Monday, August 5, 2013

A lack of self-awareness

The problem isn't so much that Women Ruin Everything.  I mean, sure, it's a material problem, but the real source of male irritation is that after wreaking their customary devastation on all that is good, holy, and operative in the name of improving it, instead of demonstraring that they've learned anything from their most recent disasters, they tend stand over the men trying to repair the damage and tell them that they're fixing it incorrectly.

I'm sure this incident was tragic for the families involved, but for everyone else, it's a humorous metaphor for the inevitable failure faced by equalitarian societies.
A pair of hikers who had been rescued after getting lost in the fog and rain inside a Maine state park drowned on Tuesday night when their car plunged into the water off a boat launch as they were trying to leave. Amy Stiner, 37, and Melissa Moyer, 38, were found dead inside a minivan in 20 feet of water about 175 feet from the boat ramp on the edge of Roque Bluffs State Park, the Washington County Sheriff's Department said.
So, this pair of strong, independent women first managed to get lost, were rescued, and then managed to promptly kill themselves by driving directly into a lake.  And how fast was one of them driving to go 175 feet into the lake?  The average minivan go from 60 to zero in 130 feet without the friction involved in slamming into increasingly deep water.  That's also a boat landing, not some sort of immediate drop-off, which indicates that the driver didn't step on the brakes once she'd driven into the lake.

Ye cats.

Of course, it goes both ways. If you don't know what you're doing or something is beyond you for one reason or another, then don't do it and don't interfere with those who can. I'm not terribly dextrous and my spacial relations are literally retarded, whereas Spacebunny is mechanically competent and has long, slender fingers that would be the envy of a high elf.  So, when the bloody clip comes off the mower again, I don't express any opinions about how she should go about putting it back on, I just shut up and hold the cutter however she tells me to hold it.  And if she reminds me to tighten the bolt next time before I start mowing, I don't argue with her or defend myself,  I just agree to do it, because I'm the one who screwed up in the first place.

(NB: or as is more accurate, the second place.  If Honda had more competent design engineers, the wretched clip would not be a problem in the first place.  I notice that their newer models have a modified design to account for this mechanical flaw. But, like it or not, the problem exists, and it's my fault if I don't correct for it since I know that it is there.)

Whether you are male or female, if you get something wrong, for any reason, learn to shut up and listen to those who got it right from the start. And if you break something, then you don't get an opinion on how it should be fixed.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it must be very difficult for men to remember that women were a gift, specifically designed for their pleasure. I imagine men scratching their head, thanking God, and thinking, "now what am I suppose to do with this? This is about as useful as the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas. Where am I suppose to keep 7 swans a swimming, 6 geese a laying?"

To make matters worse, we women try to spend all our time denying you the only benefits you can clearly see, sex, companionship, children. Worse, we attempt to destroy you for even asking.

I suppose women serve another purpose. Endless entertainment. At least life isn't boring when you're constantly perched on the edge of disaster.

Anonymous said...

I think we can attribute most of the 165 feet of travel to drift. A mini-van, having lots of air inside will drift for a while before losing buoyancy. I do wonder why the women didn't simply get out of the car when they noticed they were under water.

--Hale

Amy said...

Perhaps the most sad and distressing aspect of this case is that one of the women was five months pregnant. I openly wept when I got to that part of the story.

I've spent a lot of time outdoors and in remote areas, where rescue is not likely to happen immediately and even a twisted ankle could mean a rough bivouac until daylight (by choice, and not in the military; I like to be alone and in nature). Any person hiking in the wilderness need always be aware of his surroundings (or her/their in this case) and her bearings. I have been lost. It's frightening, but not something to make you completely lose your faculties.

I thought the same thing about the boat ramp. You can't just drive off a boat ramp without being aware that you're going into the water. That's kind of the whole point of a ramp. Something doesn't seem right about this story.

Not to mention, it's easy enough to unbuckle the seatbelt and swim away. Note that the first impulse the driver had was to use her cell phone to call for help, not to exit the vehicle. I've done "wet exits" in kayak/canoe submergence situations. It's scary, but doable. Just get out and swim up. I can't imagine that kind of helplessness in a life or death situation. But I suppose rabbits will rabbit. And, I suppose, I knew that some situations might warrant advanced knowledge of how to get out of sticky situations and I wanted to know how to avoid or exit them.

Moral of the story: don't hike while stupid, or female, not that one necessarily has anything to do with the other.

Something about this smacks of suicide to me. A lovers quarrel? Disputes over custody of the now-dead five-month old child? I despair of thinking about such things.

Amy said...

or, perhaps, some sort of Thelma and Louise romanticism infected them.

Something just does not smell right here.

swiftfoxmark2 said...

Maybe they were supposed to die stranded in the fog...

Anonymous said...

"..their customary devastation on all that is good, holy, and operative.."

Yes, such is my nature. My poor husband just wanted me to sit back and admire his good game, but I couldn't even do that. I had to ask him, "what is this thing you do? How can you possibly know exactly what I need all of the time?" So he told me I was calling him stupid and to knock it off. So I shrieked, "I never even used the word stupid," not intending any deceit but simply not seeing what was right before me. So being a woman, I then promptly did the exact same thing three more times, until he finally pinned me down and said if I didn't knock it off, there was going to be trouble. Since I've been doing this submissive thing for a while now, I took that leap of faith and assumed he knew what he was talking about even though I couldn't see it. So I apologized for calling him stupid and told him I'd figure it out. (We don't even have "fights" anymore, I just have a crisis of submission. He's right, I'm wrong. And even if he is wrong, it's best for me to just shut up and follow. He'll figure it out eventually.)

So I followed my hamster and listened to the call of game, as I also seem compelled to do, and here I am. It took me forever to figure out that what I was really seeking was intellectual dominance. Again, I wasn't trying to deceive anyone, I just honestly couldn't figure out what I was looking for, but my hamster knew, it always goes seeking what it wants. Men may have a negative view of my hamster on account of how much trouble it causes them, but I have only positive feelings about it and I follow along quite happily.

So I came seeking intellectual dominance and I found it. I get it now. By questioning my husband about the nature of game, I was implying he was too stupid to have come up with it on his own, too stupid to hold that power, too stupid to be worthy of that authority. What about all the women who are smarter, huh? What about them? The answer was in front of me the whole time, no matter how smart the woman, no matter how skilled, how valuable, men hold the authority because their brains can always see things I can't and because God knew what he was doing.

My husband does not require all this intellectual tedium. He can simply feel that Pain-in-the-ass-wife-thing coming at him, and respond accordingly. It's instinctual for him. I have to reason things out more.

So I'm very grateful for everyone's help here and I apologize for taking up so much of your time. That apology would be more sincere if I weren't also grinning so much over the fact that I have just discovered that I am inferior. Not worthless, just second in command at our house. There now, that wasn't so bad.

Revelation Means Hope said...

Kitty,
God didn't make women "inferior" to men.

You are allowing the evil feminists to continue poisoning your thinking.

Eve was Adam's helpmate. It isn't in the least bit inferior to fulfill God's original purpose for your gender.

It is the evil lie crafted by Satan that women have to be men and have the same role and responsibilities that makes so many women unable to submit, because they have so thoroughly bought the lie that submission is "being inferior".

Markku said...

Yttik: That sounds like WAY too convoluted reasoning for a man. I strongly suspect he thought you were being sarcastic, and meant to say "look, dude, you couldn't possibly know what I want better than me".

Markku said...

Had you chosen a better time for the discussion you might have resolved that, but by interrupting him watching his game you guaranteed that his annoyance levels were through the roof the entire time.

mmaier2112 said...

The solution is simple and yet too many folks do it: Don't ever drive faster than you can see. It could have been a log in the road.

Hey! That reminds me, I have to polish my headlights.

Doom said...

Well, give them a chance anyway. Look, if someone says they are fixing something, and it isn't working, fire their ass. Man, woman, child. Makes no difference to me. I'm simply results oriented about both what I can and can't do.

Still, the lake plunge thing. Brings tears to my eyes but not for the reasons that would please the family. I still think voting, and car keys, should be hidden from the pretty ones for the most part. Even then, most of them are backseat drivers. Saudi Arabia bans women and still suggests they are the reason for most accidents... which I can believe.

Anonymous said...

What is it about men and driving, anyway? I am completely clueless. Even at my worst I may have been willing to pitch something at a man's head, but I would never, ever, kick his truck. That would be insane. It's written somewhere.

I have a car and drive of course, but I have never driven one of my husband's vehicles. I asked him why once and he said, "it's because I'm a better driver than you." I pointed out that I have never crashed a car and he has. He said, "exactly, I'm a better driver because I have more experience wrecking cars than you do."

Oh....okay...wait, what?

LP2021 Bank of LP Work in Progress said...

Sad but women do get themselves killed undertaking this kind of thing.

SB is of a strong, strong constitution and ability, I am afraid to touch mowers or weed wackers. Let alone mow the lawn, I can handle a electric mower and that is the extent of my lawn talents.

WRE, Curie LP, seriously, a definition of incompetence is in a dictionary with a picture of me as an example.

Jimmy said...

Women's motocross. Pretty funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9lAALZObno

Jimmy said...

Full race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf6NQOGmjlY

mina smith said...

this entire story is just funny as all get-out

Anonymous said...

Okay, so sometimes I am in complete awe of my own inability to grasp even my own lessons. It turns out that man-brains do not like to deal with massive amounts of information on multiple levels coming at them at record breaking speed, anymore than then they like having coffee cups pitched at their head. Oddly, it appears that I really can be so scary stupid, I actually have to be taught both of these things.

Whoever said it was harsh, no it was actually kind and gentle, just enough for me to understand and no more.

Ghost said...

Hultgreen-Curie strikes again?

Anonymous said...

And one more thing, the next person who implies I am a hoax perpetuated by a slightly stupid basement dwelling male, will lose my respect. I will assume you are simply too stupid to lead. That's not a threat, it's a statement of fact. As you know so well from Game, if you lose my respect, you will not be the one leading anymore. And since I cannot really control who I respect, I will simply pass you over for another.

If you think that is a Divine joke, and unfair, you should try life as an intelligent being trapped in a squishy girly brain. That really bites.

Ronald McFondle said...

"And one more thing, the next person who implies I am a hoax perpetuated by a slightly stupid basement dwelling male, will lose my respect. I will assume you are simply too stupid to lead. That's not a threat, it's a statement of fact. As you know so well from Game, if you lose my respect, you will not be the one leading anymore."

You hear that guys? If you keep questioning the gender of this anonymous, annoying person, you will lose the ability to become her next husband. Beware the shaming language.

Stickwick Stapers said...

And one more thing, the next person who implies I am a hoax perpetuated by a slightly stupid basement dwelling male, will lose my respect.

LOL. On the off-chance you're not taking the piss out of everyone here, you'll likely find this sort of threat, factual or not, has the opposite effect you intended.

Anonymous said...

I said it was a fact, not a threat. It is not a threat, because who cares, right? Where is the power in my threat? I am simply saying that I will not read anything you write if it accuses me of dishonesty. I have been brutally, painfully, honest with you all and it is extremely frustrating that you will not even give me credit for that.

I don't say it to shame anyone. You may doubt my legitimacy all you want, but you cannot keep accusing me of being a fraud and a hoax because that is simply excessively cruel. But of course, you are free to continue to do exactly that. I am appealing to your better nature and asking you not to.

I am the one without the power in this situation, gentleman, and if you kick me around to harshly I will bolt. That may solve your immediate needs and get rid of an annoyance, but I think your patience will reap rewards for everyone and it would be shame to end it so soon.

I have been trying very hard to meet your approval, but if all I am going to meet is continuous mockery and ridicule, than you will have proven to me that my quest for men's honor was simply Kitty, pointlessly falling backwards down yet another rabbit hole.

Stickwick Stapers said...

It's been mildly entertaining and all, little backwards kitty, but this is getting too silly to be plausible.

Anonymous said...

Stickwick, bite me.

But to all the men here, I retract my entire temper tantrum and all the tantrums I've been having. I have quite shamelessly completely exposed myself to you, humiliated myself, persistently submitted to Vox's superior wisdom, rejected numerous layers of my belief system, and I now remain floating in the universe, clinging to this idea that God is good and not much else.

I will now simply appeal to your better nature and hope you don't finish me off, I suppose. Or at least finish me off quickly and with as little humiliation as possible, if that's where we're going.

SarahsDaughter said...

yttik,
My husband read Vox's late WND column right from the beginning mohawk days. From there he read VP. He asked me several times to read VP but it was very difficult for me (you must be this tall to ride). A few years ago I relented and with a google tab always open, I began reading and learning. RLB would not allow me to comment until I had been reading consistantly for six months. Though I have not been exempt from having my lunch handed to me (who has?) it was very good instruction so I could discuss things with him and learn to read and process before engaging in discussion. RLB mentioned the comments over at VP and I'm headed over there to read it all now.

My point is, I hope you stay around, don't get discouraged, and perhaps write your thoughts out, wait a few hours, reread them and decide if what you've written is what you want to post.

mina smith said...

over abundance of estrogen, methinks.

Revelation Means Hope said...

Mina,
exactly.
I pity the husband.

Anonymous said...

That hurts, JC. I would do everything in my power to protect the poor man from one of my meltdowns, even it required me to completely humiliate myself in front of strangers on the internet, as I have just done.

Post a Comment

NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS.