Women Open To Combat Roles

Fearless Tower said:
The may not have had the same sheer physical strength, but as far as attitudes and overall endurance, my females were every bit as tough as their male counterparts.
This should not be surprising at all to anyone capable of objective observation of the human condition - or at least studied history in some detail.

Armageddon Aviator said:
Can you picture a woman defecating in a cardboard box inches away from her comrades because they cannot leave their vehicle for days ?
Yes I can (not that I'm all that fond of picturing anyone defecating!)

You need to do more studying of history to understand the limits of the possible. For example, at the dawn of the industrial age, women (and children) worked in coal mines with men.[1][2][3] Because of the heat, men would sometimes work nearly or entirely naked and women would wear trousers and some young girls would be naked from the waist up. In Britain, it wasn't until after an accident in 1841 in which 26 children died that a law was passed making it illegal for all females and boys under ten to work in mines.[4]

But even before then, since the beginning of agriculture, women have had no choice but to labor in the fields with men. Currently their labor contributions account for half the effort (i.e. they aren't disproportionately idle in such labor intensive work).[5]

It appears that the lessons from history (which I have barely touched) show much more variation is possible with respect to cultural norms than most people (including myself of course) have experience with or would believe is possible. It is impossible to tell what is possible - or collectively or individually desirable - without first trying. Expanding opportunities, even to unhealthy activities, is in my opinion never a bad idea.

(While I think women should be allowed to be armed cannon fodder like men are, rather than unarmed victims as they were in atrocities like the Rape of Nanking, I agree that they have no business being allowed to buy sugary drinks of more than 16 oz. Such large drinks are a moral outrage. (Do I really need a rolling eyes emoticon here?))

[1] http://writingwomenshistory.blogspot.com/2012/06/pit-lasses-truth-about-britains-female.html
[2] http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1842womenminers.asp
[3] http://www.worktolivedaily.com/2012/08/the-history-of-womens-work-coal-mining/
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mines_and_Collieries_Act_1842
[5] http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/am307e/am307e00.pdf
 
Seanaldinho said:
Good article.
Unfortunately she uses one data point, her own medical history, to make her case re "longevity." That is the entire thesis of her objection - nothing else. I found it odd that she managed to write these two sentences so close together:

"I understand that everyone is affected differently; however, I am confident that should the Marine Corps attempt to fully integrate women into the infantry, we as an institution are going to experience a colossal increase in crippling and career-ending medical conditions for females.

There is a drastic shortage of historical data on female attrition or medical ailments of women who have executed sustained combat operations."

The second sentence admits to a shortage of data, but that doesn't stop her from making a confident claim in the first sentence. She points to differing training attrition rates, which should, if the screening is gender neutral, not really tell us anything about medical ailment attrition in combat operations.

"It was evident that stress and muscular deterioration was affecting everyone regardless of gender; however, the rate of my deterioration was noticeably faster than that of male Marine...."

Her above statement is one of several that points up an interesting observation but doesn't really argue against combat roles for women. Without women then some subset of men would be in the "higher rate of deterioration" group; even if you prove that most women will enter that group does not argue against combat roles for them.

By the way, it is clear she has paid a heavy price in the service of her country - those are some serious ailments.
 
N801BH said:
Henning is got a good idea......

These people in that part of the world have been fighting and killing each other since the beginning of time...North Africa / Middle East / Jewish / Palastine..... They all HATE each other.... Why drag out the suffering :dunno:... A few well placed nukes will turn the whole area into a sheet of glass and then life can repopulate......

As the ol' saying goes... Kill them all and let god sort it out..
It is of course inherently contradictory to advocate the deaths of the innocent and guilty by nuclear weapons because it upsets you that fighting is killing those very same innocent and guilty parties.

What any of this has to do with women in combat is a little unclear....
 
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