This week in Gender Inequality: Even God Hates Men!

[Elixir]

 

[Politesse]

That number might actually be low; the CDC believes the proportion to be 85%/15%. It's also a rare cause of death that disproportionatley affects impoverished whites more so than any other demographic, and to a considerable degree. Your average lightning fatality is a white male between the ages of 15-30:

Lightning Strike Victim Data

Lightning strike safety tips for people indoors and outdoors

www.cdc.gov

There are many relevant factors. The most significant is probably tha the labor market strongly favors men for work out of doors, and more poeple are killed by lightning on the job than you might realize. Someone who is being paid to be outdoors and threatened with firing if they refuse is being compelled to accept obvious risks that a person might otherwise have heeded. Even when not on the clock, men are heavily socialized to engage in risky behavior outdoors, in particular being much more likely to travel alone and thus to again miss or ignore warning signs that a larger group would have responded to. The Death in the National Parks series by Doc Ghigleiri explores the reasons for this in some detail.

I've had some close calls! Luckily, the physically closest of these was the time Auckland's Sky Tower took a strike while I was standing in it doing tourist things. A deeply bizarre and unsettling experience, but not actually dangerous. Much more dangerous was a time back when I was still doing survey work, and found myself way too deep into Cowboy Wash when a monsoon storm blew into it. It all turned out okay, but not before many hours of huddling in a dead vehicle I hoped constituted a sufficient cage, worrying about lightning and flash flooding alike.

 

[Elixir]

Vehicles are pretty good faraday cages: nice of God to provide one for you in your hour of need.
I do hope you’re not taking that as a sign that God doesn’t hate men, though!

 

[Politesse]

Vehicles are pretty good faraday cages

This, I have found at least, is very good and comforting thought... until you are betting your life on it!

 

[Elixir]

I had one dramatic encounter … on a golf course. I’ve played maybe 30-40 rounds of golf in my life, and this was one reason that number isn’t higher.
My partner had just hit his second shot toward the green of a par 4. Just as it landed, “BOOM”! It looked from our vantage like the lightning hit the ball as it landed, about 150 yards from where we stood. When we got to the green (which neither of us hit), it was an astonishing scene. It looked like the bolt had hit about a foot from the hole. There were 7 or 8 raised lines (looked like gopher trails, but dead straight) emanating from that point, running 20-40 feet and terminating in little 6-8” craters that were still steaming. We beat it back to the clubhouse and reported the damage… didn’t even rain a drop.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Part of my job on shore duty was to raise and lower the flag on duty days. We worked in the office that tracked thunderstorms to know when it was unsafe to move missiles. So, weirdly, i asked about the threat of lightning before i went and touched a big metal pole sticking up towards the sky. Especially the wet pole, if it was or had been raining.

One night, i looked at conditions, looked at my watch, and said, "Uh-uh." Not holding colors at sundown. I got off watch at midnight, i'd take the flag down then.
Duty chief came and yelled at me, i refused to call the guys in for colors. He spat, "Maybe i'll do it myself!" i said, Okay.
He walked to the door, opened it.
God sent a bolt of lightning down to strike the light pole across the parking lot from our door. Bright light, CLOSE Boom! Chief slid on his ass down the hallway back towards my desk. When the echoes died down, and he slowed to a stop, i leaned over my desk. "Or....i can take care of it at midnight."
He, uh, he was, um, okay with my plan. Left it, uh, to my, uh, my judgment. Went had a cup of coffee and maybe a lay down for a minute or two.

This was after i'd been in for 13 years. Seen a lot of stupid get punished. If i'd been in for 2 years or less, i'd probably have jumped on out there and grabbed the wet rope during the thunderstorm.

 

[Emily Lake]

That number might actually be low; the CDC believes the proportion to be 85%/15%. It's also a rare cause of death that disproportionatley affects impoverished whites more so than any other demographic, and to a considerable degree. Your average lightning fatality is a white male between the ages of 15-30:

Lightning Strike Victim Data

Lightning strike safety tips for people indoors and outdoors

www.cdc.gov

There are many relevant factors. The most significant is probably tha the labor market strongly favors men for work out of doors, and more poeple are killed by lightning on the job than you might realize. Someone who is being paid to be outdoors and threatened with firing if they refuse is being compelled to accept obvious risks that a person might otherwise have heeded. Even when not on the clock, men are heavily socialized to engage in risky behavior outdoors, in particular being much more likely to travel alone and thus to again miss or ignore warning signs that a larger group would have responded to. The Death in the National Parks series by Doc Ghigleiri explores the reasons for this in some detail.

I've had some close calls! Luckily, the physically closest of these was the time Auckland's Sky Tower took a strike while I was standing in it doing tourist things. A deeply bizarre and unsettling experience, but not actually dangerous. Much more dangerous was a time back when I was still doing survey work, and found myself way too deep into Cowboy Wash when a monsoon storm blew into it. It all turned out okay, but not before many hours of huddling in a dead vehicle I hoped constituted a sufficient cage, worrying about lightning and flash flooding alike.

My first thoughts were:

1) In "tornado alley" there are lots of farmer and outside workers, which are predominantly men.
2) In "retirement states" old white men play golf in storms

 

[Emily Lake]

Also... This is SEX inequality.

 

[Bomb#20]

Vehicles are pretty good faraday cages: nice of God to provide one for you in your hour of need.
I do hope you’re not taking that as a sign that God doesn’t hate men, though!

Of course he doesn't hate men. A lot more men than women die in lightning strikes because a lot more men don't run and hide but are prepared to stand and face Mjolnir. Thor respects that. If they are slain, they've earned their place in Valhalla; if they live, he'll down some mead from the Utgard drinking horn in their honor.

 

[Elixir]

In "retirement states" old white men play golf in storms

You sayin god only hates white men?
Are they more likely to get struck than Asian men? Is that because they’re taller?

 

[Emily Lake]

In "retirement states" old white men play golf in storms

You sayin god only hates white men?
Are they more likely to get struck than Asian men? Is that because they’re taller?

I'm sure the height has an impact

My point was that a lot more old men play golf than old women. They happen to also be disproportionately white... but that's actually irrelevant.

Unfortunately, I'm not particularly good at being funny.

 

[Elixir]

Unfortunately, I'm not particularly good at being funny.

Don’t sell yourself short.

 

[Emily Lake]

Unfortunately, I'm not particularly good at being funny.

Don’t sell yourself short.

I can't very well sell myself tall, no matter how much I wish I could spontaneously grow four inches!

 

[Elixir]

See?

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

I had one dramatic encounter … on a golf course. I’ve played maybe 30-40 rounds of golf in my life, and this was one reason that number isn’t higher.
My partner had just hit his second shot toward the green of a par 4. Just as it landed, “BOOM”! It looked from our vantage like the lightning hit the ball as it landed, about 150 yards from where we stood. When we got to the green (which neither of us hit), it was an astonishing scene. It looked like the bolt had hit about a foot from the hole. There were 7 or 8 raised lines (looked like gopher trails, but dead straight) emanating from that point, running 20-40 feet and terminating in little 6-8” craters that were still steaming. We beat it back to the clubhouse and reported the damage… didn’t even rain a drop.

That’s why I always carry the 1-iron.

 

[Keith&Co.]

I had one dramatic encounter … on a golf course. I’ve played maybe 30-40 rounds of golf in my life, and this was one reason that number isn’t higher.
My partner had just hit his second shot toward the green of a par 4. Just as it landed, “BOOM”! It looked from our vantage like the lightning hit the ball as it landed, about 150 yards from where we stood. When we got to the green (which neither of us hit), it was an astonishing scene. It looked like the bolt had hit about a foot from the hole. There were 7 or 8 raised lines (looked like gopher trails, but dead straight) emanating from that point, running 20-40 feet and terminating in little 6-8” craters that were still steaming. We beat it back to the clubhouse and reported the damage… didn’t even rain a drop.

That’s why I always carry the 1-iron.

As in, Even God can't hit...?

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

I had one dramatic encounter … on a golf course. I’ve played maybe 30-40 rounds of golf in my life, and this was one reason that number isn’t higher.
My partner had just hit his second shot toward the green of a par 4. Just as it landed, “BOOM”! It looked from our vantage like the lightning hit the ball as it landed, about 150 yards from where we stood. When we got to the green (which neither of us hit), it was an astonishing scene. It looked like the bolt had hit about a foot from the hole. There were 7 or 8 raised lines (looked like gopher trails, but dead straight) emanating from that point, running 20-40 feet and terminating in little 6-8” craters that were still steaming. We beat it back to the clubhouse and reported the damage… didn’t even rain a drop.

That’s why I always carry the 1-iron.

As in, Even God can't hit...?

Exactly. Ironically, my son can hit it. Very rare thing for an amateur.

 

[Elixir]

I can hit a ball with a one iron. How far it goes and in what direction is … up to God.