Decadence, decadence, he said to himself. They’ve lost everything and gained nothing. The French had merely daubed on the finishing touches at the end of a process which had begun five hundred years ago, at least. Their intuitive moral desires coincided with the ideals embodied in the formulas of their religion, yet they could live in accordance neither with those deepest impulses nor with the precepts of the religion, because society came in between with all the pressure of its tradition. No one could afford to be honest or generous or merciful because every one of them distrusted all the others; often they had more confidence in a Christian they were meeting for the first time than in a Moslem they had known for years.

~ Paul Bowles

Paul Bowles Christianity Colonialism Conformity Decadence French Morocco Hegemony Islam Mistrust Morocco Social Convention Social Pressures Tradition Western Civilization Westernization

All social interactions require some loss of freedom.

~ Erol Ozan

Erol Ozan Anthropology Communication Freedom Of Expression Friendship Liberty Loss Of Freedom People Relations Respecting Others Social Convention Social Group Social Interaction Social Networking Social Norms Society Sociology

At the behest of the criterion of authenticity, much that was once thought to make up the very fabric of culture has come to seem of little account, mere fantasy or ritual, or downright falsification. Conversely, much that culture traditionally condemned and sought to exclude is accorded a considerable moral authority by reason of the authenticity claimed for it, for example, disorder, violence, unreason.

~ Lionel Trilling

Lionel Trilling Art Authenticity Criticism Entertainment Genuine Sincerely Social Convention Social Norms Sociology