A society based on the bacon/necktie axis?

Based on the image in the Blue-and-Orange Morality entry. Imagine a society where morality actually took this axis into account?

I am assuming here:

• "Bacon" implies the people who like their food, who don't mind a second helping. For them, food is the most important part of a meal, but they don't go to dinner hoping to dress up. They see "necktie" people as vain, conceited and missing the point.

• "Necktie" people on the other hand, are those who dress for dinner, but to whom food is of lesser importance. For them, dinner is about the social occasion and showing off. They probably see "bacon" people as gluttonous slobs.

Basically I'm thinking of a society where this is a *very* big deal, where your position on this axis depends a lot on how people see you. Can anyone imagine this?

Yes. I call it "Christmas with the Baptist relatives."

Not saying all Baptists are the "necktie" alignment, just my Baptist relatives.

The whole catholic/protestant thing in Northern Ireland is exactly this as far as I'm concerned.

Literal haunted biscuits or metaphorical haunted biscuits, who cares?

Anyway, I digress. Or maybe I don't. Who knows?

edited 21st Jan '14 10:38:06 AM by InverurieJones

Which one is Catholic/Protestant?

And I think it's obvious which one I would be.

I know. You're taking my comment about my relatives (who I classify as Baptist solely because their interpretation of their beliefs is what causes them to be that way; I've known and befriended several Baptists who have already confirmed that those guys are weird) and attempting to turn it into a disparaging comment about Christianity.

Speaking of religious differences, though, the problem with the "bacon" part of this new moral axis is what to do regarding people who can't eat bacon for whatever reason, be it religious, dietary, or lifestyle choice? Or is "bacon" simply being used as a placeholder name?

Bacon stands for food, like necktie stands for nice clothing.

I am not sure how these are mutually exclusive.

Bacon are those who come for food and don't care about appearance at the table, while necktie are the opposite, I guess.

It's like nobody's ever been to a Jewish function.

Well, I'm not Jewish, so I haven't.

Yes, basically. But perhaps it is also the significance of these things. It makes sense if you see above-mentioned significance.

Imagine a party, perhaps the sort attended by lots of wealthy and influential people. "Bacon" people are the sort who come for the free food, and maybe by extension the drink and generally enjoying themselves. They don't care about the social side of things, let alone the social politics which might be involved in such gatherings. "Necktie" people are the sort who are more interested in dressing up- in other words, to be seen, to impress. They "know" these sorts of parties aren't just about lots of free food and just enjoying yourself. They're there because their standing in society is important- they have to be seen at these kind of functions, or to "network" and get ahead in business, or whatever. Maybe you might get a sliding scale of people who might want a bit of both, some one more than the other.

Imagine also the attitudes of people on either extreme of the scale. The "bacon" people probably see "necktie" people as stuffy and stuck-up, self-important and too busy trying to impress than really enjoying life. "Necktie" people probably see "bacon" people as hedonistic slobs and failures.

Now imagine a society which sets massive store by where you fit on this scale, more so than you would find in Real Life.

A bacon party might persuade me to become seriously involved in politics.

Is your hypothetical party advocating values pertaining to the bacon end of the axis, or are you just Comically Missing the Point?

What if I like food and don't care about clothes, but I'm a vegetarian?

The bacon is symbolic, not literal, apparently. I guess if it makes you feel better you could pretend it's symbolic tofu bacon.

I feel sorry for those poor people who fall in the middle of whether or not these things are important.

Also I can see the necktie people falling into the same problems regarding women's body and the perception of beauty given their emphasis on appearance. (Which goes to show the problem with making a truly strange morality. Sometimes you come up with something highly relatable by accident.) I'm not saying that would be the focus, but if they think the food people are gross slobs then this is an obvious value they would lean towards. Which would make the necktie people who can't fit their ideal have pretty much the same problem millions of women have today.

In fairness what I've illustrated is just my guess as to what such a world would look like, and specifically how it could play into a system of morality. You may have a different interpretation. The bacon/necktie axis isn't my original idea, it was already on the Blue-and-Orange Morality page.

I expect the "bacon" people might not necessarily be seen as slobs, though the general idea is they enjoy their food and don't care all that much about being seen. Maybe they could just as easily be seen as the gourmets of this world- after all, bacon isn't just for greasy fry-ups. The point is they're more

The people in the middle are just your ordinary, average moderate people. They like their food but don't obsess over it, and make the effort to dress for dinner but don't obsess over being seen.

Yes, I assume necktie women might have the whole body image issue. In a way, that's reality- it derives essentially from an image-obsessed culture which is all about being seen. One would imagine celebrity culture ties into this somewhere...

The latter.

My fellow Necktians, we must make sure that the Baconites never seize power. If they control the economy, where will I buy waistcoats from?