the great blow of disillusion (1 Viewer)

[deena]

so i was planning to write an obituary about emmeline pankhurst for politics class but as i was reading i found out that in her later life she abandoned her socialist beliefs and joined the conservative party .. every silver lining has a big big cloud

 

[Shorty]

But does it take away from what she achieved? You should still do the obituary.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Actually, most people become conservative in old age (watch out for oldman Weeler!!). This is surprisingly true for many, many politicians\activists. Penny Rimbaud is the exception but who wants to end up like him? If you read his memoirs thingy you find that he is just bitter and disillusioned. So it definately doesnt take away from the work people do when they are young.

 

[ElderLemon]

What actually happens is not so much a substantive change in a person's core beliefs as they get older, rather that these beliefs tend to be tempered by, for want of a better phrase, life experience.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the words conservative and right-wing don't necessarily mean one and the same thing - for instance in the early 80's, the British Labour party was a conservative socialist party if you get my drift, as opposed to the Tories who were a radical liberatarian/right-wing party.

 

[Winty]

Some people become more conservative as they grow older but I wouldn`t say most people become conservative in old age.

 

[ElderLemon]

The definition of conservatism (in my book) is a favouring of the retention of the status quo, and a fear, doubt or rejection of change. So therefore, conservatism per se isn't actually an exclusive property of the left or the right. (i.e. Being a communist in Ireland obviously isn't a conservative position; being a communist in China probably is).

So, I think, yes, people do grow more conservative as they grow older - that doesn't necessarily they change their fundamental philosophical or ideological beliefs (although that can happen also...)

 

[ElderLemon]

Talking of the suffragettes, I have (well my mother has) an original cutout in a scrapbook of an article from a 1913 newspaper about the Grand National when the suffragette threw herself in front of the king's horse. It has a photo of her running out in front of the horse and all.

 

[bohs punks]

i'm sure i read

did it not turn out that the suffragette running out in front of the horse thing wasn't actually a women's lib thing but that her husband made her do it as he had money on the horse that was in second place?

 

[Lili Marlene]

Good God. I apologise bcos im too stupid to understand a word anyone is saying and you may or may not be giving out to me here.

 

[ElderLemon]

Huh? I'm not giving out anyway.... as for that conspiracy theory regarding the King's horse, I think the horse was actually in the middle of the field so if the hubbie did hurl his better half into its path hoping to win big, he probably hurled her at the wrong horse...

 

[Shorty]

I wasn't giving out. I just said you should still do the obituary, even if she did join the conservative party in later life it doesn't take away from what she did. Then it just developed into a discussion about conservatism.