Yeah, Discovery Landed..Cheers for Women Drivers Everywhere

[Free2BMe]

[ananda]

1. :-)

What a relief!

Hurray!!!

ananda

[Delphinus]

12. Relief is right!!

I was really, really worried after the commander "chatted" about how fragile our environment is and how much destruction could be seen. I was very anxious.

Great news!

[commander bunnypants]

2. awesome

:woohoo:

CB

[Fridays Child]

3. Well said!

[jojo54]

4. She had better know what she was doing.

She had a family to go home to also.

Whew........what a relief.

[Karenina]

34. Indeed!

Knowing how schlampig it's been I was so very pessimistic. I cannot tell you how THRILLED AND DELIGHTED I am to be WRONG!!! GOTT SEI DANK!!!
:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

[TroglodyteScholar]

5. Link

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050809/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050809/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle

[wakeme2008]

6. she landed 3000 from florida

:evilgrin:

[Pepper32]

7. Hooray!! So glad their back! :)

Whew...

:party:

[Henny Penny]

8. hurrah!

I was a bit nervous....

:party: :toast: :bounce: :party: :hippie: :evilgrin: :smoke: :silly: :beer: :thumbsup: :loveya: :headbang: :patriot:

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. Does it bother anyone...

...that we're now to the point where anything aside from total disaster and/or catastrophic loss of life is considered a victory for NASA?

[sendero]

10. Well...

... it's something!

[theHandpuppet]

11. Good thing she didn't have to land in Saudi Arabia

No doubt they would have arrested her immediately upon touchdown.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

15. Isn't there supposed to be an old Buran out in the Saudi desert?

Maybe they can have their own space program. Saudis in Space... has a nice ring to it.

[Jack from Charlotte]

33. Good thing she didn't have to parallel park.*

[Jack_DeLeon]

42. Actually its in Bahrain...

I have a friend who was there and he actually saw it for himself.

I just did a quick yahoo search and turned up some stuff.

oddly enough the first link is a freeper link, but I'll post it anyways if anyone cares.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1228063/posts

Here is the wikipedia article about the Buran.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Buran

[DS1]

13. The flight commander is also the pilot?

and what does that have to do with anything, anyway? Thousands of people worked on this, and it was successful because a woman was behind the wheel? Or are you cheering because it worked against your odds while there was a woman behind the wheel?

[theHandpuppet]

17. Perhaps because there are still places in this world...

... where women aren't even allowed to drive a car. Y' think? Or perhaps a little payback for the tired, cliche misogynist jokes about "women drivers"? Or maybe even a poke in the eye to certain college presidents who feel women aren't equipped to pursue careers in science and technology?

I dunno... take your pick.

[Ripley]

18. Thanks.

Funny how when a female is Commander or Leader or CEO or Senator or Race Car Driver she's not supposed to take personal credit...it was a GROUP THING.

Clearly the OP was riffing on the "bad driver" joke that just won't die, with statistics to the contrary. Funny how some people only "get" certain jokes, huh?

[jim3775]

14. Why did you post this in LBN? n/t

[zbdent]

16. Yes, but as I understand it, they were originally going to land in Florida

Did she change her mind?

(take that as a spot of humor, please) ;)

[northzax]

20. no, the navigator was male

and he refused to ask directions. typical.

[Phentex]

21. lol!

:)

[Misunderestimator]

108. How funny, that you would direct me to THIS post...

when it's a post of YOURS. :rofl: Riiiiiight... I am supposed to defend men against the sexism of this post since I am so adamant in my defensiveness against sexism against women... but the poster of the "sexism against men" is man, so... um... I'm not sure what exactly you meant for me to do by directing me here. :crazy:

Did you mean to sign out and sign back in as a woman, so that you could test my ethics? Well, just fyi, you posted this as northzax. ;)

[northzax]

117. actually, this was posted first

before the back seat driver comment. so, taking the two together, in context, it should be obvious that the second one was inteded jokingly as well. guess not.

[Misunderestimator]

121. It's your whole conversation, not just a couple of "jokes"

But you know that.

[northzax]

124. besides the first, joking post

find me one time when I have said something about Colonel Collins except that she is the best shuttle commander that NASA has? Getting to her position is a remarkable accomplishment, for anyone, doing her job is expected, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent back to do it again.

where I come from, telling someone they are going their job well is a compliment, not an insult.

[Misunderestimator]

127. I've given this enough attention.

This is hardly productive.

[northzax]

129. so I guess that's a 'no'? (nt)

[northzax]

19. sure, female BACKSEAT Drivers

the pilot was male, the mission commander was female. And, like a good commander, she probably let her people do what they were best at.

now, can we stop wasting money on the Space Shuttle already? I think we've effectively proven it doesn't cut the mustard.

[Ripley]

22. You are incorrect.

I just saw an interview with Jerry Linenger, former astronaut who spent five months in space and knew Commander Collins. He said she took over the controls for the last 5 minutes of landing (the most dangerous) and piloted the shuttle to safety.

She also performed an unprecedented backflip of the shuttle for inspection at the space station.

She deserves to be given credit for being the first woman to do these things, and to have done them excellently. Especially after commentators on TV before the mission stated she was not the best pick to command the first mission since Columbia.

[northzax]

23. actually, the most dangerous part of landing

is the s-curves to bleed speed early on, that's where a .5 degree mistake kills everyone. The last five minutes is gliding.

And they all certainly deserve credit for doing their jobs, but she doesn't deserve any more credit for doing it as a woman than a man would. The people who assigned her the mission picked the right person, glad they didn't listen to the commentators. But she just did her job well, what she was expected to do, why does her sex or race matter?

[Ripley]

25. Yes, you are so right...why does sex or race ever matter?

:eyes:

I guess the first time America has a black or woman President, we'll just say "se la vie!"

[Eloriel]

37. Yeah, who cares if she was breaking records

for her gender? Serving as a brilliant and bracing role model for today's young women?

Who cares about that indeed.

She is a full Colonel, and was a test pilot -- not one of the Air Force's easiest jobs, nor is it an easy job to GET -- before becoming an astronaut.

But who cares, anyway? Just a woman, just doing her job, no big deal. Who cares?

Ptooey, ptooey


And that, my friends, and that, my foes, is one way contemporary sexism (and racism!!) works: Who cares? No big deal. ANYone could've done it. And it wasn't even the most dangerous part anyway. And WHO CARES, besides? It shouldn't even be remarked upon, that she's breaking records and all that.

Edited to say: Actually, this treatment makes excellent use of two very OLD tools of sexism: treating women's concerns dismissively and trivializing them. Very old. Very predictable. Very uncreative. And very sexist.

[Ripley]

44. I have a Challenger patch I purchased n 1983....Sally Ride's name

on that patch (as a woman) was a first for women in space flight. At the time, many school teachers I knew personally and read about were so happy to report to young girls that they, too, could not only dream about being an astronaut, but continue in Ride's footsteps as a role model for females. In 1983.

Dr. Ride applied to the astronaut program after reading an ad in a newspaper. More than 8,000 men and women applied to the space program that year. Of the 35 individuals accepted, six were women. One was Sally Ride.

I think Commander Collins name should also be remembered. Why do men get so angry when women break the barriers?

[northzax]

51. oh, you're joking, right?

am I supposed to be more impressed when a woman does something well than when a man does it well? that's what you're telling me, that it's more impressive that she did it, than if a man did it. She commanded the first shuttle mission since Columbia, she executed a remarkable maneuver to flip by the Space Station, the first time that had ever been done. She commanded several successful spacewalks, and, most importantly, got her crew home safely.

notice that every phrase there uses the female pronoun. It's quite obvious that a woman is involved, no? That a woman did all of these things? Or, somehow, are people too dumb to realize that? don't you think that anyone reading the stories, or watching the news coverage, has figured out the Commander is a woman?

If she's the best female shuttle commander, who's the best shuttle commander overall? kinda implies that there is someone better who's not female, doesn't it? it's like being the best team under age 18, implies that there are better teams over 18, right?

why can't she be a role model for everyone? Yes, it's a dangerous job, yes it's a difficult and high profile one, but it is her job, and, save the flip at the ISS, she did nothing that a woman hadn't done before, it's nothing SHE hadn't done before, remember she commanded STS 93 in 1999. despite all the drama, remember that this was the 114th shuttle mission, and 111 of the previous 113 resulted in the same result, a safe landing. So yes, she was just doing her job, and doing it well. which is exactly what I would say about a man in the same position. is that sexist? She did her job, as she had done before. I'm fairly certain that's what she'd want you to say about her.

[Misunderestimator]

60. You SHOULD be impressed that any woman can excel to this extent

with all the limitations and discriminations thrown in her path and over her head for her entire lifetime.

[Ripley]

64. No, I'm fairly certain she would NOT want you to speak for her.

When girls can aspire unencumbered by the male-designed road blocks to be what a role model like "Commander of a Space Shuttle" is....normally, and not derided as being a fluke as so many in our country seem to believe, then she can be considered "normal."

If you ask young girls in America today to name who they admire....I doubt the poll would reveal names like Sally Ride, Eileen Collins, or Barb Boxer. The poll would probably reveal names like "Brittny" or "Madonna" or "Oprah."

[northzax]

71. I guess you're her spokesperson, then?

cause her webpage lists nothing at all except about wanting to lost the moniker of 'only woman commander' but you're right, of course, she would rather be an icon than have her accomplishments registered in a sex-blind society.

and how many boys can name a single male astronaut? maybe Armstrong, but I doubt it.

[Ripley]

84. Do you think America lives in a "sex-blind" society?

You seem to be going out of your way since you first responded that she was a "back seat driver."

[northzax]

88. I think it's obvious

that the back seat driver comment was a joking response to a joking reply on a joking thread. sorry if that wasn't clear to you.

[Misunderestimator]

97. Not obvious at all.

19. sure, female BACKSEAT Drivers

the pilot was male, the mission commander was female. And, like a good commander, she probably let her people do what they were best at.


Now, how on earth would it be obvious that you were joking? You said something that was untrue, you were corrected, and then you proceeded to dismiss the notion that the fact she is a woman should highlight or enhance the accomplishment. I don't get the "joke."

[northzax]

98. I personally saw the original post as sexist

it obliquely refers to the sexist notion that women can't drive as well as men. and so, jokingly, I commented that she did her job (by the way, commanding men, telling them what to do) well. Sorry you missed the joke. by the way, why no comments about the original insulting, sexist post, the OP itself?

on edit: and while we're at it, why didn't you respond to post 20, where I make an obviously sexist remark about men (the unwillingness to ask for directions)? musta slipped your mind? or was that joke obvious enough for you?

[Ripley]

102. Why do you take a Female Milestone...

and fuck it all up?

Yeah, I read your words upstream. You seem to think your disruptive posts are not disruptive. We ain't stupid you know.

[Misunderestimator]

103. I agree... and I was planning on responding to the OP, until I saw your

post. There's no joke in the way you put it. And there's no joke in how you have continued the conversation.

Weird that you ask why I haven't responded to other posts. Yours stood out to me for obvious reasons. Perhaps you actually intended it, since you put CAPS in your subject. Why haven't I responded to every thread and every post at DU? Perhaps I haven't read it. If I read it now and decide to respond to it, I will there.

I still think it's odd that you would bring other posts into this. Is this how you defend your "joke?"

[northzax]

109. I'm not bringing just any post into it

I'm bringing MY posts, on the same thread, obviously joking into it. context matters, don't you think?

[Misunderestimator]

114. Yes, see my response to YOUR post above.

[One_Life_To_Give]

78. When the Cop pulls me over

and says, "Where ya going DANICA" in place of Mario. Then there won't be any point is specifying the sex of a given Astronaut. But in the mean time...



Edit Spelling

[northzax]

81. well first, he'd probably spell her name right :)

and second, Ms. Patrick hasn't won anything yet. talk to me when she has.

[One_Life_To_Give]

111. Only a matter of time

Till a woman is the top driver in Indy Car Racing. Same goes for Nextel Cup as well.

[northzax]

115. everything is a matter of time, isn't it?

theoretically, given enough time, anything can happen. I rather think it will be longer in Nascar than Indycar, simply because women won't be given the opportunity as quickly in NASCAR by the fools running the show. That is NASCAR's loss. and frankly, I think it then reflects well on NASA, for instance, that a woman excelling is not a big deal, all astronauts excel, the fact that woman is one (and more) of them really shouldn't be a big deal anymore.

maybe, in 20 years, 'danica patrick' will replace 'Andretti' as the gold standard. If she's good enough, it will. but in year one of her career, it's hard to tell.

[Name removed]

120. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

101. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Misunderestimator]

46. As if you don't understand the significance of a woman having done the job

Why does her sex or race matter? For all the reasons it matters everywhere. And it matters VERY much when a woman has just blazed another trail.

Some day sex and race won't matter... and recognizing those who transcend gender- or racial- stereotypes is how we get there.

[northzax]

55. ok, fine

she is the best, and only female shuttle commander. she successfully landed a shuttle, as 110 people have done before her. As she did in 1999 when she commanded STS 93. and when she was the pilot of STS 63 and 84. She has been doing this for a decade. Four times into space is remarkable for anyone, especially a woman.

that enough for you? NASA didn't choose her to pilot STS 114 because she's the best woman, they chose her because she's the best commander. I'm sure she wants to be known, not as the best at her job, but as the best woman at her job.

[Misunderestimator]

57. Why is it so hard for you to understand why we would be happy

about celebrating the accomplishments of a woman? I don't get it.

Of COURSE she is the BEST person for the job.... that's what makes this even more a cause for celebration.

[northzax]

63. every time someone calls her

the best woman to do something, everytime someone expresses amazement that a woman did something, it demeans the accomplishment.

as I have said multiple times, she is the best person for the job, she has now done things in space that no one else has ever done. Isn't that enough? it's obvious that she's a woman, that's why I keep saying 'she' but at the end of the day, she did her job, and did it as expected, just like most of us do, day in and day out. Her's just happens to be more dangerous, require more skill and be higher profile. She's landed a shuttle FOUR TIMES, I expect it of her now, and so should you.

[Misunderestimator]

67. It does NOT demean the accomplishment. It highlights it.

Exactly BECAUSE of these things...

"as I have said multiple times, she is the best person for the job, she has now done things in space that no one else has ever done."

We should be CELEBRATING her!

Most of us do NOT fly into space or land shuttles. I think you should celebrate whoever it is you wish to celebrate, and stop criticizing the rest of us for celebrating her.

[countingbluecars]

24. Exactly!

Commander Collin's docking with the international space station and her landing were both picture perfect. She deserves accolades.

[northzax]

26. for doing her job.

she didn't do a good job for a female commander, she flat out did a god job. why qualify it?

[countingbluecars]

27. Because she did the job perfectly,

and because she was the first woman to do these particular things, and because her capability was questioned because of her sex. Don't we usually applaud people for being first to accomplish something?

[northzax]

28. obviously, her sex had nothing to do with her ability

compared to other people. I like to think we've gotten to the point where we can say "she did a great job" not "she did a great job, for a woman"

I find that "she" in the first one effectively connotes her sex, without other interpretations neccesary.

on edit: she was not only the first woman to do the backflip, I believe she was the first person. Next mission will you be celebrating the 'first man' to do this? or if a man follows a woman is that not as important as a woman following a man?

[countingbluecars]

30. I never meant to imply that she

did a great job FOR a woman. But I do think it is fine to say she did a great job AND she is a woman. It feels better yet to say a woman was the first to do a perfect backflip docking!

[tigereye]

77. yeah there is a kind of mixed signal when we look at

"female accomplishments." Yes it's great, period. But I suppose you are right in some way that it has become somewhat de riguer' and that may be a good thing.

Although it probably doesn't hurt the young women who may be encouraged to become pilots of any plane, to see this. I think people get upset because some of we older women were raised with a lot of negative messages about what we "couldn't" do. And now that has changed a lot. The Commander's efforts are kind of a big deal because they aren't a big deal, if that makes any sense. :)

[northzax]

80. that's exactly what I've been trying to say

thank you for stating it more eloquently than my stubby, testosterone ridled fingers ever could. :)

[Ripley]

90. Really? lol

You have implied that women are equal to men in every way and that they should not be recognized in the media, and honored for their accomplishments, because they are female, because they are equal.

Girls, and Everyone in America needs to know Commander Collins name! They are NOW aware that it isn't only men who go into space, but a female can lead a mission.

[northzax]

94. actually, women have been in space since

1963. The Soviets launched as many women into space as men. Women should be honored no less and no more than anyone else doing the same job. It wasn't somehow harder because she's female, was it?

And, as mentioned before, since I seem to be the only one who actually looked at it, she's been in space 4 times since 1996, and commanded a previous shuttle mission as well. Where were you in 1996? 1998? 1999? the last three times she was in space?

She's a Colonel, please, use her correct title at least.

[Ripley]

105. Thanks for her resume, so why did you belittle her?

You seem to be in a make-up-mode.

No.

[northzax]

107. I'm still waiting for you to explain

why saying she did her job well is belittling her. once you explain that, maybe I can tell you.

I guess you are now going to cite the original post i made, which, given everything else I have said should be obviously taken tongue in cheek. But maybe it's too hard to let go of a good anger?

[tigereye]

92. glad to be of service!

No, you hung in there pretty good. It's a complex discussion topic that tends to rattle some of us. Reminds me of discussions about race, where you kind of have to get past the angst brought up by the discussion itself ( or conflicting views) to actually get to the heart of the matter. :)

[Ripley]

31. You said...

the pilot was male, the mission commander was female. And, like a good commander, she probably let her people do what they were best at.

And when you were informed that Collins actually landed the shuttle, not the male pilot, you came up with this:

actually, the most dangerous part of landing is the s-curves to bleed speed early on, that's where a .5 degree mistake kills everyone. The last five minutes is gliding.

Are you an astronaut who has flown in a shuttle? Because I heard a real astronaut report what she did as a Commander to land this bird, and he didn't mention anywhere that she was just letting the guy do his job. She is the fucking Commander. Get over it.

[northzax]

32. as a commander

she is responsible for everyone else, right? is it not the job of the commander to get the pilot to do his job, the mission specialist to do her job and everything else?

she seems to have done a good job, not a good job 'for a woman', simply a good job. what's wrong with simply saying that?

[ronnykmarshall]

35. Ohe!

[Ripley]

48. You know, the more you demean her accomplishment,

the more you demean women, in general's accomplishments.

Many young girls, college women, professional scientists, as well as other "male-dominated" career women are extremely happy that a woman was a successful Commander of this space flight.

Why do you try to belittle it?

[northzax]

59. belittle what?

saying she did her job well? that's belittling someone? I don't get it.

but if it'll make you happy. Colonel Collins is the best female Shuttle commander we have.

She is the best female shuttle pilot, as well.

in fact, she's the best female astronaut we have.

I'm impressed that a woman was able to do such a hard job so well.

[countingbluecars]

65. You continue to miss the point.

[northzax]

69. I guess I do

since apparently calling her the best shuttle commander is belittling her.

[Misunderestimator]

70. It's belittling because you mean it that way.

And you know that.

[northzax]

73. then I formally apologise to Colonel Collins

for calling her the best shuttle commander we have. And for saying she did her job well. because that's all I ever said about her. I will never say it again.

You thought I was being demeaning, I was giving her credit for doing her job well, and it is her job, remember that. apparently, treating her the same way I would treat anyone else in the position is demeaning to her.

If NASA didn't think she was the right person for the job, they wouldn't have sent her. They did, and she was. but that's not enough for you, I guess.

[Misunderestimator]

74. Your post just oozes sarcasm, and I can't figure out why.

It's like you just can't accept the fact that women should be celebrating the accomplishments of a fellow woman.

[northzax]

83. as opposed to humans

celebrating the accomplishments of other humans? I guess I can't.

[countingbluecars]

87. I'm celebrating

this woman who accomplished great things in a male dominated field in a still male dominated society.

[ronnykmarshall]

104. Hell I'm just happy the damn thing didn't blow up!

[Misunderestimator]

89. You DO get it. When those who are oppressed excel, we celebrate it.

And by your logic, why celebrate humans? Why not celebrate mammals?

[northzax]

91. yes, she's brutally oppressed

poor woman.

[Misunderestimator]

93. More sarcasm.

:shrug: I don't get it. You think that women have NOT been oppressed?

[northzax]

96. do I think that, in general,

women today, in the United States of America, are oppressed? not really. More women graduate from high school. more women go to college. more women graduate from college. more women go to medical school, more women go to law school. MBAs and science degrees are split 50/50.

yes, it sucks to be poor and female, but it also sucks to be poor and male in this country. There may be localised areas of oppression, I'm sure there are, but for the most part? not much of it. I frankly don't find the idea of a female astronaut more impressive than a male astronaut. that's all.

[Misunderestimator]

99. So you don't understand all the levels of oppression then.

And your last paragraph more than explains your position.

No matter what you say, your words won't change the fact that I, as a woman, and every woman besides me, has experienced some level of oppression due to discrimination against our gender. To rise above ANY hardship, and especially one so deeply ingrained, and so vehemently defended by those who hold the power, will always be a cause for celebration. And it does make a female astronaut more impressive than a male astronaut. In the same way that Tiger Woods, by nature of his uniqueness in the field at his level, is more interesting than any caucasion golfer.

[northzax]

110. no, Notah Begay is interesting

because of race. so is Vijay Singh. Tiger Woods is interesting because he's the best in the world at what he does. regardless of skin color.

Michelle Wie is interesting because of her gender. if she starts winning tournaments on the male tour, she'll be interesting as a golfer.

and I'm sorry if I can't see the oppression entailed in being born upper-middle class and white. She's obviously brilliant, and talented and driven, everyone at her level of accomplishment is.

[Misunderestimator]

116. LOL! Tiger Woods was CELEBRATED because of his race as a

highlight to his accomplishments! The same thing we are doing here.

All the others are also wonderful examples of celebrating accomplishments of minorities.

Thanks for helping make my point. :thumbsup:

[northzax]

118. he was celebrated for his race

until he was the best. then he was just the best. you never hear about his race anymore, do you?

[Misunderestimator]

119. Indeed, his race is still a highlight... and it should be.

He's a role model for a lot of people because of his race. Why is that a problem for you? You don't have to celebrate his accomplishments because of his triumph over hardship because of his race... but why criticize others for doing so?

[northzax]

122. what hardship, exactly?

did Tiger Woods overcome based on his race?

[Misunderestimator]

123. Racism

[northzax]

128. oh, that

right. that's what kept him from playing golf, racism.

and that's why he's almost a billionaire at 29, racism. He plays a straight up sport, there is no judging, no referring, simply the ability to hit the ball in the right direction. Which he does better than anyone else, consistently.

tell me, do you think he'd somehow be more successful if he was white? your insuniation that he had to overcome some generic 'racism' implies that his path would be easier if he was white. Since you know him so well, tell me what opportunities he would have had as a white man than as a cabalasian? would he have gone on the Tonight Show at 2 1/2 instead of 3?

[Misunderestimator]

131. Yep... I could have guessed your response.

You're one of those anti-AA types/reverse discrimination/poor whatever, but I already knew that, now that I think of it.

You know damn well it is not that he would be more successful. It means that he SURMOUNTED obstacles that are not there for YOU and succeeded to such a level in spite of them.

If you don't understand how racism affects every minority no matter how wealthy or successful they are or what advantages they have, then you don't understand racism. Racism, by itself, is an obstacle.

[lukasahero]

72. You're rather misrepresenting your comments though, aren't you?

The point you are missing is that people are objecting to your post "the pilot was male, the mission commander was female. And, like a good commander, she probably let her people do what they were best at."

You don't call her "the best shuttle pilot" here. What you do is say she wasn't the pilot. You then go on to say that she "let her people do what they" do best while pointing out that the pilot was a male. And then you turn around and play the victim saying what you really meant was we should just acknowledge her as a good pilot.

Sorry but I'm calling BS here.

[northzax]

79. she wasn't the pilot

she was the commander. there's a difference.

tell me, if she was the pilot by title, and the commander was male, the reverse of what happened here, would you be saying 'what a great job the commander did'? or talking about the pilot? They are two different things, two different jobs. And getting people to perform at the highest level is a skill, one she obviously posesses. that's what I was saying. The Pilot flies the craft, the commander commands.

you know, the admiral on an aircraft carrier doesn't actually stand there with his/her hand on the tiller, right? they tell the people at the tiller what to do, and have the responsibility if they don't do it well. that's why a 21 year old steers the ship, while a 50 year old tellls him what to do.

and of course, it was in response to a satirical post in the first place. I'm sorry if it was too subtle for you. when questioned, I think I have quite clearly stated my position. Don't read satirical threads if you're not going to get the joke, ok?

[lukasahero]

82. Oh wow, the "get a sense of humor" defense! LOL!

Like I shouldn't have seen that one coming. :eyes:

Whatever, pal.

[northzax]

86. whyever would someone respond to humour

with more humour? I don't get it. a humourous thread, that has humourous comments in it, that aren't to be taken literaly. geez, whatever was I thinking?

[Ripley]

112. Good analysis.

Funny how this shit goes on and on....meaning long-time Duer males can spout shit forever.

[lukasahero]

53. When the default is always male

pointing out that something was done by a female is only fair.

When reports make the distinction regarding crime, why shouldn't they also make the distinction regarding achievement?

[northzax]

56. and the 53 times

I used 'she' or 'her' in my comments weren't enough for you to catch on that Colonel Collins is female?

[spuddonna]

29. woo hoo! n/t

[ronnykmarshall]

36. I heard the sonic boom when they made the approach.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=105

[Beaverhausen]

68. I did too - I was so happy to hear it

it meant they made it safely through the earth's atmosphere.

I jumped out of bed and turned on the TV to watch them land.

[sui generis]

38. Does anyone here GENUINELY believe

that the OP was serious, or that the OP wasn't making fun of an old dumb joke? I mean, if that's the case, let's unpack the dirty birdy word suitcase and start slinging "bigot" and "sexist" around again until this thread gets locked. This is just silly. When we can no longer laugh at ourselves in any capacity whatsoever, it's time to figure out what went wrong and get over it.

We all arguing about nothing once again. This looks really good for people on other websites who expect that this is all we do.

There has got to be something more productive to do with our time . . .

[ronnykmarshall]

39. Wannna share my popcorn?

:popcorn:

[sui generis]

41. thanks, here, I've got some extra butter

[ronnykmarshall]

45. Thanks sweetie ...

Here's a coca-cola. It's gonna get good hot in here.

[Eloriel]

40. Have you actually read the thread?

Doesn't sound like it.

NO one that I saw was arguing about the OP -- tho there WAS some justifiable exception taken to some remarks after the OP.

There has got to be something more productive to do with our time . . .


Uh, yeah. One would be to read the thread before making sweeping generalizations about it.

[sui generis]

43. self deleted, no wait, with comment

some days I am more successful at civility than others. Not biting. Try harder.

[ronnykmarshall]

47. Junior Mint?

[Misunderestimator]

49. OP? I completely forgot about the OP.

Are you suggesting that when someone makes a sexist remark down the line that it should not be confronted? Simply because this is a joke thread?

:shrug:

[sui generis]

50. sorry I've lost track

I have no idea where it went from silly to flame war, and quite frankly I'm sick of it.

I'm with Ronny, I'm just sitting back and watching the destruction.

Anyone comes after me, I will take them apart.

[Misunderestimator]

54. I didn't see a flame war... I saw a poster

saying that a woman didn't land the plane... and then the same old nauseating dismissals.

I'm sick of it too.

[progmom]

62. the flamewar that erupted has nothing at all to do with the OP

It's all about one poster refusing to acknowledge accomplishments made by women.

[northzax]

113. really? who?

someone said she didn't do a good job? where?

[progmom]

125. oh stop.

:eyes:
you know what you said and what you meant, and i'm not going to argue with you about it.

[northzax]

130. I know exactly what I said

which is why I want to know who's demeaning the accomplishments of anyone? here I call someone the best shuttle commander and I'm somehow insulting her. And whenever I ask how saying someone is the best at something is an insult, I get some brush off "you know what you meant." I meant that Colonel Collins is the best shuttle commander, not pilot, commander in the fleet. Commander is a promotion from Pilot.

if I say it 500 times, then will someone believe me?

[insanity]

52. She did great.

Commander Collins executed a picture perfect landing, which deservers respect, it is probally the hardest vechile to land (the speed at which the shuttle lands is 220 mph, which means if you don't know what you're doing you're going to hit pavement or create lift and try an impossible go around procedure). To answer the question of why she landed the shuttle: as commander, Collins is considered the Pilot in Command; it is her duty to ensure the safety of the crew at every stage of flight. The tradition in NASA (and aviation in general) is to allow the copilot to set up the approach (for stick time) and the PIC to actually land the plane. Overall, she did great, as a pilot and a leader.

[sui generis]

58. I'll second that without reservation /nt

[Bethany Rockafella]

61. Yeah, cheers.

Lord knows how it would have landed had a man been in charge.:-)

[ronnykmarshall]

75. They would have been lost ..

and you know how men are. Won't stop at the gas station to ask for directions.

[ronnykmarshall]

76. They would have been lost ..

and you know how men are. Won't stop at the gas station to ask for directions.

[CWebster]

66. Yawn.

[Cleita]

85. Thank the cosmic gods for getting them back

on terra firma safely. I really hope the space program gets the money it needs to develop safer space vehicles.

[Name removed]

95. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Misunderestimator]

100. delete

never mind

[Lorien]

126. My question exactly n/t

[TrogL]

106. Have you driven with my ex-wife?

:scared:

I drive like a fucking maniac with a certain amount of enthusiasm and she scares the crap out of me.