Tea at Trianon: When People Don't Understand Consequences...

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 14, 2026

When People Don't Understand Consequences...

From Jan Greenhawk at The Easton Gazette:

There is a larger problem here.

The bigger problem is that we, as Americans, as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, etc. have not shown our children and grandchildren that every decision one makes in life creates a consequence. Whether that consequence is good or bad, big or small, depends on the nature of the decision, the timing, and whether a decision is rational or not. Sometimes, consequences rely on good or bad luck.

Watch parents and small children in supermarkets and you will see how children are taught (or not) about consequences. When I was a child, if I screamed, cried, and threw a tantrum for my mom to buy me a toy on the aisle, I was shown that I not only wouldn't get that toy, but that I would suffer a consequence which could include immediate removal from the store. When I got home, the consequence would be banishment to my room and a stern lecture and punishment from both Mom and Dad. I learned not to embarrass my parents in public or to try to get my way with a tantrum.

Yet, I watch parent after parent in the same situation mollifying and giving into a screaming child and rewarding him/her for bad behavior.

When I taught in the public school system, consequences for students who didn't study, didn't do homework or hand in assignments on time were clear. You don't do your assignments; you get a zero on those assignments. You don't study for a test, and you can't answer questions correctly, you get a failing grade and that grade impacts your class grade negatively. Hand in late work; there's a penalty. Sometimes students overcame the deficit and passed. Sometimes they didn't and failed. It was a hard lesson for some. But it was a lesson in life and consequences.

When I moved into the adult world of working, consequences were very important. Show up late for work? Consequence. Say something that makes your company or employer look bad? Consequence. Don't turn work in on time? Pay a bill late? Ignore and violate laws? Consequence, consequence, consequence. (Read more.)