[Artemisia] Chivalry and Opinions

[Susan E. Macnamara]

Quoting dukealan at q.com:

> All,
>
> This past discussion has been interesting....and bothersome to me in  
>  some ways.  Many have opined on what chivalry is, or isn't.  In   
> their opinion.  And what chivalrous actions are, or are not....in   
> their opinion.
>
> If you have not read these books, you should consider it.   
> Especially, if you want to speak in any kind of educated level about  
> chivalry.  Really. Read Ivanhoe.  The absurd fear that expressing an  
> opinion....gasp....may  offend someone, somehow.  YIS,   Alan


So now I'm going to be downloading Ivanhoe onto Kindle, I guess, and  
the other books too. I've not thought before about looking to the  
Victorians for our picture of the middle ages. I've only seen them as  
distracting and misleading. But I agree that they have shaped our  
perceptions and it is a good idea to find out how that is so.

Re: the issue of "PC." It originated I think because people were being  
insensitive and disrespectful because our society had changed. What  
was considered acceptable in the past isn't now, for example "Idiot"  
was an acceptable term for people with mental retardation. Now "Mental  
Retardation" is considered pejorative by those who it describes and  
they are using the term "Intellectually Disabled." On this very board  
we recently discussed whether or not "gypsy" was respectful or not.

It's a moving target, folks, and always will be. We identify something  
as "PC" in part because we are noticing the change in how we see the  
world. And that is often difficult and uncomfortable.

But homogeneity and stasis would be very boring!!

YIS, Luveday de Salford