stefanbertramlee said:
The past was shit.
For everyone
Bonus shityness if you were born not a white Christain male.
This. People seem to forget that "manners" and "etiquette" were social rules put in place to separate the nobility from common folk. And, as much as they are idealized to be decent anachronisms, the nobility of that time were just as much of a pack of liars as politicians are today.
But the times change, and the rules have changed accordingly. Keep in mind that it used to be fashionable to sport a few extra pounds because it meant that you didn't have to do manual labor and were in the money. Now, if you're a little overweight, you're a common pleb while the truly wealthy have the strict diet and exercise regimens. Needless to say, the social conventions of the modern day have changed, as well. In my honest belief and experience, I've found that honesty is what's served on a silver platter while lying is the common course.
Think about any office environment you've ever been in (or imagined or read in
Dilbert or something.) Muted, more subtle colors are the most common form of attire (off-white button up shirts and khaki pants/dresses) while workers use the same type of computer at the same type of desk in the same type of cubicle. It's a tactic to keep inner conflict down by promoting an air of "sameness." Everyone in an office
has to work together for the sake of their company and their own jobs. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're all friends. The truth of the matter is is that some of the people there absolutely despise each other. But they lie and wear a mask and play nice while at work for the sake of cohesion.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Michele Bachmann, and every celebrity with a reality show gets to spout his or her mouth off and let their opinions, regardless of how nonsensical or offensive or outright stupid they may be, flow freely.
And do you know why this is? It's because the high profile celebs and the politicians
can afford it. Each and every single one of them has a publicist who makes sure that their public identity remains squeaky clean and helps to clean up any messes that might come from an errant statement. It's one of the many benefits of having that level of wealth. You don't have to be held responsible for what comes out of your mouth, or, at the very least, you're held less accountable.
But the rest of us don't have that comfort. The rest of us don't have publicists and PR experts to call on when we commit a social faux pas. If I make a racist statement at my workplace, I can guarantee that I'm about to lose my job regardless of whether I was right or wrong. So in the end, it's easier for the rest of us to lie rather than tell the truth and face the consequences.
tl;dr Chivalry is dead, so get used to lying through your teeth.
And now, for the joke portion of this post:
Of course I respect women! I once dated a chick with big boobs, and I respected that.
