craftsmen/artisans vs Cheap goods

[DWFII]

Precisely. The problem is in deciding who sets the standards, and what those standards are, and what, if any penalty attaches to the breach of those standards.

By my standards a man never wears a hat indoors, unless he is attending a religious observance that requires him to cover his head. He should also stand whenever a woman enters and leaves a room, unless her coming and going is a part of her employment, and he should not answer his cell phone when he is engaged in conversation with others.

The list goes on, but until such time as the penalty for breaching these standards becomes not only enforceable but truly draconian --hand me my Borchardt, Hudson, I see a man at the other table wearing a hat-- civilization will be pulled down by the vulgarians, the gum chewing mouth breathers who feel entitled to do as they please because they don't know any better. Nor do they want to learn.

And, as far as I can see, their passing would only be lamented by the makers and purveyors of the cheap and tawdry...

MOR,

Spot on, as always. I have a quick and dirty gauge for deciding standards however--I think we let history and tradition set those standards, always with an eye towards the betterment of the individual and the society from which he springs.

Never, ever, let "filthy lucre" and the vulgarians even have a say.