Something about evolution, but probably not what they think
Last week I was horrified to come across some survey that had been done on people using dating apps during lockdown and men who were actually trying to set up in-person hang-outs and negging women who, quite reasonably, did not want to hang out with some total stranger in the middle of a pandemic.
And while one could I daresay put this down to the same kind of gendered recklessness that I noted in a news report concerning citations for contravention of social distancing measures in the UK which skewed a) male and b) 18-34 yrs of age, maybe they were making a ev-psych case? You know, the imperative to mate when the going gets tough?
Was reminded of late C19th classic work by Geddes and Thomson, The Evolution of Sex, which did not say in so many words that the Male of the Species was intended to swim upstream, spawn and die, having fulfilled his evolutionary function, but rather strongly implied that, whereas women had the role of Preserving the Species once engendered.
On the other paw, would honestly not consider these specimens prime breeding stock, but maybe, if taken young and properly trained, the offspring might turn out better than expected?
However, I fear that it may be more connected with this kind of toxic macho attitude: Some Men Refuse to Take Safety Precautions. They think it makes them look weak, and avoiding that is evidently more important to them than demonstrating responsible behavior.
I regret to say that I do not feel like digging around in whatever WWII newsreels are available online (bad historian, no biscuit), but I am prepared to bet that Churchill was modelling appropriate behaviour by carrying his gasmask with him when he was going out among the populace, ditto the Royal family, heading to the shelters when the siren wailed, etc.
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