[HPFGU-OTChatter] OT: Concert Etiquette

Laura Ingalls Huntley lhuntley at fandm.edu
Thu Mar 11 02:12:12 UTC 2004


>> Bumbledor:
>>> No, Beth.. its quite common..
>>> Sad state of affairs in this country, when even public manners have
>>> hit an
>>> all time low.
>>> I stood in line at a matinee movie last week and listend to 4 17 year
>>> olds
>>> cuss their head off, one using the F word at least 8 times in 30
>>> seconds.
>>> Felt ashamed of his parents.
>>> In my day any adult would have been free to put that boy in his 
>>> proper
>>> place. .But now, try it and you get thrown in jail.

Laura (me):
>> I hardly think you would get thrown in jail for telling a 17 year old
>> to watch his mouth.  In fact, I can think of very little that would 
>> get
>> you in trouble with anyone (aside from physical violence, that is).
>> Surely you weren't talking about *smacking* the kid, were you?  
>> 'Cause,
>> gee, *that's* just the epitome of civility, isn't it?

Bumbledor:
>  When I said, "put in their place" I meant giving them a hand full of 
> soap,
> or the back of a hand. Thats what we got for swearing in public.
>

And I happen to think that's wrong, backwards, and (almost) barbaric.  
Funny how culture changes, isn't it?

Laura:
>> I think you should take a good, long look at the faults of your own
>> generation before you run about condemning this one.  I seriously 
>> doubt
>> that teens in "your day" didn't ever make mistakes or disappoint their
>> parents or say/do rebellious things.  I'm sure you were *just* the
>> model student/child, but you know what? Me too.  So you don't get to 
>> be
>> the individual while you essentialize me and my peers.
>
> Bumbledore writes: Ohh, hit a nerve there, didn't I?
>

Oh, yes you did -- and if you're looking for me to be ashamed of it, 
you're going to be disappointed, I'm afraid.  What you said was 
insulting, so I got insulted.  It's really a very logical series of 
events.

Laura (me):
>> You want to talk about the sad state of affairs in this country?  What
>> about an older generation that's fighting equal rights for homosexual
>> people tooth and claw?

> Bumbledore writes:  I as a pagan Druid, believe some people are born
> Homosexual. Others learn the behavior. I believe they have the same 
> rights
> as anyone else, and left alone, they can enjoy those rights. What 
> bothers me
> is when they demand rights above and beyond the avrage citizens.
> But this is not a political email group, this is Harry Potter. So I 
> will
> drop this part of the conversation.

This is exactly what I was talking about when I said that if you're 
going to make blanket statements about "the state of affairs in this 
country" and implicitly blame them on the cussing, disrespectful youth, 
*you* don't get to be an individual.  The fact is, the older generation 
is less "open" to homosexuality.  There are *reasons* for this 
(religion is one), I know.  I'm not trying to use that fact to condemn 
the older people as Bad and Evil.  But if you're going to accept that 
there are good "excuses" (if you will) for homophobia among the older 
population, then you will also have to accept that there are good 
excuses for (what you find to be) appalling behavior in teenagers.


>> Laura (who thinks her generation is doing pretty okay in the grand
>> scheme of things, thankyouverymuch.)
>
> Bumbledore writes:
> And I wonder what generation you are talking about?  Gen X, or the one 
> after
> that?

Well, I'm nineteen now, so I'm not really sure I fit into the Gen X 
category, but I wasn't really trying to speak for a particular, defined 
generation anyway.  I suppose if I wanted to get melodramatic about it, 
I could say I was speaking for *all* the generations that ever got 
slandered by the previous generations -- which is every generation 
*ever*, so . . .

. . . I was going to make a joke, but now I can't remember what it was. 
Hrm.

Laura (who just had creme brulee at Gibraltar, which left her with this 
lovely, dreamy feeling of World Peace.)





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