Noooo, not the women and children!

I'm sure you've heard about the recent killings of journalists in Pakistan. Actually, I'm not sure about that at all. You probably haven't, in fact.

Well, just think about any event in which a lot of innocent people died. Civilian casualties in war, for example.

Think about how the news is often reported in the media;

"FORTY KILLED, INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN"

"FOUR MURDERED, A WOMAN AMONG THEM"

"TWENTY KILLED IN EXPLOSION, THREE CHILDREN DEAD"

I don't know about you.. but innocent women and children dying don't fill me with more horror than innocent men dying. I don't particularly see any reason why it should.

I can't imagine anybody going, "Did you hear about that mass killing?! Lots of people died! Some of them were small, and others had vaginas!"

It's a little ridiculous. Yet, that's what people are essentially saying when they see fit to specify the gender or age of victims.

Why does the media assume that civilian men are less innocent than civilian women and children?! I wonder if men are miffed by this, or if they notice it at all.