Separation of Powers said:
It's like when the flight attendant is going over the safety procedures before a flight, "make sure you put your oxygen mask on BEFORE assisting anyone else."
However, I should point out that the reason this is done is because parents will tend to help their children put their masks on first before putting on their own. It's natural parental instinct. However, if they do that, they stand a good chance of sufficating before being able to completely help all of their children. Since children can generally go a liitle longer without sufficient oxygen than adults, the advice is given to "put your mask on first before helping others around you".
(But i do get your point)