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> One of the characteristics for which the English gentleman is famed is his self-deprecation. He is trained in understatement in all things; he has litotes cou

> One of the characteristics for which the English gentleman is famed is his self-deprecation. He is trained in understatement in all things; he has litotes coursing through his veins. The height of vulgarity is to draw attention to oneself, and the more remarkable any of his achievements, the less attention he should draw to them. What happened that we've lost this today? I feel the 'English gentleman', with its self-deprecation, humility, self-sacrifice and honor, is something we need more of today. I'm not sure how we lost it. In the UK, perhaps something to do with social change in Britain post-war, but what about similar personal codes in America?

michaelt 8y ago
Historical period dramas and suchlike often focus on the nobility who made up the richest 0.1% of the population. Perhaps we have as many Oxford-educated Old Etonians who inherited a baronetcy today as we ever did, just we're not viewing the present through the camera that focuses on them in particular?
sgt101 8y ago
I think that there used to be a possibility that if you played the game, kept your end up and looked after your mates you'd be seen right. Some people still try and make that happen, but we all have to understand and acknowledge that no matter how hard we work, how well we do, how decently we act, at any moment our peers, organisations and country may turn on us and render us into destitution and disgrace. So we have to bleat on about how valuable we are so that we have some idea that our families are not going to have to sleep in the street.
Kalium 8y ago
> In the UK, perhaps something to do with social change in Britain post-war, but what about similar personal codes in America? They only work so long as they are widely understood. Take the humility common to a Midwesterner and put them somewhere like California or NYC, and they'll be very confused by why everyone appears to be constantly bragging.

michaelt 8y ago

Historical period dramas and suchlike often focus on the nobility who made up the richest 0.1% of the population. Perhaps we have as many Oxford-educated Old Etonians who inherited a baronetcy today as we ever did, just we're not viewing the present through the camera that focuses on them in particular?

sgt101 8y ago

I think that there used to be a possibility that if you played the game, kept your end up and looked after your mates you'd be seen right. Some people still try and make that happen, but we all have to understand and acknowledge that no matter how hard we work, how well we do, how decently we act, at any moment our peers, organisations and country may turn on us and render us into destitution and disgrace. So we have to bleat on about how valuable we are so that we have some idea that our families are not going to have to sleep in the street.

Kalium 8y ago

> In the UK, perhaps something to do with social change in Britain post-war, but what about similar personal codes in America? They only work so long as they are widely understood. Take the humility common to a Midwesterner and put them somewhere like California or NYC, and they'll be very confused by why everyone appears to be constantly bragging.