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I just finished the film "The Queen". It was a lovely film and I enjoyed it immensely. My only complaint is that the Queen was forced to give into "modernization". She was forced into giving up her traditional views just to keep her reputation from being tarnished. I found it nothing short of disgusting, to be completely honest. She was a wonderful queen. She served her country and kept a certain sense of elegance and dignity while doing so. My point is that today's modern society lacks refinement and class, in my humble opinion. There were flaws with history, but now that we modern people have worked to correct them we have a new problem. No one respects the elderly anymore, people throw their personal lives out into the open, there's no sense of "special". Nothing is valuable anymore, you can have anything and everything at your fingertips within a fraction of the time others in the past did. Hell, marriage isn't even that special anymore, you can do it in Vegas for a small sum. Nothing lasts anymore either. Everything is cheaply made and mass produced. I'm really quite repulsed by this. On the other hand, there are many good things about modern society. I believe that we should mix them. Bringing the beauty of the old with the efficiency of the new. What do you think? Sorry for the rant. sweatdrop

No worries, you make a lot of good points in your rants!

Well, I've never actually heard or seen the movie, but I do beleive many points you brought up are correct. People take so many things for granted. Although, I can't say I personally would give all of these things up, I do beleive you correct. My grandpa lives with me, and he's always telling us stories.

Nothing is valued any more. Things can be gotten so easily, and where's the sense of acheivment in that? Kids are being brought up somewhat spoiled (heh, probably including myself), but I do work hard for things, and my parents have taught me and my syblings to work hard for things we want. She has also taught us to do good for others, and way back when they're were queens people were beheaded. That's one great point in modernization, people are given free and fair trials and criminals are given a second chance after jail. Although I have to say, I think some criminals don't deserve to ever be let out of jail. Anyways, that's off topic. Another good point in modernization is health care. Give or take the fact it's so complicated, and insurance companies are taking advantage of people... medicines today are much better then way back when. (I hear my mom, a doctor, talking about things like this all the time. I talk about it with her. ^^) Well, there are more, but I'm sure you know them.

The brutal truth is people are being given things so easily, and nobody is working to their full potential. There isn't a need too! (well there is, but it's often not seen) The sense of achievment in certain things is gone. And also, people lack respect for themselves and others. Everyone is spoiled, not knowing that they're growing up with so many benefits.

And YES! Take a trip to my 8th grade class (I'm 13) and meet the boys there, they are in no way, shape or form, near the catogiry of class and refinement. Sure, I don't want kings and queens back, and I don't want things too fancy, but it would be nice if they had some respect... for themself and others. I, honestly, hate getting dressed up for things. Just pass me my capri's/shorts and shirt, I'm happy to go outside and do anything.

I think it would be great to have the old and the new mixed in. Efficiancy, and tradition rolled in to one. Accomplishment and repect side-bye-side. People need to learn how to work for themselves, and take the harder road and stop taking things for granted! Although, I wouldn't want to change the way we live now.... even though your right on a lot of things, I wouldn't want to change much.

((whew, I could write so much more, and actually seperate my points out more and include more examples but it's pretty late and I don't really want too sweatdrop But you get my general opinion. ^_^ I just can't fall asleep! =))

I've cooled down a bit, lol. When I ranted I had just finished the film. I'm feeling a bit more level headed now.

First off, I'm not saying that we revert back to hunting and gathering. I would die. I'm merely suggesting that we create a different mood about us as a society. The "mood" of Victorian england is very different from now. I'm saying that the current "mood" of our modern society is potentially detrimental to our mental and emotional well-being.

Secondly, and a little off topic: I've found that men are very lewd in their flirting habits. They want sex on the first date nowadays. I'm not exaggerating, sadly not at all. I've found the "gentleman" so hard to find in our day and age. I've maybe met one, just one. Most of the men I have dated are sickening. No respect, none. Honestly that's why I now "play for the other team". My homosexual relationships have more substance than the heterosexual ones do. That's just my personal experience, I'm not laying anything on anyone else. Men aren't horrible...They're just not for me.

Yeah...that was way off topic...Oh well! lol.

In response to MipsyKitten's point on marriage:

I agree with you in the fact that people shouldn't have to spend thousands on a ceremony. It is about commitment and all of the other things you mentioned. I wasn't specific in that part of my argument. I mean the marriages between the two people who met that night and were too drunk to even remember each other's names. It happens all of the time. I meant that sort of situation.

Secondly,

I have some great guy friends, but four out of six of them are gay. Besides I'm always scared that I'm going to turn into my mother if I marry a man. I'll probably end up just like her anyway, but it's kind of a subconsciouses thing. Wow, off topic much? lol.

Precisely.

Where is the class?
The integrity?
When is the last time someone held a door open for you?
I mean, really.

Hey. I live in Vegas, lady surprised .
But anyway, yes, I do agree with you. But not so much on marriage. I think marriage today is still quite valuable because most people do it on the basis that they love each other. It's not a business arrangement like it used to be nor is it to keep blood lines pure. People could go back to those times, fine with them, but I ain't returning to that time. And I'm sure not returning to the time of old when women were below men in status and when "chivalry" (Polite sexism, I believe) existed. But, yes, no one respects their elders or values things. Heck, I value and wonder why calculators are available at such a cheap price. If we lived without one, it'd wouldn't be fun doing calculations by hand. Balance, I say, but throw most of the old out because we have a romanticized idea of it that wasn't so true back in its time.

Edit: Read someone else's post above me and realized I said the same thing. I didn't read it when I was making my point so don't believe I'm copying you xd .

I agree wholeheartedly that respect is a dying quality.

I go to a regimented school where the new freshman are suppose to respect all the other classes, no matter who they are or what they do. You see, during the first year, you have to clean the company, stand inspections and go to pointless meetings, so it seems like a complete waste of time, but everyone goes through it, including the cadet leaders. It seems lately the youngies (freshman) have become more bold, refusing to do what they are intstructed to do. If the school was a full military academy, they would be 'disciplined', but hazing isn't allowed anymore.

The thing that really gets me mad is that these kids go to the school knowinf it was regimented, yet they insist on making life difficult for those around them.

And you think the mood of the Victorians wasn't? It's ok to oppress the poor. It's ok to make them work such long hours for wages that couldn't even half support their families so that mothers had to leave their newborns alone at home for 15 hours straight every day just so that the other children wouldn't starve (often keeping them quiet by doping them up on opium). You could oppress the poor as much as you liked because if their lives were difficult it was their own fault (if they hadn't been such vulgar/disgusting people, God would have made them be born in a rich family!).

It's ok to rape little girls because the law was on YOUR side. It was ok to beat your wife because she was your property. You had sole custody of your children. If you wanted to sell them into prostitution for booze money, that was your right as a father.

Honestly, going back to the Victorian era is just about the last thing I would want to do...


That's nothing new. The only difference is that instead of pressuring the higher class girls into sex, they would just go rape some peasants.


I'm sad to say that this has been true in ever day and age. The same can be said about women, too.


And yet you dated them!

There are plenty of kind people out there. Why do you think you caught the "sickening" ones so often?

Err... my general point being that nostalgia is wrong 99% of the time. There was never a time of chivalry, where men respected women and where everyone lived in harmony without trying to get things from relationships. Modernity has certainly brought with it it's own fair share of problems, but we must understand that the problems of previous era were just as bad (and sometimes worse).

That being said, however, complaining that "in these days, no one has respect anymore!" is a rather futile argument. Griping about the state of the world will do little to change it. Instead, live your life the way you wish everyone lived theirs. Be a model human being. Inspire others to be so too. Become a teacher, a mentor. Volunteer. Don't lecture people about proper behavior - just behave properly yourself and put yourself out there so that you can teach by example. My general rule in this matter is that you should sit back and think about the kind of person you wish your future child would be and work to become that person.


Honestly, I'd rather not live in a world where men are expected to hold doors open for me. The implication is that I am too weak to do so myself, that I need men to take care of me and do things for me because I am an object to be cared for. The door tradition is one of oppressing women. If to have the right to divorce an abusive husband, have custody of my children, be protected from rape/sexual harassment, the right to own my own body, and the right to have control over the wages I earn means that I have to open my own doors - I'll do it gladly.

Now if doors are simply being held open out of courteousness (regardless of gender), I have absolutely no problem with that.