Libertinism Is No Virtue

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-12-11 15:42:52 | Updated at 2024-12-22 07:26:13 1 week ago

Libertinism Is No Virtue
American Thinker ^ | December 11, 2024 | Jeffrey Folks

Posted on 12/11/2024 7:12:00 AM PST by Red Badger

In the 1995 film version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, the noble Col. Brandon refers to Mr. Willoughby as “the worst of libertines,” a word not much used today but common in Austen’s time. A libertine was an unrestrained, sensual person who put his own desires ahead of what was decent and acceptable. A libertine flouted moral principles, and his conduct (and there were female libertines as well) was condemned as immoral by all right-thinking persons.

Today, there is less moral consensus regarding personal behavior, and this loss is reflected in every aspect of our culture. Many don’t know what to think, or withhold judgment because it is not “cool” to judge, about matters like adultery, promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, and other irresponsible behaviors. The attitude is “look the other way” or else “it’s a personal matter,” not for society to judge.

Few of us wish to return to the rigid Victorian morality of the past, where the mere suggestion of wrongdoing was enough to exclude someone from society (as seems to be happening to Pete Hegseth, with the charges brought to light just at the moment he was nominated for secretary of Defense). Those of us who grew up in the 1950s may recall the climate of fear that accompanied every meeting with members of the opposite sex and even how we dressed or wore our hair. Those social mores went far beyond what was moral or good: they derived from a collective psychosis focused on body and appearance and bore little relation to what was truly good.

But today, partly in reaction against Victorianism evident in generations of writers and thinkers (Henry Miller, Gore Vidal, and Simone de Beauvoir come to mind), the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction...

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...

TOPICS: History; Society
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1 posted on 12/11/2024 7:12:00 AM PST by Red Badger

To: Red Badger

Libertine is near the same as calling someone a Hedonist which is another term not often used today unless in print.
Rarely in active speech.

2 posted on 12/11/2024 7:16:30 AM PST by lee martell

To: Red Badger

“Those of us who grew up in the 1950s may recall the climate of fear that accompanied every meeting with members of the opposite sex and even how we dressed or wore our hair. Those social mores went far beyond what was moral or good: they derived from a collective psychosis focused on body and appearance and bore little relation to what was truly good.”

Who is this freak? What is described is going on today, yesterday and tomorrow. The 50’s were much better, shame is a necessary component of a good and MORAL life.

Roger Stone describes himself as a LIBERTINE. They are all part of the fruits and nutz group to me. Homosexuality is a lifestyle invented so men could have sex with others who wanted it daily or even hourly. Lesbianism, because women are afraid of men. THEY are the ones with Homo-phobia. They are afraid of Homo-Sapiens.

3 posted on 12/11/2024 7:34:45 AM PST by Glad2bnuts

To: Red Badger

Next thing you know, you’ll have scarlet women! And then ya got trouble…

4 posted on 12/11/2024 7:35:11 AM PST by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back!)

To: bigbob

with a capital T, that rhymes with P and that stands for pool

5 posted on 12/11/2024 7:38:14 AM PST by Jeff Vader

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