Critics of Women in Combat Worried Ladies Will Make Men Worse at Killing

For the first time, a select group of terrifyingly formidable women have been allowed to enter Marine Infantry Officer Training on an experimental basis. In other words, we’re one major step closer to allowing women to fight alongside men on the front lines. But with all the hair pulling and dainty slapping and non-lethal earlobe ripping we ladies naturally gravitate toward, how can we be sure that this move won’t ultimately weaken the military and destroy America?

Women in the Infantry Officer Training Program have to compete at the same standards as their male classmates. That means carry the same 70lbs worth of gear through some training courses, must navigate the same wooded course in the dark, must climb over the same obstacles. And they’re judged no differently than the male recruits. I mean, this is logical, right? If women can do exactly the same things, physically, as is required of the men, then they should be allowed to serve in the same way the men serve, even though that type of service is pretty heavy on the blood and light on the ladylike friendmaking.

This fact — that the idea of women in combat is, well, unfeminine seems to be at the root at some conservative unease at allowing women to fight on the front lines, even if they can perform the same tasks that the men can. From the Arizona Republic,

“In the end, when all is said and done, what they should be focusing on is combat effectiveness,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R.-Calif., a member of the Armed Services Committee. “Does it make us better at literally killing the enemy? That’s what their job is going to be.”

At least he didn’t worry aloud that women who stay in one place for 30 days might get “infections.” At least Newt Gingrich’s sexism is nakedly ignorant and thus more hilarious. This is just a conservative dog whistling at such a high pitch that only the lappiest of retro lap dogs can hear it. Women in combat will not only not be able to perform at the same level as men, but they’ll be so bad that they’ll make the men worse? If that’s the (extremely doubtful) case, maybe male soldiers should be trained on how not to totally forget everything they’ve learned when they’re around a person with a vagina.