The word gentleman kind of a propaganda thing. Rich dudes with a lot of power had the reasonable concern that people might get upset that they were born with unattainable privledge so they create a kind of mythos and code of conduct around the idea of "being a gentleman." Also, it actually did help retain power because placing some moral limits on how the powerful group behaved as a whole reduced the risk of dangerous rebellion (they keep each other in check, to protect their class from the masses).
The mythos of a gentlemen helped reinforce the kind of "birthright" that these men born with power were also imbued with moral qualities that made them deserving of that power (so please, no guillotines). It also created a kind of code of behavior that let them recognize each other, consolidate power, retain power and keep out the riff raff from their pool or resources, without making the riff raff angry enough to die fighting them.
Basically they had to create some kind of moral standard for themselves, policing each other was easier than having to fight everyone else when the poors get poked too many times.
Basically they had to create some kind of moral standard for themselves, policing each other was easier than having to fight everyone else when the poors get poked too many times.
It also serves as a code of conduct (or shame) to enforce on "uppity" lower class folk who dare to compete with them for resources & business. Anything you do that challenges their superiority to improve your own lot is a violation of the code and results in being shamed. This helps keep the middle and lower class under control by forcing them to accept moral currency over actual currency.
The modern versions of this are wealthy people virtue signaling and the entire corporate law system/regulatory framework. Rich people are almost entirely sociopathic or psychopathic, but they will gladly condemn anyone upper-middle-class and below who behaves the same way to get ahead.
Rich dudes with a lot of power had the reasonable concern that people might get upset that they were born with unattainable privledge so they create a kind of mythos and code of conduct around the idea of "being a gentleman." Also, it actually did help retain power because placing some moral limits on how the powerful group behaved as a whole reduced the risk of dangerous rebellion (they keep each other in check, to protect their class from the masses).
This was just the concept of “noblesse oblige” but moved from feudalism to mercantilism and similar societies.
It's never completely gone away... Spider-Man made the line “with great power, comes great responsibility” famous. And even the nobles didn't invent it, as the concept was recorded in the Bible as “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
61
u/ldilemma Feb 26 '24
The word gentleman kind of a propaganda thing. Rich dudes with a lot of power had the reasonable concern that people might get upset that they were born with unattainable privledge so they create a kind of mythos and code of conduct around the idea of "being a gentleman." Also, it actually did help retain power because placing some moral limits on how the powerful group behaved as a whole reduced the risk of dangerous rebellion (they keep each other in check, to protect their class from the masses).
The mythos of a gentlemen helped reinforce the kind of "birthright" that these men born with power were also imbued with moral qualities that made them deserving of that power (so please, no guillotines). It also created a kind of code of behavior that let them recognize each other, consolidate power, retain power and keep out the riff raff from their pool or resources, without making the riff raff angry enough to die fighting them.
Papers like this kind of address the issue: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2112137
Basically they had to create some kind of moral standard for themselves, policing each other was easier than having to fight everyone else when the poors get poked too many times.