In New York. you are in a constant state of awareness of the possible threat of terrorism. It is not something that is necessarily conscious, but more just a frame of mind that you are always thinking in. a filter you see all of life through when you live here...

When I get on a subway for instance one of the first things I do is look around for possible terrorists. I know it sounds crazy but you just find yourself thinking that way. counting the women in order to get them into the back if something should happen.... analyzing the men to see who is big and strong and who would be a good ally if you need to fight off some crazy fuck with a gun or a bomb... its crazy like that. But you cannot help but think about it almost every time you get in a subway.

Today I pondered the idea of why we immediately think to ourselves ‘o.k. lets save the women...’ is it just habit? Or is there something to it? after a few minutes I realized that it is entirely necessary and a true instinctive survival mechanism in us. if we save ten men and one woman in a terrorist attack on a subway, we are fucked. Only that one woman can have children to further propagate our species, or in this case, our people, American people. but if we save ten women and one man, that one man can impregnate all ten women and would probably have a jolly good time doing it. so there it is. that's why its ‘women and children first.’ In a nutshell. the instinct is built into our genes...