Not your grandfather's culture war

[mdlbear]

As this article in Wired points out, videogames aren't the first new medium to be vilified for corrupting the young: it mentions Novels, the Waltz, Movies, the Telephone, Comic Books, and Rock and Roll. (No telling what happened to TV and, of course, Socrates.)

"The indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced ... at the English Court on Friday last ... It is quite sufficient to cast one's eyes on the voluptuous inter­twining of the limbs, and close com­pressure of the bodies ... to see that it is far indeed removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is ... forced on the respectable classes of society by the evil example of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion."

- The Times of London, 1816

(from BoingBoing -- why are we not surprised.)

Comments

[catalana.livejournal.com]

What a great quote! I actually took a waltz class at an SCA event and I have to say...after so much dancing where your partner is either at your side or in front of you (about an arm's length away), the waltz really *did* feel scandalous. It was odd to actually experience the kind of mental reaction that people of the age probably had.

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Scandalous, I love the quote! I would love to take waltz lessons, I haven't done ballroom dancing in way too long.