Mangled Proverbs Drive Me Crazy!

12/05/2008 04:04:40 PM · #77

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

I place the responsibility squarely in our perversion of "democracy" into the concept of lowering standards to the least common denominator, so nobody will be left behind.

Really.....

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

We have robbed our children of their potential by lowering our expectations of them. We are in a sad state...

That's a tough one when you're trying to raise a child.

I don't want to put the unholy, crushing sense of obligation to merely obtain the status quo by excelling on my kid the same way it was inflicted on me, but I do want her to WANT to excel because she sees the value in excellence for itself.

How the f*ck do you teach that?

12/05/2008 04:05:39 PM · #78

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

What was life like back then Robert?

Dude, I'll hold him still while you beat him with your cane!......8>)

12/05/2008 04:06:44 PM · #79

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
One phrase that was corrupted so long ago nobody even remembers its origins is "it's a moot point", which now basically means "there's no point in arguing about it". But its origins are in the days after the Magna Carta, where the "real" legal system, the "real" courts, were in a few centers of population and the rural hamlets had to make do with basically uneducated magistrates. When a decision was not obvious â�� when a point of law was not clear, when equity was not immediately apparent, the case would be tabled until the traveling "circuit court", known as the "moot court", passed through town, and they would rule onthe matter.

What was life like back then Robert?

Well, men were men and women stayed in the kitchen, barefoot. We drank a lot of barley ale. I remember that much.

R.

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

12/05/2008 04:10:44 PM · #80

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I place the responsibility squarely in our perversion of "democracy" into the concept of lowering standards to the least common denominator, so nobody will be left behind.

Really.....

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
We have robbed our children of their potential by lowering our expectations of them. We are in a sad state...

That's a tough one when you're trying to raise a child.

I don't want to put the unholy, crushing sense of obligation to merely obtain the status quo by excelling on my kid the same way it was inflicted on me, but I do want her to WANT to excel because she sees the value in excellence for itself.

How the f*ck do you teach that?

I mean "we" collectively, Jeb. When we expect so little of ourselves, when our society has become culturally and historically illiterate, when we place a higher value on possessions than on knowledge (etc etc) then how can we expect our children to do better? You say you want your daughter to want to excel because she sees the value of that in itself, and this is exactly, precisely what we as a society should be trying to do.

The pursuit of excellence as a goal in itself, not the dumbing-down of society to the least common denominator.

R.

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

12/05/2008 04:12:29 PM · #81

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by Louis:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by Louis:
I am mortified every time I hear a kid describe his new cell phone/laptop/ as "epic". Truly, truly dismaying. I was just bitching about this to (the ever patient) Alex the other day, bemoaning this kind of usage, punctuating my sadness at the end, Jeff-Goldblum-in-Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers style, with words like, "Where's Homer?! Where's Virgil?! What have we done to these kids?!"

I can answer that question: as a society we have become more and more self-centered and self-indulgent, lowering our own personal standards so low that it is actually reasonable to say we have become less civilized than we were, say, 100 years ago. I place the responsibility squarely in our perversion of "democracy" into the concept of lowering standards to the least common denominator, so nobody will be left behind. We have robbed our children of their potential by lowering our expectations of them. We are in a sad state...

Holy crap, and here I was too afraid to actually say something like that. That's pretty spot-on.

There's another issue. With the lowering of our collective intelligence comes the dilution of civility (including civil discourse). Yesterday, I was listening to an ancient CBC correspondent in Ottawa who was fairly aghast at the way Parliament is being conducted these days. Twenty-five years ago, during Question Period, bitter political enemies still called each other "Men of the Commons" in an honourable recognition of their public service. (It was mostly men in those days, and such terminology did not carry the gender-divisive connotations it does now.) Now, it's commonplace to hear Members yell insults across the aisle. In the last session, some Members openly called another a "seditious traitor", publicly calling his patriotism into question in the meanest way. A sad day, and apparently the lesson our leaders don't mind sending to the kids watching.

We've gone way off-topic here, but it's a great new topic don't you think? Since youasked the question, why don't you start it? Then we can paste these posts in to get it rolling. I suggest "What have we done to our children?" as then topic title :-)

R.

Perhaps this is just the natural course of things? Society has become old and senile. Its changes over time just cosmetic, hiding the wrinkles so to speak.

Louis

Nikon D800

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

12/05/2008 04:14:49 PM · #82

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

We've gone way off-topic here, but it's a great new topic don't you think? Since youasked the question, why don't you start it? Then we can paste these posts in to get it rolling. I suggest "What have we done to our children?" as then topic title :-)

What have we done to our children? We'll see if it goes. I find it interesting.

12/05/2008 04:15:19 PM · #83

Let's take the new discussion over here, OK?

Back to mangled proverbs etc for this one :-)

R.

12/05/2008 04:20:29 PM · #84

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Back to mangled proverbs etc for this one :-)

So you wanna try and get two birds stoned?

And then have our way with them?

12/05/2008 04:24:45 PM · #85

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Back to mangled proverbs etc for this one :-)

So you wanna try and get two birds stoned?

And then have our way with them?

My brother always used to say "A bird with a bush is worth one with two hands."

(running for shelter now)

R.

12/05/2008 04:28:22 PM · #86

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

My brother always used to say "A bird with a bush is worth one with two hands."

(running for shelter now)

Yeah, if that kitchen comment didn't get 'em riled up, that oughta do it!

12/05/2008 04:43:28 PM · #87

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
My brother always used to say "A bird with a bush is worth one with two hands."

(running for shelter now)

Yeah, if that kitchen comment didn't get 'em riled up, that oughta do it!

Exactly what I was thinking... ;-) But heck, you're talking about getting 'em stoned and taking advantage...

R.