From Ireland, and – unlike the lovely lively full-of-the-joys-of-conjugal-bliss couple above – single on February 14th? Never mind. Just think what could have happened to you yesterday.
From Hall, Ireland, Its Scenery and Character, Vol 1 (1841):-
“In Waterford, some years ago, the lower classes had a species of amusement, we believe, peculiar to them: it was practised on Ash Wednesday, and was called ‘drawing the log’. It was instituted as a penitential exercise to the bachelors and maidens who permitted Lent to arrive without joining in ‘the holy bands’. The log was a large piece of timber, to which a long rope was attached; it was drawn through the streets of the city, followed by a crowd of men and boys of the lowest grade, armed with bludgeons, shouting ‘Come draw the log, come draw the log, bachelors and maidens, some draw the log’ … the most scandalous scenes of cruelty often ensued; young bachelors and maidens being forced from their homes, tied to ‘the log’ and dragged through the city. The custom has, of late years, been very properly discontinued.”
Persecution of bachelors? Proper order, some would say. Though in medieval Dublin, it was the newly married men who were ritually embarrassed by being forced to parade the streets of a Shrove Tuesday (Corperaunt Day) carrying a small coloured ball in front of them. They called it ‘bearing of balls’ and if a fellow was really lucky he was compelled not only to bare his balls in public but to ride with them too.
And, as yet another example of singlehood persecution being for Life, check out this hard-hitting spinster-thrashing bachelor-bashing article by Sean O’Faolain here.
Happy Valentine’s Day! xxxx
Well, one approach would be to institute an Irish equivalent of Sadie Hawkins Day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadie_Hawkins_Day
Thank goodness such customs are dead. To any reactionaries of the type who wish to restore such a culture: fuck off and die.
Sadie Hawkins day so funny, thank you David! The women in Merriman’s Midnight Court (which you might remember from a previous post) would approve! Though they were (according to themselves) not homely and in fact quite hott!
Will I agree, I think people should be free to do their own thing if they are not causing any harm to others…
That’s just it; a bachelor or a spinster by choice isn’t hurting anyone else by not marrying; oh, I suppose some would argue they’re denying someone a spouse, but so what; nobody has a right to marry…
Another thing that I’ve heard about, from the past, which irritates me for similar reasons, is the shaming of men who wouldn’t sign up for WWI by handing them white feathers in public, thus mocking them as cowardly. Again, who is being hurt by a man not going to fight in war? Unless you have the draft in your country, why shouldn’t not enlisting be seen as a valid choice? Ah, but again, social conventions back then were conformist.
So, while I am a reactionary in many ways, I don’t want to force anyone to do anything they don’t, and the kind of reactionary I’ve sometimes encountered online who would have us return to such a world as one where nonconformists who are minding their own business are socially shamed, I despise. Frankly, given a choice between returning to a society with such things, and tarring and feathering people who disagree with you politically (you can look it up; a vile, deadly common practice in centuries past), and the like; or, a society where people are generally free to do their own thing, much as I do have issues with the present, give me today over that yesteryear.
Completely agree, Will, and I think the white feather thing was disgusting, it makes me so angry when I think of it, particularly as the people handing out the white feathers (women!) weren’t going off to fight themselves. Even if they were, no excuse.
I agree that freedom to do one’s own thing is absolutely crucial and shaming generally disgusts me, never mind social shaming. It achieves nothing except a momentary rush of power for the person shaming and in that it is like one of the worst drugs going.
I think one of the most important things to remember is that people are different and just because something is right for you does not mean it is right for someone else. People project their own views too much.
“Ah, but again, social conventions back then were conformist.”
Not sure they are any less conformist today, just conformist in different directions or on different dimensions.
A few years ago, a very successful guy wrote about the reactions he got from acquaintances when his son decided to enlist in the U.S. Marines. Their comments started at “you must be so disappointed,” and went downhill from there.
Many women have talked about the extremely negative reactions they got from teachers about their desire to be stay-at-home wives/mothers.
There are always heretics to be hunted and witches to be burned.
True enough, photoncourier; the left has its own evil conformities, too.
But at least, thus far, it isn’t actual tarring and feathering, or dragging dissenters through the streets.
Yet.