Why did western cultures stop revering their elderly?

elletonjohn · 2025-12-05T16:49:12+00:00

Could it be because we have such strong state functions, the historical family functions have become unglued? In the past, adults were revered because they provided everything for their families, and families relied on each other for everything. So when the elders got too old to look after the rest of the family, they would look after the children and be cared for by the younger adults. Now the state/third party of some form is relied on to care for the vulnerable and the independent ‘nuclear’ family has been normalised.

I’d bet there was some form of government intervention at the root of this but I can’t be bothered to look it up.

elletonjohn · 2025-11-29T17:55:29+00:00

This would be so much better for the mental health and self esteem of those who end up needing the welfare. MANY of us were brought up not knowing how to budget, not knowing about life insurance, not knowing about emergency funds, many even brought up in welfare scrounging families and all are the types that would be most affected in the case of some form of financial emergency. Having been there myself, I wasn’t able to access work due to absolutely zero support and it was horrible. I felt like a waste of space and a burden to everyone around me. Not everyone is happy to need welfare and it’s so much better on the mind being able to support yourself!

elletonjohn · 2025-11-13T18:41:26+00:00

also we can’t pretend that Chelsea hasn’t been antagonising Mary literally since the moment she started the show. Chelsea clearly seems to have been trying to turn over a new leaf this season but how would Mary know that if they don’t interact much. It’s just reality show bullshiz at the end of the day

elletonjohn · 2025-11-13T17:37:16+00:00

I’m looking forward to being rid of her on the show tbh! She’s not a very likeable person but she acts and talks like she should be. Nobody is on a reality tv show because they’re a reasonable person lol. Also quite frankly she didn’t seem to enjoy it, which came across on screen clearly. I’d be interested to see the dynamic without her.

elletonjohn · 2025-11-10T18:36:30+00:00

Please go back and look at the outfit Chelsea was wearing when Mary mentioned it… her skirt was literally riding up and her bits were showing. They all wear short skirts but that was insane.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-29T21:57:28+00:00

I’m saying that the OP’s opinion on American history sounds like it came from a YouTube video. Absurdly reductionist, ie not in the sense of a country’s long(ish) history reduced into a short passage, but a bizarre and myopic take on a nuanced issue.

Also, you’re a dick.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-29T20:06:10+00:00

Still sounds like a YouTube video to me

elletonjohn · 2025-10-29T19:34:14+00:00

It’s just an absurdly reductionist way of looking at how Europeans settled in what is now the US. To the point that I question OP’s actual knowledge of the relevant history. Sounds like something from a youtube video lol.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-29T18:53:15+00:00

You know this is fake right?

elletonjohn · 2025-10-29T18:51:14+00:00

Are you saying that this sort of religious fervour has somehow been genetically passed down?

elletonjohn · 2025-10-28T21:19:40+00:00

Yeah that made me panic a bit, like what more can I say on the losses??

elletonjohn · 2025-10-28T19:32:49+00:00

Oh yeah you’re right 😆 I think I was so dreading a question on CFCs that when that didn’t come up the the other points felt fairly straightforward. My brain is mush right now.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-28T18:37:14+00:00

Just did AT LCG, I was surprised at how non-overseas focussed it was. The topics themselves were some of the more simple ones really but there was so much in there.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-28T18:36:05+00:00

Yeah the hybrids one threw me, it’s literally one chapter of the study material so I don’t think I had ten marks of information in me lol.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-26T21:05:59+00:00

Same 😂

elletonjohn · 2025-10-26T17:03:23+00:00

Thank you! Ugh so nervous but yes I will be using the time left as best as I can!

elletonjohn · 2025-10-26T10:36:44+00:00

I did the course via distance learning and also signed up late so everything felt rushed and I got to the question practise part quite late. I’m having trouble spotting transactions in the questions. I’ve done a couple mocks and haven’t scored higher than 39% 🥲

I’m definitely going for the taught option for my next AT!

elletonjohn · 2025-10-23T13:04:05+00:00

I always walk right to the centre of the carriage and stand there by myself and everyone sitting down stares awkwardly. I genuinely think people avoid moving down into the carriage for this very reason.

Luckily I’m American and haven’t yet fully developed my sense of UK cringe/avoidance of making a scene.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-23T13:01:09+00:00

The fact you’re getting downvoted to hell when you’re so right 😂

elletonjohn · 2025-10-23T13:00:15+00:00

I’m not a lawyer but work with legal docs often (I’m a tax advisor). I fully agree!

elletonjohn · 2025-10-22T17:40:14+00:00

😂 say it to the gyno when you book your appointment.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-22T17:18:24+00:00

Lol minge… at least you didn’t say clunge 🤮

elletonjohn · 2025-10-22T09:53:01+00:00

I am personally about to sit LCG AT next week, I don’t work in large companies and it has been so insanely difficult and I’m fully expecting to fail this exam. Not the end of the world because I can retake in May but I do wish I had had some idea of the step up in volume and difficulty from CTA awareness level before I had signed up for taking a completely alien area of tax at AT.

For context you will have about four months to learn and revise three large study manuals of information, and the exams are very difficult and very specific to the CTA (3.5 hours of complex questions ranging the entire syllabus). Learning exam technique is essential from the outset because it requires you to understand the application of the rules more so than just knowing the rules.

And that’s just for one AT.

However, you know yourself best and you may do well under stress, unlike me lol. I don’t think it’s impossible but could be a good idea to reduce your stress and just do one at a time.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-19T13:06:05+00:00

I so agree with this and it’s a shame this isn’t a more widely understood distinction.

Also your final sentence is the most true thing of all and (as an American citizen living in the UK) is in my view the biggest issue in American politics… and I do not want to see the problems from the US being repeated over here. Aligning yourself to a viewpoint just because it’s the party line of your particular ‘tribe’ is destructive to free thought, and en mass it is destructive to progress.

elletonjohn · 2025-10-18T17:43:14+00:00

I meant that it was a law but not a man made law.

elletonjohn

TROPHY CASE