Etiquette and the Shame of our Society
Our society, to put it bluntly, is another Hoverville with a little more class. What ever happened to the proper way of speaking, dress, and communication in general?
Our society no longer takes pride in propriety, but rather encourage to be cosmetically educated. We are so caught up in the need to be a so called “gangster” age slandering the English language. True slang is a part of our language, but do we really need the false accent of being “Gangster,” “Blondie,” “ignorant” everywhere? I don’t remember any of us as children speaking this way. We are so caught up in the fame stardom propaganda that we can’t even create our own individual image. How did we change from the fearless expressions of our youth to overbearing concern of our self image?
We care so much of what’s “In” that even the way we dress has been influenced. True there are great clothing lines out there with clothing that has it’s own accepted style, but the wayI see it is, if a person chooses their look only according to recent stars out there rather than looking out for their own tastes, then there lies the problem.
Another thing that puts our society to shame is the amount we curse at each other. My moral values stand where I don’t curse at all. I don’t mind if people do around me, but I just listen to how people can slander the English language so much. People today have grown to sounding so uneducated and juvenile. Because of the new propaganda, our generation has come to terms that cursing every other word is acceptable. The more slanderous language is used, the power of the meaning is loss. Curse words were meant to be of great impact, not acceptable as an everyday use. To me to be able to have an argument or any type of conversation you must present yourself with dignity and using such vulgar language just puts you in a position where all you have are curse words without the education the support what ever point you want across. What has our generation come to? Are people whom have proper etiquette a rare breed?
What ever happened to the ladies and gentlemen of our society? Where are our Elizabeths’ and Mr. Darcys’?
Perfect example of what I’m talking about it the movie My Fair Lady. If you can watch a classic like that and understand it and its meaning then you my friend are most likely part of this rare breed.
Until next time
-Lady Temptress
Shadows of the Soul 
Once you are able to say that, you are officially becoming old and out of touch with “today”–whatever that is. I’m 32, and I can now say, “20 years ago…” thus and such. I agree that times sure are changing, and if we don’t keep up with them, we won’t be able to understand them at all. I feel like that sometimes.
I disagree. My statement go towards those of my own ignorant generation. I’m 23 and can’t stand my generation that are easily lead to the new trends. My statement isn’t based on the changes of society, rather than how these kids are raised to follow others and not be themselves. As children we have no inhibitions and act however we please and do not have this decorum and propriety of butchering what we are taught, such as proper English. You see females dressing with as little clothing as a strip of ribbon, males with pants down to their knees, drug abuse, alcohol abuse.
I understand within each generation there are tends and I’m at an age where college parties are common (can not stand people acting like buffoons), but I do thing there are also time where you just need to grow up. This is the reason why much of our society is in a rut. By not taking appropriate actions, we wind up having children too soon, not landing a professional job because of our education standards, and so much more. It sometimes seems as though we are reverting back to Neanderthals.
This is why I express the shame of it all.
~ Lady T
Hmm…
When I was 14, I became aware that [dramatic pause] people were actually having sex–and in high school no less! I didn’t have my first kiss until 17. I played with toys until 16. I really wasn’t in any hurry to grow up and take on adult responsibilities. My friends say I was a late bloomer. Now, it is not uncommon for 12yr olds to be pregnant or to have had an STD by the time one reaches 16. I would argue that this generation is moving way too fast, but what’s notable is that each generation tends to think ill of the generation before them, but there is always–necessarily so–overlap. I say that to say that ignorance is trans-generational and clowning around is timeless. It is the nature of culture that standards change, morality shifts, and forms of language die out.
I suppose we can lament these changes. I miss the drive for education that Blacks had during the Reconstruction era, but we must also speak the language of successive generations in order to reach them.
What do you think?
I can agree to a certain extent. It’s almost like a catch 22. If we revert to acting as those we are trying to reach, are we encouraging their actions by mimicking or are we creating progress and showing this way is a more suitable behavior/ manor to uphold? Are parents the real issue? Should be we implementing programs for pregnant teenagers how to raise a child well and the tools of basic morals.
It’s difficult to say.
In all honesty I have no clue where I got my basis of moral systems, or logic. My mother can be brash, she uses foul language, my half sister was pregnant at 14 (now with 5 children), all three half sisters have run away at some point and use some of the worst language, and both my parents worked until the late hours of the night leaving me to my own devices for a majority of my youth.
I often feel as though our future will take a turn to recreate the movie Idiocracy. “It is about a program set up by the Pentagon, called the “Human Hibernation Project,” is designed so that the military can save their best men for when they’re needed most. They placed test subjects to be the test subject for the initial hibernation experiment.By the time they were awoken, stupid people have outbreed intelligent people; the world is (barely) run by morons–and the main characters are the smartest people in America.”
Only time can tell.
~Lady T