[Ads-l] Young people: They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying
ADSGarson O'Toole
adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Sat Aug 14 14:49:11 UTC 2021
Thanks for your response, Stephen.
Bettelheim may be referring to an earlier quotation which has often
been incorrectly attributed to Plato which I examine here:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/01/misbehave/
[ref] 1908, “Schools of Hellas: an Essay on the Practice and Theory of
Ancient Greek Education from 600 to 300 BC” by Kenneth John Freeman,
(First impression 1907), page 74, Macmillan and Co., London. (Google
Books full view, Internet Archive) [/ref]
[Begin excerpt]
The counts of the indictment are luxury, bad manners, contempt for
authority, disrespect to elders, and a love for chatter in place of
exercise. …
Children began to be the tyrants, not the slaves, of their households.
They no longer rose from their seats when an elder entered the room;
they contradicted their parents, chattered before company, gobbled up
the dainties at table, and committed various offences against Hellenic
tastes, such as crossing their legs. They tyrannised over the
paidagogoi and schoolmasters.
[End excerpt]
Garson
On Sat, Aug 14, 2021 at 10:17 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>
> Related:
>
> "How new is all this? It is very hard to compare one age with another. But the Alcibiades or Catiline of antiquity would not have had their followings if the problem of youth having to test itself against an older generation had not existed in those times; nor do Plato's indictments of what he saw as obstreperous youth sound very different from those leveled at our young people today."
>
> Bruno Bettelheim, "The Problem of Generations," Daedalus; J. of the AAAS v. 91 (1962) 79.
>
> SG
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Friday, August 13, 2021 7:06 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Young people: They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying
>
> A Washington Post reporter contacted me to learn more about the
> quotation in the subject line which is often attributed to Plato. The
> reporter found my article on the topic here:
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/12/13/riot/__;!!OToaGQ!8sS6ns3v9a6i6CUe3g3MyxdhAjR5dKY9Q9PGMZAtYH7qa_dGeWGfH1GATf3ZIxQf$
>
> When I wrote this QI article the earliest citation I found was dated
> April 1968. I decided to reinitiate my exploration and found a
> slightly earlier citation via archive.org. The QI article has been
> updated, but the changes won't be visible for a day or two.
>
> Theodore M. Hesburgh who was the President of the University of Notre
> Dame mentioned the quotation during a commencement speech on June 12,
> 1967 at Manchester College.
>
> Pamphlet Title: Thoughts IV: Five Addresses Delivered During 1967 by
> Theodore M. Hesburgh
> Publication year: 1968 (according to archive.org)
> Speech Title: Service: The Great Modern Prayer
> Note About Speech: Address given at the Commencement Exercises,
> Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana, June 12, 1967
> Start Page 29, Quote Page 29
> Publisher: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
> Database: Verified with scans via archive.org
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5233025M/Thoughts_IV_five_addresses_delivered_during_1967__;!!OToaGQ!8sS6ns3v9a6i6CUe3g3MyxdhAjR5dKY9Q9PGMZAtYH7qa_dGeWGfH1GATVPtO6PY$
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> I would like to begin this morning by quoting to you something that
> may sound familiar:
>
> “What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders.
> They disobey their parents. They ignore the laws. They riot in the
> streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is
> to become of them?” Plato (427-347 B.C.)
>
> Those words were written originally in Greek, by Plato, about 400
> years before the birth of Christ. Some may say that the message never
> changes, that the older generation never understands the younger, and
> the younger generation never takes too kindly to the advice of its
> elders.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Feedback welcome,
> Garson O'Toole
> QuoteInvestigator.com
>
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