In 2011 and 2012 Pat Archbold, contributor to the National Catholic Register, wrote laments that are difficult to find fault with.
As an online video game connoisseur (the casual kind), I hear a lot of what Pat discusses, expressed by men, in what is a predominantly male arena.
The church needs to engage with this topic and minister to it without leaning too heavily on an ideology to do so.
Pat’s laments are a good starting point for discussion.
For the ladies (2011):
”Our problem is that society doesn’t value innocence anymore, real or imagined. Nobody aspires to innocence anymore. Nobody wants to be thought of as innocent, the good girl. They want to be hot, not pretty. I still hope that pretty comes back, although I think it not likely any time soon… Girls, please, bring back the pretty”. – Pat Archbold…read more.
For the Gents (2012):
”I have a simple, yet effective rule of thumb for how men should act. I would never look at a woman or say anything about a woman that I would not do or say in front of my wife. To do otherwise would bring shame upon her and me” – Pat Archbold…read more.
My personal, and somewhat biased, response:
With daughters fast approaching ”that age”, this is a subject close to my heart (and theology).
At the risk of sounding more like the pretentious Mr.Collins than Mr.Darcy, I say, ”here, here…we love the epoch, we are obsessed with it’s art and it’s historical significance, so why not retrieve some of the Austinesk social deportments as well!”
Originally published 22nd April, 2013
Rod Lampard 
Thanks for the link love! Deeply honored.
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your welcome Sis, thanks for stopping by to comment, peace.
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Thanks for the introduction to Pat Archbold.
But as for the Austinesque, I’m afraid there’s no going back, and that’s probably a good thing. (And I realize that’s not what you’ve suggested). So many of those cultural conventions were so restrictive and confining, especially for women. Part of what makes those movies so enjoyable to watch is watching people navigate the minefield successfully.
I enjoy our freedoms, and I think the best thing we can do is to raise our daughters to be strong and wise women. I’ve told my (now adult) children that following Jesus enables us to swim in the same water that others are drowning in.
Keep up the good work, bro!
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I like that. “following Jesus enables us to swim in the same water that others are drowning in.” Mind if I borrow it for today’s lesson on 1 Samuel 20? It fits as a contemporary application of the text. David swims, because he recognises Yahweh’s Kingship authority; Saul sinks, because he refused to acknowledge it.
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Have at it.
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Thanks, brother. 👍🏻
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