Pannetta Approves Women In Combat Roles

As I recall from stories related to me by my parents....
Women worked on farms, manned factories for the war effort and in general held down the country as a good number of men went to war coming out of the great depression. I would venture to say that my grandmother worked every bit as hard as my grandfather. My mother worked on a large farm as soon as she was old enough to harvest cotton and I don't recall a time when she didn't work with the exception of when my siblings and I were growing up.
I do believe that adversity or suffering does make us stronger mentally....hence the phrase "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger"

frogger wrote: As I recall from stories related to me by my parents....
Women worked on farms, manned factories for the war effort and in general held down the country as a good number of men went to war coming out of the great depression. I would venture to say that my grandmother worked every bit as hard as my grandfather. My mother worked on a large farm as soon as she was old enough to harvest cotton and I don't recall a time when she didn't work with the exception of when my siblings and I were growing up.
I do believe that adversity or suffering does make us stronger mentally....hence the phrase "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger"

I guess it comes down to where you grew up....city or country.....which was my point, it is fruitless to make blanket generalizations about one generation vs another.

Well....if I base my observations on my own family looking at my grandparents all the way to my own children who are good people, I would give the toughness award to my grandparents. The work ethic and mental strength of my previous generations is an inspiration to me. I hope my children do rise to that level. They are still somewhat young though and learning their way.

frogger wrote: Well....if I base my observations on my own family looking at my grandparents all the way to my own children who are good people, I would give the toughness award to my grandparents. The work ethic and mental strength of my previous generations is an inspiration to me. I hope my children do rise to that level. They are still somewhat young though and learning their way.

Exactly.....and if I base my observations on my own family looking at grandparents, parents, myself, and my children.....my daughter wins hands down. Both in physical toughness, mental toughness....and that all important work ethic. She has worked since she was 15.......through high school....through college......and now at 30 does a job that many men would fall apart doing. She is a source of inspiration to me all the time.

We are not really disagreeing here frogger....just seeing the world from different perspectives. That is what a message board is all about....trying to let others see the world through your own eyes....being different, thinking different, seeing a different world does not make one better or worse.....just different.

:thumbsup:

archer wrote: We are not really disagreeing here frogger....just seeing the world from different perspectives. That is what a message board is all about....trying to let others see the world through your own eyes....being different, thinking different, seeing a different world does not make one better or worse.....just different.

:thumbsup:

BEST POST for the year......... :hands: My DH and I have this conversation ALL the time......

homeagain wrote:

archer wrote: We are not really disagreeing here frogger....just seeing the world from different perspectives. That is what a message board is all about....trying to let others see the world through your own eyes....being different, thinking different, seeing a different world does not make one better or worse.....just different.

:thumbsup:

BEST POST for the year......... :hands: My DH and I have this conversation ALL the time......

And no nasty comments were needed to make your points :thumbsup: It is possible.

:woo hoo:

archer wrote: As long as we remember that when we say "many men" or "many women" aren't as tough as previous generations......that there are also many men, and many women who are......I am always amazed when I meet young men and women who are doing extraordinay things, both physically and mentally. Women especially have entered into traditionally male jobs and done admirably....firefighters, law enforcement, medics, and the military. It is unfair to judge the young generation by the failings of a few.

It would also be unfair to pretend that standards were not lowered across the board to make sure that women could pass them to become firefighters, law enforcement, medics and the military. I am not saying that there are not women who could pass the older, higher, standards, but I am saying that the standards were lowered in order to avoid, or satisfy, lawsuits which claimed that the standards were discriminatory by reason of disparate outcome.

I also wish to make clear that I am not saying that the newer standards which were adopted to facilitate women entering those occupations are lower than they should be or need to be. I am simply noting that when these occupations were opened up to women that the standards that were in place were indeed lowered to ensure that women would qualify for the positions.

I do agree that there are many extraordinary young men and women in our society who are doing incredible things on a daily basis; and I would also agree that women have done admirably in what used to be traditionally male occupations with the opportunity that they have always deserved to have and which was routinely denied to them in earlier times.

I would like to see some proof of your assertion that standards were lowered for women to enter the police, firefighters, or paramedics.....If they lowered them to accommodate women (and I don't think they have) then they are lowered for men too. Again, I only have my daughters experience to go by, she is a paramedic and has also qualified for firefighting, plus been certified as a wildfire medic. The physical tests are tough, and the very same for men and for women. Do you have a source for your claim?