Jump to content
  • entries
    57
  • comments
    0
  • views
    1548

Gentlemanly or Individualist

Enchanted

Entry posted by Enchanted ·

139 views

 Share

 Gentlemanly or Individualist

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7843154.stm

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

'Polite' Britons died on Titanic

The Titanic sails from Southampton
The Titanic took three years to build before sailing from Southampton

More British passengers died on the Titanic because they queued politely for lifeboats, researchers believe. A behavioural economist says data suggests Britons in that era were more inclined to be "gentlemanly" while Americans were more "individualist". Women with children had a 70% better chance of survival than men in such an environment, he told the BBC. The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, with the loss of 1,500 lives. David Savage, from Queensland University of Technology, studied the disaster to look at how people react in life and death situations. He said that in testimonies from inquiries in America and Britain just after the event, there were a lot of statements from women saying their husbands put them on lifeboats.

o.gif
start_quote_rb.gifThe American culture was... a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour end_quote_rb.gif

David Savage,

Queensland University of Technology
They then "went to the back of the boat to have a cigar, to stand around and be chummy, while basically the boat went down". Mr Savage said: "There was one gentleman who was rather wealthy... who went back downstairs after he put his wife on the [life] boat... put on his tuxedo...went back upstairs and smoked... with the idea that if I am going die, I may as well die as a gentleman and well-dressed." 'Peak of society' The "unsinkable" ocean liner went down in freezing Atlantic waters during its voyage from Southampton to New York. As it sank, the captain, Edward John Smith, shouted: "Be British, boys, be British," according to witnesses.
o.gif
"The American culture was set up to be a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour," Mr Savage says. "You've got to remember that this is the Edwardian period when to be a gentleman was the peak of society." Mr Savage also concludes that social norms such as "women and children first" were very strong in British culture and survived in such an environment.
 Share

0 Comments

Recommended Comments

Enchanted

 Gentlemanly or Individualist

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7843154.stm

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

'Polite' Britons died on Titanic

The Titanic sails from Southampton
The Titanic took three years to build before sailing from Southampton

More British passengers died on the Titanic because they queued politely for lifeboats, researchers believe. A behavioural economist says data suggests Britons in that era were more inclined to be "gentlemanly" while Americans were more "individualist". Women with children had a 70% better chance of survival than men in such an environment, he told the BBC. The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, with the loss of 1,500 lives. David Savage, from Queensland University of Technology, studied the disaster to look at how people react in life and death situations. He said that in testimonies from inquiries in America and Britain just after the event, there were a lot of statements from women saying their husbands put them on lifeboats.

o.gif
start_quote_rb.gifThe American culture was... a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour end_quote_rb.gif

David Savage,

Queensland University of Technology
They then "went to the back of the boat to have a cigar, to stand around and be chummy, while basically the boat went down". Mr Savage said: "There was one gentleman who was rather wealthy... who went back downstairs after he put his wife on the [life] boat... put on his tuxedo...went back upstairs and smoked... with the idea that if I am going die, I may as well die as a gentleman and well-dressed." 'Peak of society' The "unsinkable" ocean liner went down in freezing Atlantic waters during its voyage from Southampton to New York. As it sank, the captain, Edward John Smith, shouted: "Be British, boys, be British," according to witnesses.
o.gif
"The American culture was set up to be a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour," Mr Savage says. "You've got to remember that this is the Edwardian period when to be a gentleman was the peak of society." Mr Savage also concludes that social norms such as "women and children first" were very strong in British culture and survived in such an environment.
Link to comment
PeeMarc

years later, that is exactly how i was brought up - to be a gentleman. Although it mostly means opening doors, giving up one seat for a lady etc...dying as a gentleman is exceptional.

Link to comment
Enchanted

Peemarc - I truly agree; dying as a gentleman is exceptional.

I was touched by this statement: "Their husbands put them on lifeboat. They then "went to the back of the boat to have a cigar, to stand around and be chummy, while basically the boat went down"

Link to comment
Damnam1

If the empire goes down, then it does in style..this is a point I always admired when being in England. When there was a queue at the bus staion, people waited in lines, no quarreling, easy but with lots of discipline. Even the germans cannot compete as far as discipline is concerned.

But nowadays there are women hating us when we open doors, helping in her coat.

Link to comment
Damnam1

thats a myth ! Thai girls - dont believe this - the Brits stay awake and drink cheap booze all night long, just to cover and steal all the the deckchairs from poor disciplined german beer drinkers in the early mawn and go to bed as drunk as a skunk just to return at about 1pm to get their red tan - this is well known all over the world, folks !

Link to comment
Hobbes

Oi, you pasty-faced grouse-molester...I have it on very good authority, i.e. the Spaniards themselves, that Russians are far more likely to pull these sunbed stunts. But then a Sun reporter wouldn't be able to distinguish between someone talking Swahili or Slovenian.

;-))

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
×
  • Create New...