tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post247266161002999015..comments2024-03-11T10:32:34.217+00:00Comments on Conservative Tendency: The future of conservatismMark Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506844097173520312noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post-44719645318041328722011-08-13T17:54:13.397+00:002011-08-13T17:54:13.397+00:00"her bite was really much worse than her bark..."her bite was really much worse than her bark"<br /><br />Nicely said. Perhaps my friend from New York represents only a regional opinion. I certainly hope so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post-43294321547238997882011-08-09T03:18:45.223+00:002011-08-09T03:18:45.223+00:00Of course, some people are too nice, too accommoda...Of course, some people are too nice, too accommodating for their own good, but there isn't any necessary correlation between courtesy and weakness. I like something Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont (blogging as Ana the Imp) said recently: that her bite was really much worse than her bark.Mark Englishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506844097173520312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post-76957265705975626632011-08-07T13:34:41.365+00:002011-08-07T13:34:41.365+00:00Yes, I see the distinction you are making. It is ...Yes, I see the distinction you are making. It is almost like what used to be called the gentleman's code, which, to be fair, also comprised a knowledge of the forms. But the heart of that code was consideration--"refraining from certain forms of gossip, from gloating, from bragging...." It is the very opposite of self-assertion. It does not seek attention. It does not raise its voice. It is thus not to be found on American television, though I may be breaking the code to say so explicitly.<br /><br />It is interesting to see how some Americans regard courtesy. A friend from New York interprets all considerate behavior as phony. She understands intellectually that there are people in the world whose consideration is genuine, but her first impulse is to wonder why anyone would be more than minimally courteous without an ulterior motive. Once convinced that a person is genuinely polite, her next thought is to wonder whether he may be too nice to be effective in today's world. Too self-effacing. Too weak.<br /><br />I remain optimistic that outside New York her view is still in the minority.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post-71842984785886891162011-08-07T10:00:44.248+00:002011-08-07T10:00:44.248+00:00I was thinking not so much of refined manners as o...I was thinking not so much of refined manners as of a more basic level of good behavior - refraining from certain forms of gossip, from gloating, from bragging - that sort of thing.<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words.Mark Englishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506844097173520312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964847228497363438.post-38647218455085934572011-08-07T01:01:33.613+00:002011-08-07T01:01:33.613+00:00Beautifully said, as always. In the U.S., it appe...Beautifully said, as always. In the U.S., it appears self-reliance and self-discipline stand a fair chance of revival as part of the dominant paradigm. I do not know what can be done to restore good manners. I would choose to promote rude self-sufficiency over mannered dependency, but nowadays the only choice is between rude self-sufficiency and rude dependence. We have varying degrees of parasitism, and no one is well mannered.<br /><br />Morals, though, begin with manners. Absent religion or aristocracy, it is hard to see how the shared public aspiration to good manners can be maintained. Secular democracies are naturally prone to vulgarity. A few people, naturally generous or with heightened aesthetic sensibility, will appreciate the forms of refined social intercourse. They will always be a minority, reminding us that what is rare is precious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com