Even as far back as the last century BCE, Cicero had those
words to say about the morals and corruption of his age. Morals were lax and
corruption was rampant. Every age has had its problems, every age had its
elders looking back on what they perceived to be better times, safer times,
much more moral times, and looking forward to change.
There have been great scandals, religious, political, and
secular, in all ages. Starting in the
last century, with the increased popularity of history books and novels,
television, and movies, we became increasingly aware of the changes in what
society deems to be taboo on the smaller, social stage.
For example, a small one, up until the Roaring Twenties, a
lady was considered “fast” if she showed her ankles. Bosoms were either covered
or revealed at various times throughout the ages. A few centuries ago in
society, if a lady shared more than three dances with a gentleman, it was
expected that they were to marry. But that wasn’t as bad as being caught
kissing: the marriage had to take place as soon as possible, lest the lady be
“ruined” and she and her family bear the shame. (No shame fell to the gentleman
or his family.) When it was first introduced, the waltz was looked upon with
horror. In Victorian times, even such words as “arms” and “legs” were
considered as disgusting. They were referred to as “limbs.”
The movies are excellent sources for chronicling how our
morals and social mores have changed, especially in the last hundred years.
Picture the 1934 picture It Happened One
Night. Remember when Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert had to share a motel
room (all movie bedrooms then had twin beds) and they hung a sheet, the “Walls
of Jericho,” between the beds, for propriety’s sake? Then fast forward to 1967
and The Graduate. The Hollywood movie
moral code had relaxed somewhat. We saw Ben and Mrs. Robinson together in bed –
she, obviously, though not blatantly, naked. Their affair was a bit racy for
the times, but acceptable.
In the years of the great movies, the movie stars were up to
just a much “hanky-panky” as ever before and ever since. In the centuries prior
to the movie era, such goings-on were just not mentioned, and were usually managed
discretely. Come the movie era and the tabloids, and the wider circulation of
news, the Hollywood powers-that-be made sure the press kept mum about offs-screen
affairs that would affect the box office receipts if the general public ever
got wind of what was going on. The Kathrine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy romance was a
prime example of this, and in the racy atmosphere of Hollywood there were quite
a few. In that era some great movies were made, and off-screen relationships
were kept private. For the most part, the Hollywood community went along with
it. Today, there’s still a racy atmosphere in Hollywood, and anywhere else
celebrities, royals, and other newsworthy people are found. The press is no
longer suppressible as it was in the days of Hepburn and Tracy or, as it was in
England, when Edward VIII courted Wallis Simpson. There are always those in the
know (Nudge. Nudge. Wink! Wink!) but they’re not telling.
Now, with hardly a gasp, news and photos of romantic
relationships of many kinds pop up in all but the most serious news media. In
the entertainment aspect of the news, “The Press” is no longer just the press –
it is “The Paparazzi,” “the paps.” They’re ready to pounce for an exposé, armed
with their microphones, their long lenses, and their “burning questions.” The
general public now takes most of it in stride.
Today we have a good laugh at some, but not all, of what was
considered socially unacceptable in years gone by. Education and exposure are
changing our views and attitudes; changing our minds.
Today, and I do mean currently, we’ve opened the nasty can
of worms that is sexual harassment. Was it ever “socially acceptable”? Never -
though it was too often condoned and rarely brought into the light of day. The
victims endured it in silence, lest they suffer whatever consequences their
tormentors could dish out. Well, the sun is shining now on that nasty pastime, bringing
hidden situations to light, and making the “perps" accountable for the
morals and corruption of our own age
“The times they are a changin’ and all for the better.
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