The Contemplations of a Traditional Man – or – Commentary on, and often times Solutions for, Everyday and Global Issues
09/15/2013
Sunday Posts Noise, Pope Francis, Prayer Intention, silence, Value of Silence Leave a comment
It is very humbling when my concerns are reinforced by Pope Francis.
His Prayer Intention for the month of September 2013 is:
“That people today, often overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value of silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.” [emphasis mine]
I promise we did not coordinate this ahead of time.
The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
08/25/2013
Sunday Posts attitude, behavior, change, Confucius, Dean Acheson, Ellen Glasgow, Georg C. Lichtenberg, God grant me the serenity, Irene Peter, John A. Simone, Lao Tzu, Leo Tolstoy, Margaret Mead, opportunity, Reinhold Niebuhr, Steve Jobs, William Glasser Leave a comment
Some words concerning change. Few of which are mine…
I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. –Georg C. Lichtenberg
On the other hand…
All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. –Ellen Glasgow
And…
Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed. –Irene Peter
If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behavior. –William Glasser
[Often times, your own would be the first place to look. Are YOU doing your best to better the world? Are you doing ANYTHING?!]
Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have. –Margaret Mead
[That one I found one of the most enlightening. Just think about it for a moment…]
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. –Steve Jobs
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. –Leo Tolstoy
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. –Lao Tzu
[And this is not necessarily a good thing.]
Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. –Dean Acheson
[So it can only be changed at that pace. However, each day that goes by could very well be a lost opportunity. Was your yesterday lost?]
If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry it’ll change. –John A. Simone, Sr.
Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. –Confucius
[And of those that never change, I’m going to suggest that the majority are the stupidest]
And the best of the best:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. –Reinhold Niebuhr
[No insult intended to the author but keep in mind: that you CAN does not always mean that you SHOULD. Even if you know the difference.]
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
08/18/2013
Sunday Posts cardiovascular problems, chronic sleep disorders, Conversation, Health Promotion International, National Wind Watch, Noise, Noise pollution, pollution, postal, quiet, silence, Silence is deafening, society, stress disorders, WHO, wind turbines, World Health Organization Leave a comment
It is becoming more and more noticeable to me of late just how noisy society is. Noise is EVERYWHERE!
Virtually from the moment we wake (to that ever annoying alarm), or head out into society in the morning if we are lucky enough to have a quiet home, until we fall back asleep at night we are bombarded with noise. Radios, traffic, emergency sirens, other people talking (often, usually, at a volume far higher than is really necessary), bells ringing (I have the “honor” of working at a high school), aircraft, and loud speakers. Even elevators and call waiting have to have music or annoying advertisements/messages.
Why are we so afraid of quiet? Not even silence (but that is for later). Just quiet. My wife and I were out for a nice dinner a few evenings ago. The restaurant was quite upscale (it was her anniversary – don’t get the idea we are wealthy and do that all the time) so one might expect a certain level of soft ambience fitting the setting. One might even expect a piano in the corner playing soft music by which diners could have peaceful conversation (yeah, I get the irony of suggesting a piano making noise in a rant about too much noise – just go with me on this). However, not so. While the first hour or so was quiet by comparison, the people around us still didn’t seem to understand the concept of hushed conversation around a table. Yet another sign of the oh so prevalent apathy about which we (ok, I) have spoken in the past (and about which I am finding a great need to launch into a tirade again!). However, later in the evening, the “lounge” next to (and part of) the restaurant became excessively loud. A live band was playing. There is no barrier between the lounge and the restaurant. It was not a soft jazz band. We may as well have been in the front row of a live Rock concert. And of course those in the lounge had no choice but to “yell” at each other to be heard above the music. Conversation in the restaurant became virtually impossible. Luckily we were just a few minutes from leaving. However, we ate quite early that evening. For many, the time we were leaving was the normal time to begin an evening out. My question, where does one find a peaceful evening out?
Although I think I was born old in that I have never been a “let’s go hang out in a bar and yell at each other over the music” kind of guy, I actually have no problem with that kind of club. But when EVERYWHERE becomes that kind of club I’ve got to wonder about the mind frame of society. Why, why, why are we so afraid of quiet?!
These are just a few examples. Bottom line: it is virtually impossible to find a quite spot in society. I challenge, no I DEFY, anyone to actually find a quiet spot in public. I, unfortunately, do not have the means to purchase a 1000 acre ranch in Montana. I think that might be what it takes. Even in one’s own home (and my wife’s is quite insulated) you will hear the noise of cars driving by, planes over head, lawn mowers, etc. If not so much inside, having a peaceful drink on one’s patio is impossible. There, one isn’t even insulated to a limited extent. When I visit many other neighborhoods (thankfully not ours of yet), I hear all that above as well as neighbor’s loud “discussions”, music blaring, kids riding their motorized mini-cars or small motorbikes, dogs barking (which I understand dogs are want to do, but owners COULD be cognizant of their neighbors and limit the animals) and all sorts of other non-silence about.
I read a letter to the editor the other day (don’t ask me why – it is a rare occurrence since they tend to annoy me – hold that thought (yes, I DO know what you are thinking)). It matters not the subject or the periodical but this person states emphatically that “Silence is deafening and unfriendly.” Silence is not deafening. Silence is not unfriendly. How absurd! Where do people come up with such nonsense? In fact, based on the definition from Webster “himself”, silence is “forbearance from speech or noise” or the “absence of sound or noise”. So, since it is NOISE that tends to be deafening, silence would be the exact opposite of deafening! For those that may have been contemplating asking why letters to the editor tend to annoy me, you now know. I contend that to suggest silence is deafening is to suggest someone afraid of their own thoughts. Maybe they are afraid of evil demons living inside their head that are only silenced by noise from outside.
Don’t think this is just a problem in the U.S. either. I have traveled the world. Noise is everywhere! In fact, noise has gotten so bad around the globe that the World Health Organization in Geneva has even published a document entitled Guidelines for Community Noise. It begins by stating, “Noise has always been an important environmental problem for man. In ancient Rome, rules existed as to the noise emitted from the ironed wheels of wagons which battered the stones on the pavement, causing disruption of sleep and annoyance to the Romans. In Medieval Europe, horse carriages and horse back [sic] riding were not allowed during night time in certain cities to ensure a peaceful sleep for the inhabitants. However, the noise problems of the past are incomparable with those of modern society.” It goes on to provide disturbing data on just how bad the noise problem in society is. As well, according to the Health Promotion International group, “Noise pollution is an ever-increasing problem in modern technological society. It is well documented that repeated exposure to even moderate levels of noise can be injurious to health, but often unappreciated are the more pervasive physiological and psychological effects.” The group further discusses the relationship of noise “to chronic sleep disorders and to cardiovascular problems”. Even according to National Wind Watch, “there is overwhelming evidence that [the noise from] wind turbines cause serious health problems in nearby residents, usually stress-disorder-type diseases, at a nontrivial rate.” Wind turbines! They are not only dangerous to birds (yeah, I really don’t care) but cause stress disorders in humans that live nearby. Is it any wonder that this society is going postal?
It is therefore not our parent’s fault that we have issues. Nor is it our own. I contend EVERY human ailment is due to noise. Until we can get it under control we should forgive those poor people in prison and release them all. How can we hold them responsible for what is clearly the cause of noise created by society as a whole?! Oh quit having a heart attack. That was hyperbole (look it up).
I could go on and on. I think you get the picture. The REAL question is: who is willing to buy me a ranch in Montana?!
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
06/23/2013
Sunday Posts education, engineering, international standardized tests, internet, libraries, Mathematics, Pete Holmes, Science, secondary schools, smart phone, space race, STEM, technology, United States Leave a comment
I was listening to the comedian Pete Holmes the other day and he was talking about how people have lost the wonder of discovery (my words – but basically the gist). His bit was essentially about how people no longer have to not know something for any length of time. And because of that, when they learn something (a minute or two after they begin to wonder due to easy access to the internet and all the information of the world at our fingertips) the awe of discovery, of learning something new is lost. Now, of course, he made it pretty funny. However, as usual, I began to think about the non-funny aspects of WHY this is the case…
Basically, back in the day, if you were curious about something it often took considerable time to get an answer to your question. You asked your friends (who of course did not know), you asked your parents (who quite often didn’t know), you asked teachers, other adults and time after time you would be sent away knowing no more than you did before. Sometimes you even had to go to great lengths to find an expert on a given subject to get your answer. For those of you that remember libraries (the kind with books, not computers connected to the internet as we have now), you could eventually get there and look into encyclopedias, dictionaries or other such books. But what of questions that could not easily be found in such books. Mr. Holmes’ example was of the hometown of a particular NASCAR driver. You would ask and ask and eventually, after days or weeks of searching you might find a buddy’s second cousin-once-removed’s boyfriend’s uncle that remembered that the guy was born somewhere in Florida. Wow! But the length of time it took to find the answer would only increase the level of appreciation for it. Now days it would take 30 seconds to pull out your smart phone, connect to the internet as you drive across the country at 70 mph (or sit in class ignoring the teacher, …) and Google the answer. You’d get it. Maybe even more exact. All the way to the street address of the hospital should you choose. But where is the expectation? Where is the great satisfaction? Most importantly, where is the great sense of accomplishment you feel in all the effort put in? And the feeling you get in FINALLY finding the answer after all the build up and anticipation? It no longer exists in today’s society.
What’s more, people are losing the ability to analyze the problem and determine the best way of finding the answer.
I am sitting in a local cigar bar at the counter (that is where the electrical outlet is) typing this blog. The guy sitting a few stools away wonders to the barkeep what the percentage of all beer sales are Bud Light. Nobody knows. It is a simple question. I consider logging on the internet and Googling the answer (I don’t, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind). Bottom line: nobody in the entire establishment knows. Life goes on. Do kids these days get the same feeling? Are the day-to-day “pressures” they feel as teenagers of the 21st Century tied to their own expectations of “needing”, or being expected, to know whatever it is the moment the question is asked?
Let’s take it a step further. Since all this “power of information” exists at the click of a mouse or a couple of cell phone button pushes with your thumb, could this be the reason for the dumbing down of society? Back in my day (not really all that long ago but it sounds good), the watchword of education was as much about learning to find the answer as it was learning information in the first place. Kids aren’t even being taught anymore how to find information – how to come up with answers. The why of the how? Or is it the how of the why?
With the technology we have available to us, especially the kids, we no longer have to learn to think, to analyze a situation, to consider the possibilities and ramifications. We just look it up on-line and everything is there for us. Someone else has done the work (possibly even correctly). But we are left with no understanding of how that work was done. How was the final answer achieved? The example of a birthplace is a relative no-brainer. However, it is a fact. It is not an opinion. Much of what we need to do in our lives is forming an opinion. Should I do this or should I do that? What is the better investment for me? Should I lease or buy? These types of answers can actually be Googled. But you will be getting the “opinion” of someone that has no clue of your particular circumstances. Many people, not knowing the how and why of the outcome, will just take the answer at face value and proceed from there. Then we have such questions as: Should I take this job or that one? Should I live in this town or somewhere else? Google might not be so helpful here. Nor would much of what are kids are being taught in school.
My contention (and not only mine) is that too much of education in the U.S. today is focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). We are giving them algebraic formulas for algebraic equations. The most they have to figure out is what type of equation it is and then match it to the formula. We give them rubrics for virtually any assignment. Follow the rubric and you get a good grade. They even use the rubric to determine where they can cut corners and still end up with a good enough grade (notice “good enough”, not an “A” – sometimes I wonder). However, is this really preparing them for the real world? When they get out of school their boss isn’t going to hand them a rubric for every (or any) task they are given. During my first assignment in the military my targeteers had checklists they would go by to build strike lines. Heaven forbid they didn’t have their checklist next to them and actually had to know how to do their job. Problem was, during minimum time tasking exercises they didn’t have time to look at the checklist. They actually had to know what they were doing. This caused MANY major problems. So the first time I saw this I took away ALL checklists from the builders. The checklists were used only by the quality control NCO too confirm everything was correct before it went out the door. A few times through the exercise and it was amazing how more accurate the products were and how much more quickly they were complete. They learned their jobs. More importantly, they had to THINK about what they were doing and why they were doing a specific thing in order to accomplish the result that would get past the quality control step.
What am I getting at?
Not only aren’t our kids getting the sense of accomplishment when they actually come up with an answer on their own, we are essentially “teaching” kids HOW to build a bomb. What we are not teaching them is how to decide whether or not we should use it. Yes, there are exceptions out there (my class for one) where we ask “why”. I expect my students to analyze given case studies and provide a considered, supported opinion. However, that goes against most of what the “experts” in education today are trying to accomplish. We are trying to keep up with the Jones’. The theory is that many other countries are far ahead of us in science, engineering, technology and mathematics. This is based on the outcome of international standardized tests. Of course, the thought is never given to the actual real world results of our education. What country is the world leader in the space race (a significant indication of a country’s citizens understanding of STEM)? What country has the preponderance of new science and technology discoveries? The preponderance of original discovery? The answer to each of these questions is the United States. In the past two centuries, the US growth has produced per capita incomes about six times greater than the world average. Currently the US holds 4.5% of the world’s population and produces 22% of the world’s output. A disproportionate number of the world’s great accomplishments in medicine, electronics, and other technology have come from America. But somehow there is something wrong with our education system and we must change it to meet the expectations of these standardized tests.
Nor is consideration given to how our kids (with their obviously poor education) are getting into some of the top ranked schools in the world. Eight of the top ten, and 17 of the top 20, universities in overall education worldwide are in the United States. Seven of the top ten in science, ten of the top ten in engineering, nine of the top ten in computers, and six of the top ten in mathematics. The majority of the students in those universities are graduates of US secondary schools. How are the top schools being filled with US students yet our secondary schools are not up to par? What sense does this make? And why are so many foreign students working so hard to get into our schools?
Based on the foregoing, I contend our schools are actually doing just fine. Not all of course. But why change the ones that are just for the sake of change. We obviously have schools that know what they are doing. How about, instead of coming up with, and spending millions (billions?) of dollars to implement, the newest theory in education every few years we just look at the schools that are doing well and copy that method in schools that aren’t. Hmmmmm…
Bottom line: let us get back to the liberal (renaissance) education where our future citizens are taught more HOW to think rather than just to apply formulas or solve equations. Don’t get me wrong, the basics such as mathematics, language, sciences, etc are all important in education. It would be hard to teach analysis and application of the thought process without the basics. But too many experts are pushing schools to limit their education to STEM. Even to the extent of having English classes teach using technical manuals vice the classics. This is just wrong and the trend needs to be reversed.
To circle around to the beginning – The Wonder of Not Knowing and How it Applies to the Acceptance of Not Understanding…
We need to re-instill not only the wonder of not knowing, but the desire of discovery in our children. As it stands, not knowing is not a concern, but the acceptance of not understanding should be. The acceptance of not knowing (at least for a time) and the wonder of discovery is achieved by slowing down and understanding the analysis that is knowledge. The process that leads to wisdom. Unless we do, they will never understand the decision making process and “dropping the bomb” (a metaphor for any decision if you didn’t get the drift) will be via a checklist and not a considered evaluation of the circumstances. Let us get back to a renaissance education. Let us teach our children what they need to know to make decisions in the real world and forget about keeping up with the Jones’.
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
04/14/2013
Sunday Posts Bastiat, bureaucracy, charities, charity, dependent underclass, economy, Federal Government, Frédéric Bastiat, money, Parable of the Broken Window, poor, redistribution of wealth, underclass, yacht Leave a comment
Bastiat’s original parable of the broken window from Ce qu’on voit et ce qu’on ne voit pas [That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen] (1850) – translated by Patrick James Stirling
Have you ever witnessed the anger of the good shopkeeper, James Goodfellow, when his careless son has happened to break a pane of glass? If you have been present at such a scene, you will most assuredly bear witness to the fact that every one of the spectators, were there even thirty of them, by common consent apparently, offered the unfortunate owner this invariable consolation – “It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Everybody must live, and what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?”
Now, this form of condolence contains an entire theory, which it will be well to show up in this simple case, seeing that it is precisely the same as that which, unhappily, regulates the greater part of our economical institutions.
Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier’s trade – that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs – I grant it; I have not a word to say against it; you reason justly. The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, blesses the careless child. All this is that which is seen.
But if, on the other hand, you come to the conclusion, as is too often the case, that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it, you will oblige me to call out, “Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.”
It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented.
The key here is that each of us only has so much money. Relative to my post on 31 March 2013 – giving my wife’s money to the Federal Government so they may distribute it at will to whomever they please may sound good on the surface. All those “poor” people so in “need” of our help. However, this creates problems on two fronts. One, we have less money to give to charities of OUR choice. Individuals that would benefit from our contributions must now look elsewhere – the consequence therefrom means there are even MORE people that look to the government for assistance. This is not to mention the expensive bureaucracy created to redistribute all this wealth. Bureaucracies without which most charities seem to be able to operate just fine. Second, we have less to spend on those things WE may need or want. Lacking things we need creates problems for others (grocers, power company employees, etc.), but even more of a problem for us (food, water, lights, heat, etc. are important to us… go figure). Lacking those things we want creates problems for others as well. Just as in the parable above, the six francs that went to the glazier are six francs we cannot give to the carpenter for a new chair or table, or the shopkeeper for a new lamp or television or whatnot. I don’t care if it is of the yacht builder we speak. Billionaires that own yachts contribute significantly to the economy. Yachts are expensive to buy (not to mention to operate). Consider all those men and women that build and operate yachts and support systems therefore, they have families too!
I could go on and on about this concern. Suffice it to say, from a total economic picture, money is NOT limited (as some would have you believe). Yet, on an individual level it is. The more government takes from its people the less they have to support their fellow citizens. Allowing us to spend according to our individual need/want creates an economy that will support all. Taking and creating a dependent underclass only depresses the economy and our country that much further. It is your choice. Consider it next time you have a decision to make regarding who will run your country.
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
03/24/2013
Sunday Posts Aristotle, Clifford Stoll, Data, education, flowers, G. M. Trevelyan, George Santayana, God, Horace Mann, ideas, information, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jim Rohn, John Dewey, John F. Kennedy, John W. Gardner, knowledge, life, motivation, nursery, plants, Plato, school, Tammy Faye Bakker, teaching, truth, understanding, wisdom Leave a comment
We are coming of Spring Break and into the final quarter of this school year. I thought, why not a few words of wisdom concerning education to carry us to through the last stretch. Something to think about…
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. – Aristotle
You can educate yourself right out of a relationship with God. -Tammy Faye Bakker
The most important part of education is proper training in the nursery. -Plato
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. -John Dewey
A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated. -Horace Mann
Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom. -Clifford Stoll
Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants. -John W. Gardner
Education… has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading. -G. M. Trevelyan [or, I would add, what is worth watching]
The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas. -George Santayana
If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around. -Jim Rohn
The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth. -John F. Kennedy
If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life. -Plato
We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man’s estate, is the gift of education. -Jean-Jacques Rousseau
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
03/17/2013
Sunday Posts appearance, business, Casual Friday, Chicago, civility, Class, Cockney, culture, Dark Ages, Forbes, George Washington, grammar, Hillbillies, history, humanity, laziness, Leonardo da Vinci, lower class, manners, morals, productivity, Profits, Refinement, Rules of Civility, sloth, society, Sophistication, speech, Style, Walmart, work Leave a comment
We ended off last time with “What has this got to do with us?”
Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.” While I will appeal below to a few “experts”, we will first appeal to logic, to rational thought, to critical thinking.
Pride in appearance and speech begets pride in other aspects of your life. What you feel when you wear “dressy” clothes. The attitude you have. Some people claim they feel stifled when wearing a suit or nice dress. I’m not so sure that is truly the case. You undoubtedly feel less comfortable than you do in your favorite pair of sweats – especially since most aren’t used to wearing quality clothing on a regular basis in this day-in-age. On the other hand, there is a sense of quality. There is a sense of status if you will. You feel like people are going to have a higher opinion of you than is the case when you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt [and they DO by-the-way]. However you might feel in a pair of sweats – comfortable, relaxed… I’ll guarantee you don’t feel respected when you are out and about in flip-flops and shorts and a t-shirt. In fact, there may have been a time when you witnessed, either personally or someone else, someone “of quality” looking down with distain upon the manner of dress. You’ve seen all kind of writings about people who look down with derision upon those not acting properly, those who do not speak properly, those who do not dress properly. I believe that if we would be honest with ourselves we would admit that when we are “dressed up”, for lack of a better term, – at least what we would call it now days – it makes us feel good. It does make us feel there is a quality about us – a quality that is not there when we are in a shorts and t-shirt and flip-flops or sweats or pajamas on our way to Walmart. So keeping in mind those feelings, we should acknowledge our relationship with other people, how we treat other people, how we act toward other people, how we act with other people, is also of higher quality. It changes us for the better.
This goes for speech as well. There have been many times throughout history, and I would dare say even today, when you hear people refer to how those from the lower class speak – anywhere from Old Town London where people on the “lower side” (working-class Londoners) are speaking in a Cockney accent to what we would claim now about Hillbillies or those of the “lower class” in the South. When you are speaking in such a manner you are not relating on an equal level with those that take pride in the way they speak. The phraseology that they use… The grammar they ensure is correct… On the other hand, I’ve heard many a time, “he understood me, the message got across, what difference does it make how I speak?”
As you will see below, this doesn’t necessarily work as well out there in the real world, the business world as an example, where people look with derision on those who just don’t take the time to put forth a good foot, either in the they dress or speak. It shows laziness, it shows sloth, it shows you just don’t care about the way you look, the way you speak, about the way you carry yourself. About the way you relate to other people. And, like it or not, business owners or those in the HR department or hiring managers for an organization, want to hire and keep people that aren’t lazy – people that present themselves in all manner of care. They want people that are going to take the time and make the effort to present themselves in a manner that is befitting the company – or people of quality period. When you do not present yourself in that manner you are losing out on opportunities you may otherwise have – opportunities for which you may have educated and trained yourself over many years. But more importantly, you are demonstrating to the rest of society that they are not worth the effort. Not that you are of less value. But that you are not worth the time.
Aside from the aforementioned (previous post) “supporting, ill-mannered, gracious less, disrespectful society” affecting the rest of us, numerous studies have been done that demonstrate the detrimental effect of ignoring proper dress and speech on relationships, work and culture. This part of what has changed is not good for humanity as a whole – which then, directly and indirectly, does affect all of us on an individual level. How we dress and the manner in which we address each other and our speech in general translates to our attitude toward life and the effort we put into our society. As well, people that are given an inch will take a mile (not my saying but a great one). The “old ways” may not be the best in all regard, but they are far better than the Dark Ages – for which, I would suggest, we are again heading. We do though seem willing to accept that civility in general is lacking and we are ok with that. It confuses me though that while people don’t object on a societal level, they certainly object on a personal one. Well, societies are made up of individuals…
One type of example [and there are far too many to address in a single post] is the numerous studies done on dressing for work-at-home jobs (and elsewhere). All these studies conclude that how a person dresses affects work performance (even though nobody else can see you). The suggestion that having a home based business allows you to “go to work” in your pajamas or sweats is true. However, the studies show that your neighbor, being in the same business working from his home but dressing as if he were heading to an office in the city, would run rings around your productivity. Dress affects attitude. Dress affects alertness. Dress affects performance. Dress affects the bottom line. You don’t believe me? How about a few examples?
Forbes recently had an article entitled Casual Summer Work Environment Kills Productivity and Profits. The article claims that, too the employees, Casual Work Environment Means “You don’t have to work”. A business owner providing a “casual summer” [or casual Friday] work schedule is setting the company up for failure. Subtle statements may result in:
• Employees don’t have to work at their normal level of quality,
• The company does not value the overall impression given to the customer,
• Customer service is not important,
• Profits are secondary to pleasing the employees, and
• The business is not intended as a long term venture.
The article goes on to say “People use the heat as an excuse for dressing casual. Unfortunately, many employees don’t know what is ‘too casual’ for the office. The dramatic difference in employee appearance taints the company’s image. This can confuse consumers.” And finally, in the article’s “Tips For Building A Culture Of Success During Summer” (since that is often when companies institute the more casual dress policy) it states “avoid casual Friday. This policy insinuates that Friday is a ‘non-work’ day.”
In the instruction to her paper The Effect of Casual Dress on Performance in the Workplace, Sarah Maloney Hughes of The Master’s College states in the Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences:
“The way you look directly affects the way you think, feel, and act . . . . When you dress down, you sit down—the couch potato trend. Manners break down, you begin to feel down, and you’re not as effective” (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2000, p. 39). Stephen Goode (2000, p. 4) states the findings of research psychologist, Jeffery L. Magee, that “Continually relaxed dress leads to relaxed manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity” and “leads to a decrease in company loyalty and increase in tardiness.” Dolbow suggests that the accepted casual dress in the office workplace is causing “casual attitudes and a lack of office decorum” (2000, p. 10).
Other examples… in these cases, effects of dress code on students.
1) LPSRoyalTimes.com (Leadership Public Schools, Oakland, CA)
Fri, Mar 2nd, 2012 | By Livia Looby
19 Schools in Chicago did a study on student’s behavior by making one day a dress code day, one was a dress down day, and the other one was a regular day. There were 211 referrals given out on dress code days, 233 on regular days, and 322 on dress-down days. The study done in these 19 schools showed that by having a dress code it did decrease the bad behavior in school.
2) Recent research at Sam Houston State University offers some evidence:
The research was conducted by Jimmy Creel and Angela Stallings, while completing work on their doctorates in education in SHSU. Creel studied the impact of dress codes on black students in a Houston area suburban school district, while Stallings concentrated on Hispanic students. “It is possible, based on our findings, that the benefits of a standardized dress code implemented and maintained over time may very well have a positive effect on student achievement,” she said. Creel said their study showed a number of positive benefits, including “improved campus morale and reduced discipline violations, increased school pride, improved collaboration and teamwork among students…” Also, “enhanced image of students and the school in the community, minimization of the effects of economic variations among students, and reduction in the overall cost of student wardrobes.”
Considering speech in society and/or workplace:
In the book How To Turn Your Abilities To Cash, “master salesman and successful author” Earl Prevette devoted Chapter IX to How To Improve Your Speech, Voice And Manner. He said –
There are three definite reasons why one should endeavor to speak correctly. Namely:
(1) People never judge you by what you don’t say. They judge you by what you say, and if you can do this well, it will influence people to have confidence in you. Therefore, form the habit of pronouncing each word correctly, and to speak with care and dignity.
(2) Speech is the only means to make yourself understood. By not pronouncing your words correctly and by not speaking with the proper care, your listener may get the wrong meaning out of what you say.
(3) The correct pronunciation of each word, enunciating each syllable, will not only improve your speech, but will also enable you to spell correctly more easily.
He goes on to say, “Speech, Voice and Manner are all fundamental parts of our living. The use one makes of these reflects how he lives. The study of Speech, Voice and Manner develops social poise and a more desirable and pleasant personality. The three personal attributes of character enumerated are all dependent to a large degree upon each other. The improvement and development of one means the improvement and development of all.”
In Appropriate Language by Stacie Heaps: “One of the most important things you can do as an employee and colleague is to use appropriate language in the workplace. In the business world, making a good impression and projecting yourself as mature, intelligent, confident, and professional is critical to long-term success. Inappropriate language, whether spoken or written, can negatively affect your credibility and put off or even offend those you work with. Both in speech and in writing, take the time and make the effort to use appropriate language.” Her 8 rules for appropriate language begin with “Use standard English and follow established rules of grammar”.
According to Science for All Americans by F. James Rutherford and Andrew Ahlgren, “The class into which people are born affects what language, diet, tastes, and interests they will have as children, and therefore influences how they will perceive the social world. Moreover, class affects what pressures and opportunities people will experience and therefore affects what paths their lives are likely to take—including schooling, occupation, marriage, and standard of living. Still, many people live lives very different from the norm for their class.”
A final note from George Washington, the 1st President of the United States – from his The Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation
-Wear not your clothes foul, or ripped, or dusty, but see they be brushed once every day at least and take heed that you approach not to any uncleanness.
-Think before you speak; pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.
There is so much more but I promised my wife to keep my posts under 2000 words on Sunday – although I seem to be breaking that promise of late. All of this translates to our dress and speech being a factor in how we view and treat each other. We have “dumbed down” society through both. Since most have lost this sense of style, class, refinement – how might we get it back? We will look at possible solutions at a later date. Until then, what are you going to do?!
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
03/03/2013
Sunday Posts Blue Collar, civility, Class, clothing, crudeness, culture, cultured, dignified, Downton Abbey, dress, dumbing down society, Earl of Grantham, elegance, footman, formal, French Cuff, grace, grammar, middle class, Miss Manners, movies, music, Orville Wright, Refinement, Renaissance, scullery maid, Shopkeepers, slang, society, Sophistication, Southern Plantations, speech, Style, television, the man, vulgarity, White Collar, Wright brothers Leave a comment
This is a “passionate” subject for me and I admit I will not do it justice. But I must say something if for no other reason than my having a clear conscience. It won’t help but…
I wish to discuss two things today – dress and speech. Two subjects, each having volumes of books devoted to them. I am going to concern myself primarily with our lower and middle class. For the most part, the upper class of society has kept up with tradition and it is of limited concern the minimal amount they may have “fallen”. And for any wishing to “run in those circles”, they will as well. This will of course set those of the “politically correct” persuasion on edge. I am singling out those “less fortunate”. Yet another nail in the coffin of the “99%”. It is not due to a dislike for them. I myself am a member of the middle class. However, it is what it is. And as the old saying goes, “what you are is your parents’ fault, if you stay that way it is your own.” As well, for those familiar with this blog you will realize I do not now, nor will I in the future, care. The politically correct have been, and continue to be, significant contributors to this problem so their thoughts on the subject are irrelevant.
I have an “app” on my phone called BeSpeak. For those that do not have a wardrobe consultant (I do), it helps the “style impaired” with what clothing is best suited to them and how to dress properly. There is another called SnapDress. It allows one to actually take a picture of clothing to determine if it is appropriate for your “profile”. The 21st Century does have some amazing technology (if used appropriately). However, technology or not, many just don’t care. They do the minimum necessary to fit into the minimum, current dress for which their “industry” calls. There is no doubt in my mind that the current state of dress and speech are not only demonstrative of the degradation of our society and culture as a whole, but contributed to their downfall. I spoke before about civility in cyberspace. This, of course, is only a small piece of the overall issue. Civility in general is lacking. Call it how you want – it is virtually lost in society as whole. How we treat each other – opening doors for females, thank you notes, RSVP, saying please. Our music, our television shows, our movies. Our dress in public (even in private…). What little civility exists is quite limited these days and is primarily found in the upper echelons of the financially well off.
From the time of the Renaissance to mid-20th Century the world operated in a more formal and dignified manner. The elegance and grace with which they conducted themselves was astonishing. While everything was certainly not perfect, they, for the most part, represented themselves in dress and speech in a civilized way in their everyday lives. This translated to a cultured and urbane society at every level.
As an example – Downton Abbey. My wife has gotten me hooked on this television show about a late 19th Century – early 20th Century English earl (the Earl of Grantham), his family (the Crawley family) and the servants that work for them.
I am really not that excited about the actual story. It is interesting to an extent but I am far more interested in the portrayal of the times and methods of interaction – the clothing, language and manner of speaking with and treating each other. While they are certainly not always “nice” to each other, they are formal, even polite, and proper in their relations and dress. It is a dignified and refined manner of interaction and presentation.
And this is not limited to the “upstairs”. It is not limited to the earl’s family and his circle of friends. The “downstairs” staff also functions in this manner. They address each other at all times in a formal manner. Mr. Carson (the butler), Mr. Bates (Lord Grantham’s valet), Mrs. Hughes (the head housekeeper), Mrs. Patmore (the head cook). You have to be as “lowly” as a mere footman or scullery maid (pretty much the bottom of the chain and quite young anyway) to be addressed by your first name. But at the time you are promoted to a higher level, you immediately are referred to in the formal manner. In the U.S. we came to be somewhat less formal even before that timeframe. But the extent of that limited informality came in such situations as the Southern Plantations (or cities for that matter) where females were still addressed as “Miss” and first name (even those married) while men were still always addressed as “Mister” and last name or just plain “Sir”. Within families or with very close, longtime friends (and normally in more private affairs) these rules were usually relaxed.
In additional to how they address each other and the formal manner in which they speak, is the way the dress. Regardless of your position, you dressed “properly”. Even the “lowly” footman wore white tie and tails to serve dinner and what we would consider black tie at other times on duty. When they are not on duty they still were appropriate slacks and “sport” coats or more casual suits. When the men went hunting it was in suit and tie (casual, but a suit none the less). When outside they virtually always wore a formal hat (vice baseball cap). When on a picnic the women wore dresses. Not a formal gown of course. That was reserved for the evening meal or other such formal occasion (where the men wore white tie with double-cuff sleeves (aka – French Cuff)). During one episode one of the female relatives (Isobel Crawley) showed up at the manor in quite appropriate daytime dress to speak with the family. When invited to dinner she politely refused because she was not wearing proper dinner attire (although what she WAS wearing was far nicer than what people these days wear to an evening out). While many may suggest that this is the household of a noble and so appearances must be kept up, scenes from elsewhere in the show prove otherwise. Scenes from the town showed that EVERYBODY dressed and acted as formally as their station in life would allow. Shopkeepers wore suits. Even mechanics working on machinery wore suits. Gentlemen farmers and their farmhands wore suits. Females were always in dresses. I cross “the pond” to the US and look at old time photos of the Wright brothers in their bicycle shop (lest you believe this is just on TV – see original photo below), men panhandling for gold in rivers, ladies of all walks and stations of life. They ALL were in suits and ties or long dresses often with lace. East Coast or West, North or South. “White Collar” or “Blue Collar”… People cared about their appearance. People cared about how they presented themselves to others and it made for a far more well-mannered, gracious, respectful society.
Orville Wright in his shop (the one working in the suit)
And now we are in the present… I’ve actually seen people in upscale hotel (not motel) lobbies, stores, parks and other place of public dressed in pajamas. People wear sweats and “flip flops” out to a sit down restaurant – sometimes formal (fast food restaurants are bad enough). Places that used to have dress codes (including a rack of jackets and ties for the gentlemen that “forgot” to wear his) now have people in jeans and t-shirts. Grown men at church in shorts, a t-shirt and athletic shoes (or even flip flops again). Boys out in public or going to school with pants hanging off their derrière, underwear showing and continually having to pull them up so they can walk without tripping. Other than just looking ridiculous, it has got to be problematic. Why would one add to the problems they already face? Girls think it absurd as well by the way. While I will not go so far as to advocate the complete formality of the past, I certainly would be ok with not even considering going outside without a casual suit or sport coat (and maybe even tie).
Concerning speech… I am led to understand, by actual high school English teachers, that what has been considered “informal speech” in the past is now acceptable in virtually any manner of our lives. Miss Manners be damned. While we have always had “formal” and “informal” (slang?) grammar, “acceptable” grammar at all levels has been reduced to the lowest common denominator. Using a preposition to end a sentence with? No problem. Using “can” in place of “may” (can I go to the restroom)? That’s fine. Listing a group of names with that of the speaker first? Perfectly acceptable. It is just an informal way of speaking and we are to accept it in polite society. Why teach correct English when we can just modify the standards to what the average 3th grade student of the past used. “Can I go to the restroom?” from a High School student. How ridiculous. And their English teachers allow it! What they fail to realize is in fact polite society does NOT accept it. You will be looked down upon and treated with distain. And then wonder why you can’t advance your station in life. We are leading our lower and middle class children into believing they can work their way up the corporate and societal ladder without regard to how polite society speaks and acts. They are being held back without even knowing it. Then they blame “the man” for “keeping them down”. It is not the man. It is their own acceptance of what our society, at its lower levels, now accepts as the norm and teaches (or at very least, accepts) in its schools. As an aside – don’t get me wrong. Our schools are doing much better than that for which many give them credit. In some regards though we are not having our students live up to a high enough standard. We are accepting lowered societal standards. We are dumbing down society. More on schools in a future post.
This leads to a situation today where the crudeness of, the vulgarity in, our speech is beyond the pale. It is inexcusable and indefensible. Mainstream songs, movies, even television shows demonstrate crassness never before imagined – often in the name of free speech. I am in no way desiring to limit free speech by law (except in obvious case of libel, slander, danger (yelling fire in a crowded theater), and such situations). However, it is a mark of polite society to limit our OWN speech. We shouldn’t have be have laws or policies against it. It should be taught and observed from the youngest age that it is just not done.
What strikes me most is how we’ve lost this. “Things change” we are told. “Keep up with the times” we are told. That would be great if the times were improving. I would submit in many respects our times ARE improving. Our technology is making the world “smaller” via communication and transportation improvements. It is improving medical care and therefore our quality (and length) of life in many respects. However, I defy anyone to demonstrate how changing to a more informal (for lack of a better word) society in dress and speech is making our culture – our society – a better place in which to live. We are losing all respect for ourselves and our fellow man.
Now of course you may say, “What has this got to do with us?” We like the more informal way of life. It works for us and we are hurting nobody through it. With which I would disagree. Your being ok with, and supporting, ill-mannered, gracious less, disrespectful society affects the rest of us. We will discuss this next time.
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…
TraditionalMan 
You must be logged in to post a comment.