Ismay might have been a jerk by getting into a lifeboat while leaving 1500 people to die. But.....if you were in the same desperate situation..........would you be tempted to do the same??????

Poor Bruce. His fate, in my opinion, was worse than dying on Titanic. Because of the sinking, his reputation was ruined and was "villianized" by the presses, who dubbed him as "Brut Ismay". Yes, I said it in a previous topic, but here it is again.
Survival instincts are unpredictable and uncontrolable, when they kick in.
That said, I could see myself doing the same thing of jumping into a lifeboat, while 1,523 people are still onboard. It was reported that Bruce was overridden with guilt, that he asked his family and friends never to discuss Titanic when he was around.

As captain Smith and the first officer died along with Thomas Andrews and the ships carpenter, there were not many people who were high ranking and survived, so he probably felt he had the duty to go into the lifeboat and survive as to talk to the board of trade, although he did not do a very good job. He also says that from where he was standing there were no more woman or men around and so he went in as he had the impression that there were not many left to fill in the lifboat.

I think that Ismay's instinct of survival told him to get into the lifeboat, nothing else. Ismay was one of the few people who knew Titanic's lifeboat capacity, and that she would indeed sink. He helped load passengers into the lifeboats, and when nobody else was in the "close proximity" of the lifeboat he was loading, he climbed in. At this point in time I think a slight realization that the ship was definetly going to sink began to overcome the passengers and crew still onboard Titanic, and desperate measures started to be taken. Ismay was probably scared, like anyone else would be if they knew that not everyone was going to survive and that the largest ship on its maiden voyage was definetly going to sink. He probably was in a slight bit of shock too.

Also, at the time he got into the lifeboat, Ismay had no knowledge of any other deaths in the crew, because those events happened a short time later. So that couldn't have been a factor.

I agree with you all. I think that basic instincts dictate survival. I can not be critical of Ismay because he was trying to survive. In the same situation, I can guarantee you I would do the same. However, I do think that the only thing he is guilty of is pressuring Captain Smith as to her speed that night. Though he has been labeled a smug and pampered individual, that does not mean that he had a duty to step aside and die. I think he was scared,(of course)and he saw a chance to survive and took it. Some people consider what he did was wrong. I do not. I think he did what he had to do to live. I can not be critical of him when I would probably have done the same.

Correct, he did what he had to do to survive, he knew the circumstances and that the outcome wouldn't be good. So he took action to save himself. The reason he had such a major shadow cast on him was because so many other families lost loved ones, but when they heard Ismay was saved, they were of course outraged that the "owner of the White Star Line of course made it off alive".

Yes, human instincts usually draw toward "survival". I think most people would try to survive in that kind of situation. I'm sure he felt guilt and it's understandable, surviving while 1,500 other people died in a ship under his ownership. People have called him a coward for taking a place in a lifeboat, but you have to think, "what would I do?" Just give up on life instantly? Or try to stay alive? Probably the latter.

Correct, many are fast to attack Ismay's actions, but in that situation you have to really think about what you would do if you were in his place. Add in the fact that he knew Titanic would sink..

Yes, I to believe that is was survival, but I also feel that there were 1500 people that weren't able to choose to climb into a life boat at the last minute.

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That's very true. Good point. I doubt Ismay was thinking this at that time, but yeah, absoloutly true. Just goes to show you what the "higher people" of the time could do.