Tea at Trianon: Boys and Social Engineering

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Boys and Social Engineering

An astute article about how boys and young men are bullied by society. To quote:

...I would like to resolve the issue of bullying; but in order to do so, we need to take a long, hard look at our current situation. This will not be easy and will even infuriate some. But for the sake of our families and communities, this must be considered. Social Engineers, to wrestle power away from men, have cunningly created a society where egalitarianism has become the norm. They have done this by preventing boys from being properly mentored, forbidding men to congregate, and removing any semblance of male initiation.

Before we consider these three destructive developments, let us first consider egalitarianism itself – which should be rather easy, as it is all around us. Egalitarianism includes the natural heresy of the genderless society. The idea that there are no differences between the sexes would be laughable if it were not for the fact that so many people have accepted the notion. Please take note: you cannot raise a boy as you would a girl and expect to have good consequences (and vice versa). Here, we could cite a number of enlightening but ignored studies, but that seems pointless. Lets try logic: that cute little boy that we dress in gender-neutral clothing, force to play games that prohibit competition, punish when he exhibits aggression, and teach in the same manner we instruct girls, will one day experience stunning growth and physical prowess. This unveils our point: in days of long ago, boys were trained and mentored and prepared for the day they would “come into their own” and… for the most part, they were ready. Guided by the virtues, they were intentionally readied for the day when their natural power would develop and they would be wielders of that power. It would be similar to a family acquiring a lion cub. Sure it is cuddly and cute. Sure it lounges in the family room and eats a lot of food. Sure it plays its curious games and rambles about the house. But what happens when that cub passes through adolescence and discovers its own power? If it has not been trained and prepared, it will likely eat someone. In real life, the result of such idiocy is bullying, domestic abuse, gang violence, and domestic terror.

There is historical precedence here. In the Middle Ages, town and country were plagued and terrorized by gangs of bullies: young men who were reckless and abusive, and there was little societal restraint to correct their cruel behavior. Thus, Holy Mother Church intervened. Recognizing -even appreciating- the natural power and strength of these men, the Church asked them to place their might at the service of “the good.” These men were asked to make solemn vows to protect the widow and the orphan and defend the church. Hence, Europe witnessed the birth of chivalry and the appearance of the knight.

The way we treat young men today is tragic. A man of high school age today is generally taught that he is essentially animalistic, that his urges are primal, that he is prone to violence or laziness, or that he is a candidate for addiction. He is often regarded with suspicion or else completely ignored. No wonder he sits in a closed room playing video games or viewing pornography for endless hours. (Read more.)