Against the Times

Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category

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Shall We Dance?

In Musings on February 3, 2010 at 12:57 pm

A question too rarely asked!

Dance is one of the great popular art forms. Where there is music, there is dance–or ought to be. To dance in public involves a twofold pleasure: that of the audience, and that of the dancer. Where the latter dominates, dancing becomes a communal activity. The pleasure of dancing by oneself is dwarfed by that of doing so with others, so it is no surprise that partner dancing evolved as the simplest form of dancing-together. The two-person dance, like the two-person marriage, is easier to maintain than its more plentiful alternatives. Read the rest of this entry »

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Finding the Fit: a Return to the Tailor-Made

In Musings on January 10, 2010 at 8:15 pm

I hope you are forgiving, dear reader, for the Anachronist will now make a scandalous admission: until recently, he had never owned a shirt that fit. Sure, he had ones with the correct numbers–the store clerks confirmed it–but the Anachronist is not so easily fooled. He knew quite well that he was purchasing half-fits, transgressing the laws of good taste. But lest you be too hasty to condemn him, consider the circumstances! Read the rest of this entry »

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Razors and the Decline of Quality

In Musings on January 1, 2010 at 2:46 am

Prior to the 20th century, when a man wished to shave his beard, he would go see his barber or do so himself, but in either case, the relevant tool was a straight razor. The straight razor was durable, but dangerous since the blade was fully exposed. This potentially subjected the shavee to serious injury, especially if the shaver was unskilled. In 1901, King Camp Gillette invented the safety razor with disposable blades, changing the course of shaving history and creating a business model destined to fill the world with garbage for decades to come. Read the rest of this entry »


The Birth of an Anachronist

In Musings on December 27, 2009 at 5:34 pm

Coming of age at the turn of the millennium, it’s no wonder that the Anachronist found himself in portentous times. The popular culture was sarcastic and superficial. The material world, which a few generations ago was hand crafted from natural materials like wood, metal and cotton, had become increasingly filled with rubbish produced en masse from plastic and polyester. As for moral questions, one was offered a choice between dogmatism, nihilism, and putting one’s head in the sand.

The Anachronist would have none of this. Read the rest of this entry »