Regency House rekoning
The suggestion was made that having spent the time watch the hours of
the British import PBS series Regency House (there is no real link to
this program) that I say something about it. To be honest Its not as
inherently interesting as some other versions of this new program type:
1900 house, frontier house, or colonial house. This last appealed to me
particularly, I lived in Plymouth for six years when I was young within
a few miles of the historical re-creation site Plymouth plantation. At
the same time I have never been to Sturbridge village or Colonial
Williamsburg. What I liked about those shows was the element of man
versus nature struggles, the need for constant work to not only win the
contest, but to be comfortable, keep the home fires burning. Simply to
eat. I contrasted this with the programmed "game" like aspects of
Regency House. 1940's house had this (yes, I've watched them all), but
it was modeling a very specific historical event. In regency house even
after the initial round of role playing education that must have
preceded the filming the actor/candidates were just standing
around seeming (and being really bored) without scripted artifice of
races, boxing matches, and ... visits to the hermit. There was no work
to perform, how real is the actual matchmaking. Did any of those
present day Londoners think they were actually going to hook up by
being on this show? Well you never know. It seemed more like
standard 'reality' shows that might be seen on Fox or the Networks.
This led onto another thought, my sister Susan had the same
thought which was this might be reasonably accurate modeling of
the reality of life within that social class and social strata at that
time. The shows producers had presented a lot of the dots without
necessarily connecting all of them. England at that time had immense
wealth, and it held it in quite striking concentrations. It was an
empire which had to keep a significant military class on hand which on
occasions when peace broke out would not always be occupied. Lets say
this class formed a lesser nobility. Land owning aristocrats a greater
nobility. A trades class of merchants shippers and bankers driving this
wealth (on the capital of the nobility). In addition a clerical class
split between Roman Catholics, the Church of England and various
Presbyters which by this point a full generation on from David Hume
were busy trying to stake out positions reactions to the enlightenment
and scientific revolution. Behind all this lies the regime, by which we
mean the actual rulers and office holders of a nation or society.
A show like this invite us to look at regime issues in a way, which
we might not, even to some degree cannot of our own times and
culture. Much in the way of mores and social institutions is
directed to the end of regime stability. This can take form of
immigration and sedition laws, restrictions on the free press, consent
such as it exists is an industrial product and systemic. One of my
favorite example of overt political control is Louis the Sun king
moving his court and all attendant dangerous liaisons to the disney
world of Versailles where there was little real they could do and he
could keep his eye on it all. It didn't prevent the french revolution
but then that was the people, and no one wasted time thinking about
them.
A lot of the other structures (or is that strictures seen in Regency
House seemed aimed at reproductive control, not population
control, but controls designed to produce proper and obvious heirs, not
bastards. This as an aid to the legitimacy and balance of the nobility
and upper classes. their property, and transfer rights of that
property. Patriarchy in a common law environment of partial literacy
and indeterminate record keeping. Stop and consider at this point the
recent litany of concerns of the social conservatives. Take a moment to
get beyond their emotional attachment and vigouresness of defense to
ask what do they fear; what do they understand - largely on an
unconscious level - is being lost. Or could be lost. What is the
function of these things? How much freedom and how much control is
actually present in this society?
2:46:31 PM  ;;
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