The world does not change.
The burden of being a historian is this realization. Now, I could take this blog to go into the deep details and reasons why history is important, why we must study it, and why this statement is a truth, but I will not bore you with that knowledge. My goal right now is simply to point out an interesting observation.
Have you ever been on a tour of a Victorian Era Home? I myself, being a NC native, have been to the Biltmore Estate on many occasions. In this house, as with most wealthy Victorian families, there is a Billiard Room. This is the room where, after dinner in the Dinning Hall, the men would excuse themselves from the women and go to smoke cigars, play billiards, and discuss business and politics. The women were not allowed in this room, nor, I imagine, did they really care to go into it. They were left to their own sitting room to gossip, sew, play music, and, I imagine, to talk just as much politics and business as the men did. Let’s be honest, it was the wealthy wife who kept the books on many occasions. Take careful note, if you will, of the furnishings and decor of this particular room:
Now, flashfoward to 2009. My parents had a couple friends come over for dinner tonight. After the food was eaten, an interesting thing happened. Me, my mom, and her friend were left in the dinning room to finish our conversation. I played the piano for a while. My dad and his friend retired to the room in our house that has been dubbed “the man cave.” They are currently sitting on the couch, watching pre-season football and talking…you guessed it…buisness and politics. I went in there for a minute, and wouldn’t you know that my dad said, “What are you doing in here? This is the man room.” I couldn’t help but laugh a bit on the inside. Note, if you will, the furnishing and decor of said “man cave.”
I’m just saying, neither for good nor bad.
The world does not change.
