What do bad manners have to do with the end of imperialism, you might well ask: in a nutshell, nothing and everything. Moral authority disappeared with the empire, just as its successor, socialism, undermined the authority of the family and the pursuit of excellence. The media suddenly presented itself as a tribune of the people, sympathetic to the sensitivities of the masses, with the rich always ruthless and the poor always perfect, the children always innocent and trusting, unless they were white, then they were crazed and feral.
All good stuff, and more besides.
Its all part in parcel – society has turned a corner, and is headed down hill.
From the absence of manners and civility, to the loss of respect to laws and the authority to maintain civilization, to even simple etiquette of ones person.
Lousy driving habits ( they have defiantly taken a turn), rudeness in public venues (I despise shopping – its a free-for-all in most places), horrible considerations (loud talking on phones, biological outages, arguing for the sake of arguing, etc), and a host of many others.
Pretty bad when even my kids notice this, and are repelled – all our glorious behaviors (destruction of the family, two-parent unions for stability and learning, lowered education standards, ebbing of the rule of law (and decency), crumbling pillars of stability within our society, ect) have come home to roost, fester, and further rot.
I’ve made this argument before, albeit with varying degrees of success. I haven’t read the article yet so I don’t know what is being argued. But the real destruction Socialism (as an intellectual posture as well as a political one) begets is moral destruction more than material destruction. It takes the sense of who you are, morally and makes it easier to just sit at home and drink beer, because you have 3 squares, a cot, and the NHS, behind you. No reason to go out and build anymore.
Far too many people haven’t gotten the look from their mothers or a smart crack across the back of the head as children and it shows more and more everyday.
JQ