Mar
28
Beating Your Slaves, Topless Sunbathing, and Decency: What Do You Think?
The following is the text of a talk on decency I gave the Knights of Columbus Council #9973 in early 2018.
I have been asked to speak to my brother Knights on the topic of decency. What, you may ask, is decency? It was only 200 years ago when behaving decently meant not beating your slaves. There was a point in our not too distant history, that if someone insulted you, the decent thing to do was have a duel to the death. The last recorded duel in the US was fought in California, on September 13, 1859.
Up until the 1930’s, topless men sunbathing on public beaches, was considered indecent. As late as the 1830’s, it was considered indecent to read in bed.
In many parts of the Arab world, giving someone the thumbs up sign is considered indecent.
I have been asked to speak to my brother Knights on the topic of decency. What, you may ask, is decency? It was only 200 years ago when behaving decently meant not beating your slaves. There was a point in our not too distant history, that if someone insulted you, the decent thing to do was have a duel to the death. The last recorded duel in the US was fought in California, on September 13, 1859.
Up until the 1930’s, topless men sunbathing on public beaches, was considered indecent. As late as the 1830’s, it was considered indecent to read in bed.
In many parts of the Arab world, giving someone the thumbs up sign is considered indecent.
