What has become of "Shame"

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by RightHand, Dec 9, 2006.


  1. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Has shame gone the way of one-car households and family dinners? When I was growing up (in the stone ages), feeling ashamed for a transgression was a marker toward adulthood. Rather than being a dirty word, it was something encouraged by our parents and grandparents and teachers. It was from shame that we were able to grow and learn what was right. It goes hand in hand with learning to admit to our mistakes, doing our best to correct them, and vowing not to repeat the same mistake.

    I guess that today, becoming an adult is simply a progression in age rather than growth of spirit.

    Sad.......
     
  2. CRC

    CRC Survivor of Tidal Waves | RIP 7-24-2015 Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    This really has nothing to do with your question...just made me think of it..

    (nowhere near enough coffee in me yet)


    The Death of Common Sense

    By Lori Borgman

    <HR width="75%">

    Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.
    His obituary reads as follows:
    Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape.
    Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S.
    A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).
    A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men's movement, body piercing, whole language and new math.
    C.S.'s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. In the following decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf. His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.
    As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.
    Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought.
    Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.
    <HR width="75%">
    Note from Lori Borgman: This piece was first published March 15, 1998 in the Indianpolis Star. It has been "modified" and "edited" by others and circulated on the Internet, even sent to me several times. Imagine my surprise to see it attributed to some guy named Anonymous. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I take having my work circulated on the web as a compliment.​
     
  3. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    Yes, shame is gone, but that's just a symptom I believe, the root cause being a lack of good parenting. I am amazed daily by things I see people allowing their children to do. If I had acted anything like today's kids, I'd still have belt marks on my butt.

    My only child (the dog in my avatar) is much better behaved than 90 % of human children.

    A sense of shame is not taught.
    Respect for others is not taught.
    Manners are not taught.
    Responsibility is not taught.

    It's sad.
     
  4. TailorMadeHell

    TailorMadeHell Lurking Shadow Creature

    As Metallica put it, 'Sad but True'. Will we ever turn around? If so, will it get worse before it gets better? These are scarey questions. (Another scary question, does scary have an e in it or am I right in dropping the e when adding y?)

    It is a demise most foul watching anti-manners abound.

    Loyalty
    Duty
    Respect
    Selfless Service
    Honor
    Integrity
    Personal Courage

    These are the core values of the Army that all good Soldiers keep in mind every day. Let me take a moment and see how they fit with most behaviors of most people today.

    Loyalty - Yes, I'll be loyal to you until someone threatens me with bodily harm, someone pays me more or gives me better things than you do or I just decide that it isn't as popular to hang around you anymore.

    Duty - Whether in a job, at school or in life I have my duty. It is to myself and only looking out for number one. Me. If you expect me to worry about anyone else, you can forget it, it's not in my duty.

    Respect - Yea, those suckers better give me respect or I'll pop a cap in 'em and then we'll see who respects me then. If you want respect, you have to make people fear you or prove you are a bad mogo.

    Selfless Service - Yea if you mess with me, you'll get served. I don't allow no BS my way. I have to be out for myself and get what I can where I can. Nobody gonna give me a job, the honeys like guys with lots of money so a job at mickey d's just ain't gonna cut it. Slangin' dope pays big bucks.

    Honor - I know that one. Sposed to be honor your father and mother all that jazz. I know who my moms is, though my pops split when I was just born. Besides if I see him I'll pop a cap on him. He weren't no good anyhow.

    Integrity - That's some kind of disease ain't it? Had a bud that come down with something like that from a chick he met. Should of seen how he messed her up. Was downright funny.

    Personal Courage - Oh yea, I got that. I got big brass ones. If you step to me wrong, I'll put you down in a minute. I ain't scared of nothing. Not even the cops. What they gonna do?


    So you see, this is what you may see every day and there is not likely to be an overnight turn around or even any in the near future. Sometimes I reflect on the days of old that I never knew. The days my grandfather told me about. The days when you could sleep at night with your windows open and your doors unlocked. The days when 'community' still meant something. The long gone days of everyone being friendly. Now mind you, I know there were some psychotics and alkies running around though not nearly as many as there are in my lifetime.

    It is a sad state of affairs that a once bright and gleaming spot in the world is now caked and corroded with corruption, greed, and all number of malfunctions in society. We were once a backer of our friends and when the enemies saw us stand, they knew we meant business. Now though, our credibility is shot to pieces because we stick our noises in too many different squabbles. There is a saying to 'Pick your battles'. That is true. If you try to fight every issue at every turn, people will not take you seriously anymore and that becomes a chink in your armor through which you may be pierced with an arrow.

    What a world we have now. Such grief and pain does it cause and yet it still keeps turning for the better or the worse, who knows? Maybe one day it will simply grind to a halt until the problems are fixed. I hope it happens within my lifetime so that your children's children will not have to go through the stuff that you and your children are going through. A looney can run around for a while until he annoys enough people and then when they get tired of the shananigans, they lock his butt up where he doesn't mess with anymore people. So it is that we must find this root problem and lock it away so that it will not surface to cause more grief.

    Just a few thoughts or a long ramble. You pick. Haha.
     
  5. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    Good post..... and drop the "e". ;)


    Ya know, the "courage" is one really ticks me off these days. It seems the definition of courage has become "to survive an ordeal". I think that society has completely lost the real definition of that word.
     
  6. TailorMadeHell

    TailorMadeHell Lurking Shadow Creature

    Thanks Blackjack. Sometimes I get a tad forgetful of the lessons I learned in school.
     
  7. Timberghozt

    Timberghozt Member

    Hey Tailor..Good to see you around.Did you see my post at CS.Com about a strange twist of fate?I am being reclassed from a Scout to 11Bravo..haha..
    Go figure huh..
     
  8. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Yes, the core values have become the cornerstone of the Army philosophy at the soldier level. Glad you posted it, TMH.I never really enjoyed memorizing the Soldier's Creed, however...But as far as society goes, as a whole, every individual can do something to make the world a better place -they can start by improving themselves. With each passing generation comes new adaptations to principles, and it seems that in time, we lose the essence of our struggle. Just as communism was devised to prey upon the weak and poor, so to does lack of morals so deteriorate an individuals' duty toward one another. If we are to blame some massively wealthy group of banking and corporate cartels for the shape of the world today, we would lose perspective in realizing the most important factor of all -responsibility, also known as duty. Because, in the end the terrible, horrid truth of it all is...WE did this to ourselves. WE did this, not by the stroke of a sword or a hail of bullets. We caused all of what is happening today through our indifference alone.
     
  9. TailorMadeHell

    TailorMadeHell Lurking Shadow Creature

    TG, I saw that. Damn shame though I know you'll do better than well at whatever you do. Just remember, as most have told you, it's a change of MOS, not a change of heart. Scout through and through, just now you'll get a lot more up front action. Haha.

    Brokor, yes Apathy is a big killer. It slaughters morals, people and ways of life faster than a samurai with a ginsu. What do you do if your neighbor is there kicking the crap out of his wife?

    A) I don't care as long as she doesn't scream too loud and interrupt my soaps.
    B) I can't do anything. I'll most likely get sued, jailed or both.
    C) What does it matter? She'll just take him back when it's over and he'll be at it again next week.
    D) Go teach that man AND woman a lesson. The man should remember that it is not polite, in good manners or even acceptable to physically put his hands on his wife. After all, if he will beat her, what's stopping him from beating the kids? And teach her that no man should lay his hands on her, no woman should put up with that kind of treatment, it's bad for kids as well and if he hits you, you don't need him anyhow. Oh and it will show her that there are still those with a friggin' backbone in America.

    Can you guess my action? Bet ya can. Haha.

    Sad to say that most would look the other way, or not want to get involved. I saw a poster the other day that rang true for this one. It showed a picture of actors, man and wife, in a domestic abuse situation with the wife all huddled down while the angry guy was standing over her with fists raised. The caption read, 'If the noise next door was loud music, you would do something.'

    And before I forget, this goes just as well for the women. You can't just go about putting your hands on men either. It's not acceptable that way either. Yes, there are some guys that get beat up by women in domestic cases. Too much testosterone for the both of them I guess. Remember, it not only affects you and the one receiving the beating, it will affect the children for years to come.

    Just an early morning rant. Haha.
     
  10. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Well, I most certainly will not go onto another person's "property", if you can even call it that these days...but, in some States a person still reserves the right to shoot tresspassers, and that is'nt the case in others. I would just call up the local gestapo unit and pour a cup of coffee. It's sad, that some women place themselves in a situation like that, and if it can be stopped in a sensible manner, then I am all for it. But my days of chivalry are long over. I carry very -VERY little remorse and empathy for people as of late. This is my own nature at the present time, non-reliant upon the effects of society itself, and more of an inner struggle with my own duality I must say. Did you know that not too many generations ago, a man could beat his wife with a stick, so long as it was no thicker than his thumb? Hence the coined phrase which ensued -"rule of thumb". How true is that? Google it, I dunno.
     
  11. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++



    I learned that from "Boondock Saints" the movie. Anybody who hasn't seen this movie Needs to rent it. One of the best movies ever made IMO. Great vigilante action and funny as hell.
     
  12. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Yes, it is true
     
  13. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Yes. Excellent movie. I rate it right up there with 'V' for Vendetta.
     
  14. TailorMadeHell

    TailorMadeHell Lurking Shadow Creature

    Alas, another movie that I will have to search for. Okay, call me lazy at this point, however I am posting this before I have done the research. I know there is a thread about books to read, though I don't know about movies to watch. I will check, however if there is not, maybe we can start one. And I'm not talking Hollyweird glamour. I'm speaking of movies that are as true to life as possible.

    The only boondocks movie I have seen in my viewing history thus far is Soggy Bottom USA. Haha. That was funny.
     
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