I read Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter, dated yesterday. She is a professor of history and stated that until the end of the 19th century, it was considered "unseemly" for candidates for public office to campaign for themselves. I knew what she meant and I admire the use of "unseemly". I wonder if I am living in a "seemly" way. I realize if I am living in an unseemly manner, I am living in a way "that just isn't done."
When the book "The Limits to Growth" came out in 1972, my friend Professor Artigiani, a historian, asked What is the history of the future?, meaning how well have people accurately predicted the future. Of course, different people mean something different by "the future". He and I started a course in which we examined the matter. I concluded the answer is generally "Poorly".
In the matter of living in an unseemly manner, I guess what is seemly and what isn't is a matter of taste, income level, consciousness of fashion, determination to be "seemly" and related cultural, political and economic variables.
