September 29, 2001

12:42 PM

You Gotta Love Those New York Firemen Or "How Cartman's Fireman Suddenly Took On A Whole New Meaning". Just to show there is always an upside to everything, it seems some Manhattan girls are doing their bit for their country and enjoying themselves into the bargain. Hey, is this the spirit or what?
posted by MiguelCardoso (27 comments total)

Or you could always try shopping. Simon Doonan's advice is featured weekly in the New York Observer. It was always the most cosmopolitan and entertaining of all local newspapers but, since September 11, it's well on its way to becoming the best attuned and best generally in the world.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:14 PM on September 29, 2001

I tried the same thing. But when I pulled down my pants to passing women firemen and yelled "the fire's down here", all I got was an indecency citation.
posted by timothompson at 2:23 PM on September 29, 2001

(uncontrollable giggling at the very thought)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:38 PM on September 29, 2001

Um.. shouldn't you pull down your pants while holding your hose and yell "Can I help you put out some fires?!?"

*ducks to avoid tomatoes thrown at head*
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 2:42 PM on September 29, 2001

But no, timothompson and PWA_BadBoy("DIE, Real, DIE!" is MeFi's official Hymn For The Day), you are both quite right: there is no mention of firewomen in the article. Is it yet one more clear example of rampant sexism? Oh yes.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:58 PM on September 29, 2001

I had brunch with a friend last weekend. He's gay but not into gay culture. He was abashed to admit that he discovered he has a fetish: firemen. All the women at the table shook their heads and said "Uh hunh" in a knowing way.
posted by Mo Nickels at 3:58 PM on September 29, 2001

Is it yet one more clear example of rampant sexism? Oh yes.

Of New York's 11,000 fire-fighters, 36 are female. This is largely due to a physical regimen that demands upper-body strength.
posted by marknau at 4:04 PM on September 29, 2001

i'm only depressed because i am both an internet nerd and a literary wimp.
posted by moz at 4:49 PM on September 29, 2001

It was always the most cosmopolitan and entertaining of all local newspapers but, since September 11, it's well on its way to becoming the best attuned and best generally in the world.

Generally agree with the article regarding Firemen and others mating and mashing more often in the days since the attack.

But the NY Observer has been--and always will be--the narrow-visioned voice of the upper-east-side. It speaks little to NYC in general and speaks volumes to the Upper East Side's self-absorbed pretention.

It's well attuned alright. But only to a very small segment of the NYC population. One that 90% of NYC has nothing to do with.
posted by RoyalJack at 5:07 PM on September 29, 2001

i'm only depressed because i am both an internet nerd and a literary wimp
(moz)
I guess that about describes and depresses every single one of us. Thanks a lot.
(Cue every single damn version of "This Charming Man"):

Come off it, moz, you're a champion aggregator and aggravator and you should be proud of your upper-body strength(it says here...)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:09 PM on September 29, 2001

OK, see, it's threads like this that make me glad God invented heavy narcotics....
posted by aramaic at 5:14 PM on September 29, 2001

My pussy's raw, and it's rendered in delicate prose.
posted by EngineBeak at 5:39 PM on September 29, 2001

Now that's an interesting comment.

(considers linking to kitten-eating thread of yore, discards as being too far out of the realm of reasonable taste)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:06 PM on September 29, 2001

I can hate a fireman.

I mean, I'm just sayin' is all...
posted by aramaic at 8:41 PM on September 29, 2001

Who the hell can hate a freakin' fireman?

Um, hincandenza, you've obviously never seen a city council in the midst of hearing firefighter complaints about zillion different things, some important and others petty, or known an elected official dealing with nasty departmental politics. The above people can come to hate individual firefighters or groups of same. It happens.
posted by raysmj at 9:19 PM on September 29, 2001

I always wanted to be a Fireman. I wish I had done things a bit different in that regard.
posted by thirteen at 10:31 PM on September 29, 2001

> He was abashed to admit that he discovered he has a
> fetish: firemen. All the women at the table shook their
> heads and said "Uh hunh" in a knowing way.

It's the boots. It's the big, shining helmet. It's the rubber. It's the hoses, the big nozzles, the uncontrollable streams.
posted by pracowity at 3:22 AM on September 30, 2001

All the prim ladies once turned up their noses,
'cause a fireman's wages they could count on their toses.
But now they are heroes, and as everyone knowses,
They all come equipped with very big hoses.
posted by Opus Dark at 3:39 AM on September 30, 2001

thirteen is so right: hands up all guys who wanted to be firemen when they were five and now realize what an extraordinary mess they've made of their lives.

Next week: train-drivers; brain surgeons; Amnesty International chairmen and webmasters. OK, not webmasters then.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:26 AM on September 30, 2001

I once knew a guy who fought fires,
He was so cool he hardly perspired;
But now he's enflamed
Those NYC women to blame
And the bastard he told me he's gonna retire!
posted by mattpfeff at 10:28 AM on September 30, 2001

hincandenza: Um, if you're in a town where firefighter incompetence or turf battling leads to more fires and increased insurance rates, yes, there will be serious resentment. There is now much less, because of the work done not only within fire departments, but in city halls, state insurance departments, etc. You can indirectly thank the Progressive movement of the early 20th Century too. You can thank engineers, equipment makers, etc.

Of course, firefighters should be paid and treated well, since it's a nasty and dangerous job. Incompetence can be a reflection of officialdom's failure. But that's not always the case, since there are a-holes in every group or subculture in the world, y'know. This is true, even if I'm just giving you a hard time here.
posted by raysmj at 11:02 AM on September 30, 2001

hincandenza: Oh, and the firefighter who goes around to offices and schools, checking on alarm systems and making suggestions and urging homeowners to install fire detectors and such does as much or more for your safety as anyone. That stuff won't get him laid, unfortunately for him, but it saves countless lives and billions of dollars.
posted by raysmj at 11:09 AM on September 30, 2001

Damn- I had no idea firefighters were such rotten bastards. Those fuckers!
posted by hincandenza at 2:23 PM on September 30, 2001

Didn't say they were, actually.
posted by raysmj at 2:32 PM on September 30, 2001

Ow- now you're confusing me. Stop with the head games, raysmj... :)
posted by hincandenza at 9:25 PM on September 30, 2001