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Ironic Contradictions

I'm a long time reader - since way back when I was seven. That makes it over three quarters of my life that I will be a reader for. But it is worth it. When I'm not reading or wasting my time online on here or Goodreads I'll be off playing video games, studying teaching and messing around with friends and pop culture. Or reading some more.

Is There Really A Problem With 'Old Fashioned Values'?

I don't know how many of you know this, but earlier this week it was announced that Australia would bring back the knighthood of the Order of Australia. Before people talk about it being a self-serving idea for the politicians, at the moment the idea is to exempt politicians as people who have sought office. 

For your amusement in connection to this I present the following: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/hilarious-responses-to-dames-and-knights-in-australia

However, I want to take a brief moment to talk about something that troubles me in all the criticism of this idea (and others) that I have read. People have been using this to take the focus off honouring those who deserve a title, to mock the government and talk about how 'old fashioned' this all is. Of course, I understand that to the average Aussie the perception is that 'real issues' are being replaced by 'silly little things' - such as knighthoods in this instance. And whether you believe the government is doing anything depends of course on your personal opinions (I happen to believe it is, or is at least not doing what the previous two governments were) but that's a matter for other conjecture.

I don't want to talk politics. I want to talk about the notion of 'old fashioned values'. Such values seem to be a point of criticism these days. And I'm not talking about positive criticism. What I want to say is that so called 'old fashioned values' lead us to where we are today. To talk as if to completely remove them, or as if they are - well - useless, seems to me to be a grave error of judgement. I'm not saying that all the values of the past were useful but there are many of them which we use today which are still important to society. 

In other words, there is a danger in using blanketing terms. More danger in such terms than there are from any such 'old fashioned values'. The important thing is to constantly be thinking and considering anything you are told and from what sources you gain your information. Because, in the end, what might be true to one person might in reality be a fabrication.