Such theatrics are an affront to VMI’s warrior ethos….
LEXINGTON, Va., Sept. 26, 2008 – While terrorism and global warming are serious issues facing the United States, Yale Law School professor and author Stephen Carter is more concerned about the deterioration of civility. He raised the issue with the Corps of Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute during its academic convocation on Sept. 22 in Cameron Hall.“Civility is not synonymous with manners, but it is the sum of all of the sacrifices we make to live a common life together,” said Carter. “I fear we are becoming a nation where the knee-jerk reaction is the norm. When we are society of knee-jerk reactions, we are a society that slowly becomes undemocratic. We are becoming less civil, less willing to take seriously those we disagree with.”
Though I do politely clap at his “knee jerk reaction” point. There was a time when having/holding beliefs and ideologies meant that you had to sacrifice a little — in that you were likely to be judged for those beliefs. Today, we’re living in the “me” culture. Everyone is the center of their own universe, everyone is special… ick.
Still, VMI should be bringing in MoH recipients and career soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines to talk to the corps — not Mr. Manners.
PS - It is worth nothing that VMI used to intensively train proper Southern etiquette alongside military customs & courtesies, but that mostly went the way of the dinosaur after the assimilation of females. I do wonder if cadets still tip their covers for ladies…
PS – It is worth nothing that VMI used to intensively train proper Southern etiquette alongside military customs & courtesies, but that mostly went the way of the dinosaur after the assimilation of females…
And feminists (both male and female feminists) are the first to whine that our culture is becoming less civil.
Note to women. If you want to be treated exaclty like a man, and demand such through the courts, then quit complaining when that is exaclty how men start treating you.
feminists (both male and female feminists) are the first to whine that our culture is becoming less civil. Say what? Doesn’t everyone from Gloria Steinem to Phyllis Schlafly complain about that?
BTW, if you support equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, you’re a feminist. If you believe a female Walmart checker, simply because she’s a woman, should start at a lower pay than a male Walmart checker, then OK, you’re not a feminist. Otherwise, please be honest about what you are.
There used to be a debate over feminism, and feminism won. The losers now redefine “feminism” as only its most extreme versions, rather than the mainstream version that triumphed so completely hardly anyone questions its main premises anymore. That way they can pretend the war isn’t over.
You should see who spoke at their ‘distinguished’ speakers series a few weeks ago. Laughable.
And who’s writing VMI’s press releases these days? This seems like a pretty dumb lede:
“While terrorism and global warming are serious issues facing the United States, Yale Law School professor and author Stephen Carter is more concerned about the deterioration of civility.”
Well, just because someone chooses to lecture about X instead of Y does not mean he is more concerned about X. Imagine someone writing this:
“While Osama bin Laden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pose serious threats to the United States, an OPFOR blogger named John is more concerned about the selection of VMI speakers.”
John:
You are wrong on this one. Professor Carter is a deep thinker, and the point he is making, that by having a decline in civility, we are becoming a more polarized nation. I have read several of his works, and he is worthy of an educated persons attention to his ideas.
There was a time in the past when men and women could be civil in their disagreements, and at the same time be friends. Jefferson and Adams clearly disagree about the fundamentals of our nation, but their correspondence in the last years of their lives reflects a deep respect for the opinions of the other and a bond of civil friendship.
Do not equate civility as being an attack on the the ethos of VMI, it is not, for all soldiers must have a a core ethos of civility or otherwise they will become no better than the enemy they seek to defeat.
Sir — true, this is why I added the caveat that VMI has traditionally emphasized etiquette (of which civility is a key component) along with their military training.
Perhaps my judgment was somewhat rushed. But I did come up in an Institute that was slowly replacing the warrior ethos with sensitivity training and gender awareness nonsense — training that neuters the natural male aggressiveness that has made VMI men such phenomenal wartime leaders.
Southern style etiquette kept the testosterone on a short lease, but never sought to eliminate it. Such is the reason why I tend to overreact a bit when I sense that VMI’s warrior ethos is in jeopardy.
We do in fact still tip our covers to the ladies. No worries there, sir.