I thought the sexes were equal?
I had the most curious thing happen to me on the way home today, accentuated by the fact something similar happened to a friend recently. My story first:
I was on the streetcar, and a drunk was bothering the woman in the seat behind me (the seats are two deep, and she was on the seat closest to the aisle). The man she was sitting next to offered to trade seats with her. As best as I can tell, these two people did not know each other or have any pre-existing relationship of any kind. The drunk kep talking to her, but wasn't as vocal. The person sitting next to me (a man) reached his stop, so I got up to let him out. As I did I noticed an older woman (late 50's) standing looking a bit nervous. I offered her the 'safe' seat and sat down to block her from the drunk.
The trip went uneventfully, with the drunk getting off before either woman had to. What struck me was the fact that two men (myself and the other guy) offered themselves as free bodyguards to two women they had never met. The woman I implicitly offered to protect could have been a horrible, nasty bitch for all I knew, but to me she was worthy of protection by nature of her gender. I don't know if this is an evolved trait or social conditioning, but it was interesting that no party involved in this questioned the arrangement for a moment. I only started thinking about it once the situtation was over.
My friend saw a homeless man bothering a woman on the subway and confronted him, telling him to leave her alone. When the man got aggressive, so did my friend (he's a big Italian guy, looks like he's in the mob). This incident illustrates even more what I'm saying; a man offers himself as bodyguard even when he doesn't know the woman.
Even in modern times when genders are held to be equal (and I think, in most cases, are) we quickly revert back to a 'traditional' arrangement like this in a threatening situation. My indication to the older woman I was willing to protect her from a potential problem was as subtle as putting myself between her and the man, and cocking my head towards the empty seat. She understood right away and sat down.
I don't get philisophical often, so I try to make it relevant when I do.
I was on the streetcar, and a drunk was bothering the woman in the seat behind me (the seats are two deep, and she was on the seat closest to the aisle). The man she was sitting next to offered to trade seats with her. As best as I can tell, these two people did not know each other or have any pre-existing relationship of any kind. The drunk kep talking to her, but wasn't as vocal. The person sitting next to me (a man) reached his stop, so I got up to let him out. As I did I noticed an older woman (late 50's) standing looking a bit nervous. I offered her the 'safe' seat and sat down to block her from the drunk.
The trip went uneventfully, with the drunk getting off before either woman had to. What struck me was the fact that two men (myself and the other guy) offered themselves as free bodyguards to two women they had never met. The woman I implicitly offered to protect could have been a horrible, nasty bitch for all I knew, but to me she was worthy of protection by nature of her gender. I don't know if this is an evolved trait or social conditioning, but it was interesting that no party involved in this questioned the arrangement for a moment. I only started thinking about it once the situtation was over.
My friend saw a homeless man bothering a woman on the subway and confronted him, telling him to leave her alone. When the man got aggressive, so did my friend (he's a big Italian guy, looks like he's in the mob). This incident illustrates even more what I'm saying; a man offers himself as bodyguard even when he doesn't know the woman.
Even in modern times when genders are held to be equal (and I think, in most cases, are) we quickly revert back to a 'traditional' arrangement like this in a threatening situation. My indication to the older woman I was willing to protect her from a potential problem was as subtle as putting myself between her and the man, and cocking my head towards the empty seat. She understood right away and sat down.
I don't get philisophical often, so I try to make it relevant when I do.