At a news conference in Genoa, the head of Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp, rejected suggestions that the sheer size of the cruise ship had made it impossible to evacuate the more than 4,000 people onboard safely.
Posted on 01/16/2012 9:06:35 AM PST by C19fan
t was every man – and crew member – for himself. Survivors from the Costa Concordia spoke angrily yesterday of the nightmare evacuation from the stricken ship as women and children were left behind. In the terrifying moments after the giant vessel began to list, fights even broke out to get into the lifeboats. Men refused to prioritise women, expectant mothers and children as they pushed themselves forward to escape. Crew ignored their passengers – leaving ‘chefs and waiters’ to help out.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Color me somewhat skeptical here as this seems an almost unbelievable breakdown in discipline. If it turns out to be true, then the Officers should be prosecuted.
Kinda reminds me of the “fire” scene with George Castanza in Seinfeld (where he pushes the old woman in the walker down to get out the door).
The “George Costanza Theory”. The men don’t leave first, they “lead the way”.
itallian cruise ships never had a “women and children” rule.
(then again the titanic had that rule and as a result people died with empty lifeboats floating in the ocean.
These days, a lot of crew members are recruited from Third World countries where Western notions are not accepted, because they are cheap to hire. They are even less likely to give a damn about Western women and children.
Captin left the ship early in the evacuation leaving many passengers and officers still aboard.
I understand there being confusion in getting off the ship, but having done so, couldn’t people swim? It looks like they were just yards from land.
At a news conference today, Costa Cruises Chief Executive Officer Pier Luigi Foschi said the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, made an unapproved, unauthorized maneuver to change the ship’s programmed course. Italian media has reported that Schettino was close to the shore in order to wave to a friend who was on land.
With the riff raff and ne’er do wells who usually populate modern cruise ships as employees, is anyone surprised that this is how they reacted?
Sounds like a general Lord of the Flies situation, with old and young people being pushed aside and crew members abandoning their responsibilities.
I therefore wouldn’t chalk it up to feminism so much as a general, modern, ‘me-firstism’. But hey, if you never wanted to see women get equal pay for equal work or equal hiring opportunities, I can understand the impulse to see it through that lens.
I don’t get the tie to feminism. Clearly male passengers were left behind as well. All of them.
I’m sort of fond of books about shipwrecks and the such, and based on those I would say that the only time the “women and children first” rule is followed in the real world is when the officers enforce it with weapons. There was one exception....I can’t quite remember...something about a company of British soldiers who stood in formation until the others were gone. I’ll see if I can find it.
At a news conference in Genoa, the head of Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp, rejected suggestions that the sheer size of the cruise ship had made it impossible to evacuate the more than 4,000 people onboard safely.
It seems Italian men are only good for loving. LOL
There were a lot of elderly people aboard who probably couldn’t have swum very far if at all.
And even jumping into the water would have injured or concussed many, leading tom possible drowning, thats a long jump.
Just getting off the ship would have been a problem - the ship apparently heeled over too much for some people who were in interior spaces/staterooms to get up the hallways - the elderly, etc.
You mean, 'It seems Italian men are only good for loving EACH OTHER.'
Some people did swim to shore.
HMS Birkenhead -
See - “The Birkenhead Drill”
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