Stephanie Barczewski

But the price they sort of paid for that, right, was they were expected to kind of chivalrously step aside in a case like this.

But the price they sort of paid for that, right, was they were expected to kind of chivalrously step aside in a case like this.

I think in some ways, you know, we still see women and children first as a kind of noble idea, right? We haven't, even in an age of more feminism or more gender equality, we haven't entirely lost that sense that the world was a better place when people had these kind of noble ideas about chivalry.

I think in some ways, you know, we still see women and children first as a kind of noble idea, right? We haven't, even in an age of more feminism or more gender equality, we haven't entirely lost that sense that the world was a better place when people had these kind of noble ideas about chivalry.

He puts on his tuxedo famously, right? And he says, we are dressed in our best and prepared to go down like gentlemen. Bringing his servant with him into this, right? I mean, does the servant really have any choice? Could the servant say, hey boss, you know, I'd really rather go get in a lifeboat. Do I have to be part of this like noble impulse of yours to do this?

He puts on his tuxedo famously, right? And he says, we are dressed in our best and prepared to go down like gentlemen. Bringing his servant with him into this, right? I mean, does the servant really have any choice? Could the servant say, hey boss, you know, I'd really rather go get in a lifeboat. Do I have to be part of this like noble impulse of yours to do this?

You know, I always feel very much for the servant in that story.

You know, I always feel very much for the servant in that story.

Ida Strauss, when given an opportunity to get in a lifeboat, says, no, I have lived my entire life with my husband. I'm going to die with my husband here.

Ida Strauss, when given an opportunity to get in a lifeboat, says, no, I have lived my entire life with my husband. I'm going to die with my husband here.

Something we all like to contemplate about the Titanic story is what would we do? If I were on that ship and I were in that moment, what would we do?

Something we all like to contemplate about the Titanic story is what would we do? If I were on that ship and I were in that moment, what would we do?

And we all would like to think, right, that we would be the calm, we would be Ben Hugenheim, you know, or we would be Ida Strauss, you know, that we would be calm and we would be behaving in this impeccable and we would be letting, you know, we would be carefully evaluating, like, who deserves to live more than us and letting them into the boats and whatever.

And we all would like to think, right, that we would be the calm, we would be Ben Hugenheim, you know, or we would be Ida Strauss, you know, that we would be calm and we would be behaving in this impeccable and we would be letting, you know, we would be carefully evaluating, like, who deserves to live more than us and letting them into the boats and whatever.

That's not how most of us would behave, right?

That's not how most of us would behave, right?

We would see that now as he was in some kind of, you know, catatonic shock. But in 1912, his behavior is interpreted as quite heroic. This is what a man of his class and stature should do.

We would see that now as he was in some kind of, you know, catatonic shock. But in 1912, his behavior is interpreted as quite heroic. This is what a man of his class and stature should do.

If Murdoch had made what would have been a terrifying but probably correct decision to say, we cannot possibly turn this ship in time, so we're just going to ram into the iceberg head-on. The Titanic was designed to survive that kind of collision. He would have crumpled the bow.

If Murdoch had made what would have been a terrifying but probably correct decision to say, we cannot possibly turn this ship in time, so we're just going to ram into the iceberg head-on. The Titanic was designed to survive that kind of collision. He would have crumpled the bow.