Dear TIA,

I do appreciate and value your website enormously, and find the articles and commentaries interesting and thought-provoking.

I should like, however, to make a comment and then ask a question, or rather a two-parted question, concerning your various articles on social etiquette, customs, fashions, and lifestyles:

1. Much of what is written appears to depend and hinge very much on our Western culture; there ought, in my opinion, to be allowance for differing customs and different cultures. Furthermore, with respect, whether we like it or not, extreme poverty exists in this world, and even an average, middle class home of today, let alone a poverty-stricken and teeming third world family, would have enormous difficulty is maintaining the dining standards and quality you seem to advocate! (Note that I am not referring here to standards of manners and etiquette, but an adoption of the lifestyle of long, leisurely, meals of several courses each, accompanied by fine wines. I am a professional man with a young family, and however much I may desire to live like a noble in a royal court of the High Middle Ages, I cannot do so, let alone afford to do so).

2. With the utmost respect, I must say I find it most ironic to read what I assume must be an American-based website carrying the banner of social hierarchy, inequality, etc. The United States was founded by the agents of Satan, Freemasonry, and has always been a bastion of pernicious social egalitarianism, incorrect speech (I cannot bring myself to call the language ever spoken in the United States, English - its spelling is warped, the pronunciation foul and uncouth, even among the wealthiest and most educated of its citizens) and republicanism. The United States has for the last couple of generations foisted its social egalitarianism and religion of democracy on an unwilling world - and still does. I come from South Africa, and I also had relatives who lived in Southern Rhodesia (I cannot bring myself to call it Zimbabwe). Our societies were havens of Christian civilization (albeit warped by Protestant heresy) and social hierarchy and oligarchy. We were bastions of resistance to Communism, Liberalism, Socialism, egalitarianism, multi-culturalism, the satanic "melting pot", liberty, equality and fraternity. Different groups and different duties, rights, and privileges; all knew their place. Even a working class white household would have a black servant. There was a definite "caste" system, or hierarchy, and little or no mixing. Sadly, thanks to foreign and especially American liberalist ideas, that has been broken down.

Please forgive my bluntness, but I do believe honesty and charity required same.

Please omit my name if my comments are ever posted on your website.

     In JMJ,

     N.J.M.

TIA replies:

Dear Mr. N.M.,

We appreciate your few words regarding our website.

Regarding your objections, we will adopt the same principle you did: charity requires that the truth be spoken. We will answer your objections following the same order you presented them.

1. It seems that you misunderstood what TIA defends on its website regarding culture and civilization. You seem to imagine that our writers are dreaming about founding a club that tastes exquisite wines and enjoys good food while following perfect table protocol. This is not our thinking at all.

We are trying, as far as we can, to stop the Cultural Revolution from destroying the remains of Christendom that still exist in some institutions and families in the West. The Revolution against Christendom often uses practical excuses to destroy the respectable traditions and habits that characterized our Christian Civilization - some of the same reasons, Mr. M, that you used in your e-mail.

Regarding your assumption that middle class or poor people cannot follow Catholic customs, it does not seem legitimate:

First, because every human creature is meant to know, love, and serve God, independent of his or her economic situation. We think that in addition to the most important spiritual goal of saving one’s soul, the next aim in the service of God is for each to establish in his cultural circles of influence a reflection of God’s wisdom. Therefore, rich and poor, we are obliged to exert effort against our bad inclinations in society and paganism in customs. We must attempt to make our behavior and ambiences conform to God and the Catholic Church.

Second, it seems that you adopt an economic criterion to judge everything, including the building of a civilization or the restoration of our past Christendom. We don’t agree with this standard. We think that Religion and culture are much more important than money for achieving such objectives. The great works of civilization and culture were born from a religious inspiration, and not from the desire to become rich.

Third, most of the customs TIA advocates are traditions that the American middle and lower classes practiced as a matter of course some decades ago, before WWII. Many of them were inspired by European peasant or petty bourgeois customs still alive today, like the gathering of the family for meals with the normal sequence of courses, the practice of good conversation in the home, and a care about the décor of the rooms.

Fourth, in the order of the facts, it is easily verified that most of the traditionalists who presently are fighting to rebuild Christendom in their families and institutions are poor rather than wealthy. To the contrary, most of the promoters of the revolutionary customs and styles are wealthy.

2. In your second “question,” we did not find a precise argument, but rather a powerful loathing for the United States combined with an enthusiastic admiration for the social situation of your own country, which you seem to consider a model to be followed

You may think and say whatever you want about your country, it is your right. We respect that right, and we are willing to assume that your opinion is objective without making any further judgment on the matter.

But then you came out with a surprising “syllogism.” You said that you find it quite ironic that an American website would champion hierarchy and the restoration of Christendom, since the U.S. exported the revolutionary principles – liberty, equality, fraternity – and continues to export the Revolution.

Apart from temperamental resentments, we cannot understand why you would consider it wrong for Americans to return to the right path of Catholic tradition and fight for the Counter-Revolution. We recognize the evil done in the past and we want to undo it. It seems to us that you should be pleased and supportive of our position instead of bitter and indignant. Would you be kind enough to explain why Americans should not be authentic Catholics and fight against evil? Is our country irremediably condemned to be egalitarian and evil?

We do not believe this is the case and there are many Catholic traditionalists who are taking up the fight against the Revolution in the social, political and religious spheres.

Regarding another offensive generalization you made stating Americans do not speak English, it seems another futile remark. Every country today is suffering from a general degeneration in language, starting in England. We don't pretend to be language purists, but we - along with many other Americans - are sincerely making an effort to improve. But instead of receiving encouragement from you, we just received a sarcastic critique.

Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

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