Squat and Squabble

Conflicting viewpoints on topical subjects

  • Latest Posts
  • USA Politics
  • Other Stuff
  • Pop’s Pearls of Wisdom
  • Southpaw’s Ramblings
  • About Us

Archives for February 2018

Methinks the Milk doth Sour

February 28, 2018 by Pops 1 Comment

William Shakespeare

In Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1, Lady Macbeth fears that her husband is “too full of the milk of human kindness” to seize the crown and become king.  And with that single line from Shakespeare’s work, a phrase for the ages was born.

Since that time, the phrase “milk of human kindness” generally refers to the care, compassion, friendliness or hospitality that one person generally feels for another.  Established norms of social behavior, and the associated polite and respectful dialogue of citizens, are indicators of a mature civilization that understands and values the need for an ordered hierarchy in interpersonal relationships.

In a look back into history, we see that every successful society had rules of conduct that expected people to treat each other with courtesy and respect. The relationships between men and women, adults and children, bosses and employees, and even servants and kings all had rules of conduct.  Of course, people were people, and it didn’t always work out perfectly, but even insults were exchanged in a proper and dignified manner.  For example, “I can see you were not burdened with an overabundance of education“ is so much more kind that calling someone a dumbass.

Unfortunately, it appears that we may have left the milk of human kindness out on the counter a little to long, and it is beginning to go sour.

Troll at Work

The internet is a prime example of the death knell for human kindness. The hatred, animosity, and rancor is unmatched in history, and millions of anonymous trolls seem to relish every opportunity to insult and demean perfect strangers who they will likely never meet.  Political parties are so contentious with each other that cursing and physical confrontations occur in the halls of government.  Even our president engages in the most public derision of anyone who offends him, or seems to offend him.

Society has gone from proper to coarse to openly hostile in less than a hundred years.  Anger and revenge have replaced decorum and restraint as the foundations of interpersonal relationships, and it doesn’t look like it has stopped worsening.  Lady Macbeth would be proud to see that we have come so far.

The milk is sour, and every day we take another drink.

 

Tweet

Filed Under: Other Stuff

Log In

Please log into the site.

Search

RSS Fox News

  • Hunter Biden arming himself with Second Amendment defense amid DOJ probe for illegal gun purchase: report
    Hunter Biden could soon find himself embracing the Second Amendment in an attempt to defend against possible charges for possessing a firearm as a drug user.
  • Nevada Gov Joe Lombardo vetoes measure criminalizing fake electors
    Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has rejected legislation that would have criminalized falsely stating that a losing candidate won a certain state.
  • New Mexico's AG sues manufacturers of ‘forever chemicals’
    The attorney general of New Mexico and the state’s Environment Department has filed a lawsuit against 21 companies that produced or distributed forever chemicals.
  • Ohio Republican lawmakers push for revised school voucher program
    A revised school voucher program being pushed by Republicans in Ohio would give taxpayers money to send kids to private and religious schools, or fund homeschooling.
  • Pride month: Local governments host Drag Queen Story Hour events across country
    Dozens of government-sponsored drag queen events for children as young as 3 are sweeping the country as Pride Month kicks off.
  • 'Should be concerned': Congress opens up on new threats posed to US labor market
    Congress knows artificial Intelligence will impact American jobs, but what should lawmakers do about it? They're not entirely sure, but they are concerned.
  • Congress races to research AI-enhanced drones to maintain national security edge over China
    Legislation moving through the House would provide millions of dollars for research on how to incorporate artificial intelligence into drone technology to keep pace with China.
  • Trump mocks Chris Christie's expected 2024 campaign launch: 'He's polling at zero'
    Former President Donald Trump mocked Chris Christie's expected presidential campaign launch during an Iowa Fox News Town Hall alongside Sean Hannity.

RSS CNN International

  • Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts
  • Russian authorities detain suspect over St. Petersburg cafe blast
  • Hundreds of millions at risk from Chinese shopping app malware
  • READ: Trump indictment related to hush money payment
  • Scientists film deepest ever fish on seabed off Japan
    Cruising at a depth of 8,336 meters (over 27,000 feet) just above the seabed, a young snailfish has become the deepest fish ever filmed by scientists during a probe into the abyss of the northern Pacific Ocean.
  • See the world's deepest fish
    Scientists captured the unknown snailfish species at a depth of more than 27,000 feet, as part of an expedition in trenches off Japan.
  • The $500 billion beauty industry's 'green' ambitions are a patchwork at best. And they're falling short
    The escalating climate crisis is shifting many people's purchasing patterns and this extends to the $500 billion dollar global beauty industry which is grappling with a range of sustainability challenges across product manufacturing, packaging and disposal.
  • What to know about the Trump indictment on the eve of his court appearance

Archives

  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in