The SHOE-BOMBER vs. REAL MEN: What Feminists Have Never Understood, And Try To Distort

Townhall.com ^ | 12/31/01 | Mona Charen

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

In the hours after American Airlines Flight 63 landed safely thanks to the courage and strength of the flight attendants and passengers, there was a refreshing clarity about the sexes evident in the land.

Let's review: When Richard C. Reid leaned down and began touching lighted matches to his sneakers, it was a flight attendant who first attempted to stop him. She grabbed at his hands and he shoved her so hard that she landed, according to The New York Times account, four rows back. She yelled for help, and another flight attendant attempted to thwart Reid's shoe-lighting. Reid bit her on the hand hard enough to draw blood.

When she screamed, a number of male passengers, including the 6 foot, 8 inch NBA player Kwame James responded. Using anything at hand -- including plastic handcuffs, a dozen belts offered by other passengers and, eventually, sedatives from the plane's on-board kit -- four or five large men were able to subdue the "almost possessed" Reid.

The female flight attendants deserve high marks for their courage. But the episode does reveal that physical size and strength still matter in this world. It took the advent of real danger to reawaken our politically correct society to this truth.

Three years ago, my then-5-year-old son came home from kindergarten and looked at me sympathetically. "Mom, when you were a little girl, people didn't think women could be firefighters, did they?"

I knew immediately that his teacher, a lovely lady of decidedly liberal outlook, was instructing her charges on the wonderful progress of civilization.

"Well," I said, "I'm still not sure I think women firefighters are a good idea." I explained that women had been discouraged in the past from pursuing careers at all -- and this did not make sense. There is no reason that a woman cannot try a case, run a business or heal the sick.

But when it comes to tasks requiring physical strength, well, women are still smaller than men. And while many women have just as much courage, ingenuity and self-possession in emergencies as men, only the most unusual women have the strength to carry the average overweight American out of a burning building.

We've pretended for decades now that physical differences between men and women are insignificant, and where they exist, stand as a rebuke to men. Big dumb jerks. We don't need you to hold open doors for us! I can carry my own bag, bub! Except, it turns out, that when a 6 foot, 4 inch terrorist is swatting women away like mosquitoes, you do need men -- the bigger the better -- to overpower him.

What feminists have never understood, and have actually gone out of their way to distort, is that male strength has always been viewed, in Western culture, as a responsibility, not as a weapon with which to subjugate females. Women and men have traditionally taught their sons (in all but the worst families) that with physical strength must come mental and moral strength. Boys were taught the honorable use of their power -- not to intimidate but to prevent intimidation; not to bully but to protect. Despite reams of disinformation circulated by some feminists, husbands are the last people to beat or abuse women.

Perhaps the new climate of danger -- danger from evil men -- will quiet the anti-male agitation we've endured for so long. For the threat from evil men can only adequately be met by good men. Why not cheer when the manly virtues are called for and demonstrated?

Our admiration for Rudy Giuliani is not based upon his empathy -- though he showed plenty of it -- but rather for older virtues like command, authority, competence and leadership. The businessmen on Flight 93 who whispered their farewells to their wives and families, and then set down their cell phones to take on the terrorists were real men -- the best of masculinity. Were we proud of the female flight attendant who quietly boiled water to throw at the terrorists? You bet. But if it came to a fight, mano a mano, the men would have to take the lead.

As Peggy Noonan observed in Opinion Journal, Sept. 11 has brought old-fashioned virility back into style. God bless our men, who've taken so much undeserved abuse for decades, yet never stopped being men and gentlemen.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

But that might have offended some male egos, though, based on this article.

So in the politically correct view, speaking well of men who are heroes is to be shut down by cries of "male ego" (a sexist term)?

These guys saved lives. Honor them.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

P.C.L.

Why did you post a large, crass pro-abortion graphic on a thread about the Christ Child, Baby Jesus?

RIGHT HERE, JUST DOUBLE-CLICK ON THIS HYPERLINK

I would say that's blasphemy.

[NewHampshireDuo]

Did you grow up in the midwest? My husband's parents were hog farmers in Iowa and my mother-in-law worked as hard as my father-in-law, choring, planting, harvesting and bringing up 2 little boys, coping with all the farm chores when my father-in-law contracted polio in the 50's. Plus, she cooked, cleaned the house, painted it when it needed it, and took care of the milking too. My husband's first memories were of sitting in a chair with his brother and not moving until his parents came in from doing the chores. Sometimes it was late, but they stayed put. It was (and is) a hard life. They had an incredible work ethic and went to church every week. I think the midwest farmer is a grand example of the American ethic..

[Dubya_gal]

I won't dispute your assertion about natural tendencies of males and females, although I don't think these generalizations are true in every case.

What I would like to point out to you is that the "natural tendencies" of a woman can contribute to a country as well as a home when these women are empowered politically and economically. If a woman makes a role for herself in the home, this is important work. But keeping women ONLY in the home would keep them out of the loop when it comes to the real "power" in a country, the ability to make laws and public policy and contribute to our economy. I think that it is destructive to a country to remove women from these spheres.

Look at the places in the world where women are the least powerful, where they cannot work or serve in government or vote. I think that you will find that these places are very barbaric (I am thinking of the Middle East and specifically Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. They are societies where power is the most important thing and men spend years slaughtering anyone who stands in the way of their getting it. I don't see a lot of women contributing to these wars or oppressing the weak or burning flags and screaming hateful anti-American things in wild protests in street.

I am not trying to beat up on men here, I know that these men do not represent all men. But I do think that the natural tendencies of both women AND men have a good side and a dark side. Men and women, when working together and listening to each other, have a remarkable ability to keep in check the bad stuff and bring out the good stuff in each other. I think this is true in a society as well as in a home. Maybe, as AeWingnut thinks, the women's vote is more emotional and when unchecked would lean toward socialism. But there are many instances of unchecked male power leaning toward fascism and war and chaos. I think that when men and women listen to each other we build a society that is both strong and compassionate.

I can't help but think that if the Taliban were half female there wouldn't be widows and their children starving in the streets of Afghanistan because they aren't allowed work. Of course it is ridiculous to think about the Taliban being part female. These men have stopped listening to women long ago, stopped respecting anything they have to offer, stopped learning from them, and they have done so at their own peril.

[Khepera]

PCL is a whore for the blood of aborted babies. You cannot argue with a whore!

[Kevin Curry]

Our admiration for Rudy Giuliani is not based upon his empathy -- though he showed plenty of it -- but rather for older virtues like command, authority, competence and leadership. The businessmen on Flight 93 who whispered their farewells to their wives and families, and then set down their cell phones to take on the terrorists were real men -- the best of masculinity.

Male behavior has been denigrated and ridiculed for so long now that boys and young men are growing up confused about and cynical of their own potential. Recently this anti-male feminist onslaught has been visibly challenged and fiercely countered by a few men unafraid to act according to masculinity's noblest virtues. God bless these men and the familes they have left behind. Their influence will extend far beyond the immediate moment of their scrifice; by their actions they have provided boys and young men powerful models of positive masculine decision-making and behavior.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

First, you write really well.

I agree with you about balance.

In America, feminism has thrown that balance out of whack, society-wide, with massively deleterious consequences over the last 30+ years.

And that must change.

Comments?

[Dubya_gal]

I should also add that a society where women stop listening to men and denigrate what they have to offer is in trouble as well. I fear that some feminists have led us in that direction and I hope that Sept. 11 has brought us a little back in a more healthy direction.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

Did you see what he did to the Christ-Child thread?

[Dubya_gal]

Thanks. Great minds think alike. ;) See my post #88.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

98% of feminists...with the other 2% being Christina Hoff Sommers modest little group, and Patricia Heaton's Feminists For Life.

Organized feminism, the 98%, is all about male-bashing, and naught else.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

My concern now is that feminist-endorsed entitlements will not be surrendered gently, even though they reflect bias against men.

Or more likely because they do.

[William Terrell]

Because she doesn't see things in your terms. Just as she doesn't see things in terms giving a group of people a dumbed-down test or bonus points or preferences because they belong to a specific group of people, she also doesn't see why she should be prevented from doing something she's capable of doing because someone else thinks she can't or shouldn't.

That just simply doesn't matter in what terms she sees things. Women find themselves, by physical law, in the enviable/unenviable position of the beautiful and prized race horse, or the heir to a throne. Their function is the most important boon to mankind that exists: our very survival as a species. Mother Nature did this to women, not men. This fact may be brutal from the viewpoint of your daughter, but it nonetheless is a fact.

I'm sure an heir to the leadership of a nation would like to go skydiving and other similar and dangeous activities. And, to my historical knowledge, many have railed against it just like women rail against this.

Tell her to enjoy it while she can. The only environment where we can get by these particular natural laws is one of high technology and high population. Either one of these can vanish in the twinkling of an eye.

[sangoo]

Something that I haven't heard discussed much is the female airline pilot situation. After the Alaska Airlines crash off of the Ventura county coast a few years ago I heard that the pilots were using all of their strength to pull on the yoke to stabilize the aircraft. If strength is needed to get out of hazardous situations on an airplane, shouldn't there be a strength standard? When both pilot and copilot are female, is the plane being flown be the safest team?

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

Great minds think alike. ;)

Does that mean we both think you write well?

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

I offer that there should be whatever standards the job demands. And any men---or women---who can meet those standards, great.

[NYpeanut]

What a stunning command of the language you have. Thanks for serving as such a shining example of my original point. You are a wonderful model of illogic. Here's a tip--avoid debate with anyone over 12. You're going to look bad every time.

[Dr. Good Will Hunting]

Male behavior has been denigrated and ridiculed for so long now that boys and young men are growing up confused about and cynical of their own potential. Recently this anti-male feminist onslaught has been visibly challenged and fiercely countered by a few men unafraid to act according to masculinity's noblest virtues. God bless these men and the familes they have left behind. Their influence will extend far beyond the immediate moment of their scrifice; by their actions they have provided boys and young men powerful models of positive masculine decision-making and behavior.

And the feminists are waiting for the glow of 9/11 heroism to fade, so they can renew their media/legislative assault on fatherhood, manhood, masculinity...

[NYpeanut]

So then this 15th amendment thing bothers you, too? You can try to spin all the parabolas you want, but not without sticking your head out of the closet.

[SCalGal]

It's been very nice, though, to have the feninazis quiet for a while. And even more wonderful, to see men being treated as men.