survival that were hardly romantic...

[TalBlack]

“True! But before we all get misty eyed about the Titanic remember that on SOME of the last lifeboats, the saved did commit murder by beating those trying to get into already overloaded boats with the oars.”

Yeah, they shoulda’ committed suicide instead.

Sheesh.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

when the vessel listed suddenly, [Captain Schettino] fell into a lifeboat and was unable to climb out.

Seems plausible, even more so when you consider that "Schettino" is Italian for - wait for it - "roller-skate".

[bert]

All animals are equal till the ship begins to sink.

If women and children are first, who will remain to save the race?

[redgolum]

Of course not. Feminists have wanted tol be equal and this is part of it.

[Sacajaweau]

That was one great video. Thank you

[AndyJackson]

it was not the captain, who was it?

A ship's movements are directed by the officer on watch on the bridge. Despite common beliefs, that is usually not the Captain, who takes the "conn" only when he decides he wants or needs to. In my years as an officer on a nuclear submarine, for instance, the Captain had the conn almost never during routine operations. Even getting underway or entering port the watch officer usually drove the ship. Now a competent Captain keeps a watchful eye, and does take the conn in extreme tactical situations, sometimes, like a torpedo attack, which we just have not done a lot of since the close of WWII.

[RoadTest]

Mark Steyn - a watchmen on the wall. Also Thomas Sowell. George Orwell. Senator Joseph P. McCarthy. John Birch. Jonah Goldberg. F. A. Hayek. Barry Goldwater. Ronald Reagan. Abraham Lincoln. David Horowitz.

[Vinnie]

And let us not forget the Oceanus sinking in the S. Atlantic in 1991.
The captain and crew abandoned ship, with their luggage, leaving the entertainers to organize rescue.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5899459-the-story-of-oceanus-sinking

[Gritty]

The contempt for "women and children first" is not a small loss. For soft cultures in good times, dispensing with social norms is easy. In hard times, you may have need of them.

As usual, Steyn makes the telling point.

When our grossly overloaded national financial ship hits the reef at full speed, the first to claw themselves over the women and children and hijack the lifeboats will be the politicians who were at the helm with their slimy bankster buddies. Naturally, they will charge the blame on the helpless in steerage as the ship goes to the bottom!

[GOPJ]

For soft cultures in good times, dispensing with social norms is easy. In hard times, you may have need of them.

It's why American rightly fear disasters - ships, trains, or economic types... someone threw out cultural rights and wrongs...

[Mountain Troll]

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful” - C. S. Lewis

[Amberdawn]

As usual, someone ALWAYS misses the point...