Recently European Scientists landed a space probe onto a comet. It is quite an achievement to land a moving object onto another moving object. But one of the scientists received alot of criticism for what he was wearing. Feminists complained that his shirt, featuring scantly clad women was sexist, Conservatives responded by complaining about the Feminists.
Here is a Feminist article showing what he was wearing and their criticism, http://mashable.com/2014/11/13/esa-scientist-sexist-shirt/
Now my first reaction was to think the Feminists were overreacting, then I saw how he was dressed. I thought he was dressed disgracefully. A shirt with scantly clad women is not something any respectable person should wear to a press conference. It is a shirt you might wear socially, but it is not formal wear and it is not acceptable to give an interview in. Remember he was not a random person approached on the street, he was being interviewed as part of his job.
Sadly I was not very happy with comments from many "Conservatives", who basically said "who cares what he's wearing". Someone commented on one site, I assume someone who is not a Conservative, that they remembered a time when Conservatives would have been appalled by what he was wearing and that we were no better than cheerleaders supporting our team instead of our values. Sadly I agree.
Once upon a time we would have been appalled but now we are no better than Liberals. Who cares what he's wearing it's his choice they say. What was wrong with a boring white shirt, a lab coat, a suit or even a jumper?
I haven't even mentioned his tattoos, in fact I haven't heard anyone else criticise his tattoos at all. It's all about personal choice it seems. Standards, we don't have them anymore, they aren't important. His tattoos, like his shirt are disgraceful!
Then I read what the Feminists thought. They didn't do any better. Their idea was that a bad choice of shirt stops women from becoming Scientists. Typical Feminist insight, women can do anything as long as nothing upsetting stops them.....pathetic.
Once Conservatives believed in standards, that included in how people dressed. We believed that people should dress modestly and in attire that was appropriate for the occasion. Shouldn't we still believe that?
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Hi Mr. Moncrieff.
ReplyDeleteThe reason the conservatives don't have any standards is because they are liberals too, just of the right-liberal variety. They believe in human autonomy as well, they just want it to be achieved via the free market instead of through the use of government. There used to be forces that controlled the right-liberalism of the "conservatives," but overtime these forces have weakened and have increasingly left right-liberalism as the only player on the intellectual field for "conservatives." Of course, some have what Lawrence Auster would call "unprincipled exceptions," meaning positions inconsistent with their belief in liberalism, but I've noticed that the modern right is almost daily losing these exceptions and is becoming ever more consistent with right-liberalism. This is bad of course, since only non-liberalism can save the West.
As a side note, I love your line "Typical Feminist insight, women can do anything as long as nothing upsetting stops them." Fantastic!
Dear Mr. B
ReplyDeleteSadly I agree with you, I call myself a Traditional Conservative as simply being a Conservative these days isn't enough. There is as, you point out, far to much Right-Liberalism in there to be really Conservative.
"This is bad of course, since only non-liberalism can save the West."
Absolutely!
Mark Moncrieff
Mr Moncrieff, I remember a time not so long ago when your average rocket scientist wore a suit and a tie and his shirt was always long-sleeved. I prefer formality in my scientists not edginess and trendiness.
ReplyDeleteI struggle to empathise with your feelings in this matter Mark, nor do I share the feminists sentiments either. Having grown up with these sorts of things being accepted all I want is to get on with the job, bickering over shirt and tie etc etc is an irritant. There is a symbolic element but symbolism is not my thing.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteYour thinking like a Liberal, that there are no consequences to this. But I have seen that there are consequences, you have grown up with people dressing badly, with tattooing and your used to it. But the human ingenuity for bad fashion knows no bounds. When you say all fashion is equal, what happens is that the worst fashion wins not the best. Only dress standards can correct that.
Of course like most things this can go to far, which is why I advocate a balanced society.
Mark
Mark, you are right, I was raised as a left liberal but have since shifted to right liberalism. The call of neoreaction is proving to be quite seductive though, I appreciate your desire for professional appearance and conduct to be in sync. However the whole thing makes me impatient, it overrides what has been achieved.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteCould you please explain what you mean here?
"However the whole thing makes me impatient, it overrides what has been achieved."
I'm afraid I don't understand.
Mark