Somehow I knew my Hillary vote would draw you out, Laz. -gg Isn't it interesting to realize that there really are thoughtful and intelligent people who would vote for a candidate you despise? It's what makes politics endlessly fascinating, I think.
O'Connor is too conservative for my taste. I'd vote for a Democratic and pro-choice man over her. It'll be a while anyway, I think, as I'm betting Bush has the next Presidential election nailed if he wants it.
About physical courage. Women have a higher pain tolerance, on average on men. It's true that, on average, men have more physical strength and are more likely to be trained and encouraged to use their bodies aggressively (ie contact sports).
But I think about it this way: what if there were two people sitting next to each other on the next plane where there's a threatening disturbance, one of whom is an overweight and sedentary 50 year old male and the other is a physically fit female who has taken years of karate. I'd hazard a guess that it's the female who would not only be more likely to get up and physically interfere, but she'd be more effective in doing so. It's just impossible to know who's going to do what in a situation like that.
I don't know if you saw the article we were all discussing here yesterday, but one of the men who rushed the hijackers on the plane that eventually crashed in Pennsylvania was a 6' 3" rugby player who was gay. You just never know who's got the courage and the "goods".
One last point: Courage of all types is important, and I'm sure you agree. There are so many things that people can do when in a life threatening situation that don't involve physical strength. I'm thinking of the very explicit instructions that one airline pilot gave his passengers on a flight about a week after September 11th. He suggested that if there were a disturbance, everyone should throw whatever was handy and reminded them that simply blinding the terrorists with a blanket over the head and holding them down might be enough to head off another horror. |
