Right now I'm reading a book called Down With the Old Canoe, by Steven Biel. It discusses the political things going on during the time Titanic sank. Among these occurrences was the suffragist movement--women wanted a vote. They wanted equality with men.
So why, as was pointed out by those against this movement, did these same women not complain about the "women and children first" rule that prevailed on the Titanic? Well I guess I see their point. I mean, if women want equality with men (I still say it isn't quite achieved yet), we have to be willing to accept the fact that we aren't going to get any special chivalry or anything from them. We'll get common courtesy, but that's about it.
But then, what usually follows the denouncement of the suffragists is a building of those wonderful "heroic" men who (as the press basically said) bravely stood aside to let the women get off safely. Oh PLEASE. Yes, I'm sure some of them did. I'm not trying to say that they weren't heroic. But I really don't like the fact that all the men on the Titanic are lumped together as being heroic. And I really don't think they all bravely stood aside to let the women and children get in the boats. Otherwise there would have been no cause to shoot at anyone. And there were gunshots; several people heard them.
Then, there is always a denouncement of the men who survived. Let's take a look at Bruce Ismay, who has been practically degraded to a level lower than dirt. He, and the other men who survived, only followed their natural instinct. I see nothing wrong with that. I mean, sheesh. If they had stayed on the boat and drowned, what good would that have done? That would have been more lost lives to add to the already tragic total. Don't you think their own consciences probably bothered them enough? They saw more death and pain in that one night than they probably had their whole lives. At least in the first class. Those images would be forever imprinted in their minds.
And finally, the ultimate irony--the praise of the women who stayed behind with their husbands, like Ida Straus. As divorce rates were rising, these women proved as good examples to the world. They were praised for their faithfulness and devotion. Which, indeed, they had. I'm not denying that. And they were admirable for it, and I hope that someday I love someone enough to face death together with him. But my point here is that the same people who were praising the men for standing back to let the women into the boats; the same people who believed so heartily in the oppression of the right of woman to vote; these same people were promoting the right of a woman to think and decide for herself.
Finally, people looked down their noses occasionally at the widows of the Titanic, saying they should have stayed with their husbands and gone down with them. Be reasonable. That would have just added unnecessary deaths to the toll. K, end of tirade.