~rajin

What is..a gentleman deviant?

It certainly sounds strange in this day and age, and I'm willing to bet that the term gentleman has been under used as of late. You see. There are no more.

Can you tell I'm sort of an idealist? I've begun to read a book called Mr. Norrington & Jonathan Strange. I picked it up at a Goodwill Store for a dollar. It was casually discarded. It' is a fantasy, a New York Times Best Seller, thick as hell, and the back mentions that it is comparable to the works of Tolkien. Pretty high praise, I thought. Now, whether it's as good as Tolkien, I doubt so far, but it has a certain Middle English charm to it that I find quite appealing. The way they speak and act makes me long for the good ol' days. Everyone is spouting off gentleman this, gentleman that. It made me think...what does it mean to be a gentleman?

I suppose back in the day there were various types of gentleman. Gentleman who did what they did because it was expected of them. Some, I imagine, did it out of their own good will. This makes me think of the 50's in America where agreements were settled with a simple handshake. Yet still, there were others who acted simply like the valley girl fashion whores of our time.

I got to thinking after I coined a new phrase. A Gentleman Deviant.

What type of Gentleman is a Gentleman Deviant. Obviously the term doesn't sound very good when Deviant is applied to it. Rather, it sounds somewhat like a pervert masquerading around as a gentleman. Perhaps it would have been more apt to coin the phrase Deviant Gentleman. No no, that sounds even worse. Certainly, I try to be as gentlemanly as possible but I know I'll never stand up from the table when a woman enters the room. My limits are usually flowers and opening doors but I'm attempting to do the "jacket thing" as well.

I suppose a gentleman used to merely refer to nobility rather than an over abundance of politeness or warmth. However, the term has become to refer to a man of good nature and conduct. Wikipedia says that Chaucer was one of the first writers to use it. Indeed, he may have coined it himself. gentile man was the original spelling.

What it means to me is someone who is polite to his fellow artists, because surely they are working to benefit their art and their colleagues' art for the community experience of it. Friendly, polite critiques. Warm welcomes and thank you's. I strive to become a Gentleman Deviant, for the sake of the experience and the enjoyment of art.

What do you think?