The Trials and Triumphs of Being Born Female: Inheriting the Family Title

Should gender matter? In many cases, an uncontrollable (certainly not by the one who was born) circumstance of birth has such long standing consequences. When we bring our babies home from the hospital, should the course of their lives be already determined because of the child's gender? Apparently, this is a phenomenon that affects royalty and commoners alike.

According to a news report in the Daily Telegraph, "It is a layer of aristocracy unique to Britain, and for more than 400 years the title of baronet has been passed dutifully from father to son.

But now, for the first time, women may be able to inherit the title in England under a proposed change to the centuries-old system.

Four baronets have succeeded in adding an amendment to a Bill making its way through the House of Lords that would let them pass their titles to their daughters.

The legislation had originally been introduced to allow dukes, earls, viscounts and other hereditary peers to pass their titles along a female line of succession. However, it left out baronets, prompting a campaign by the four families.

The Bill is known as the “Downton law” after the anomaly of female succession at the heart of ITV’s Downton Abbey, in which the character of Lady Mary, the eldest daughter of the drama’s fictional earl, was unable to inherit the family seat because it had to pass to a male heir."

In this case, fiction has influenced reality....for the better.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10540898/Ladies-who-could-soon-be-a-leaping.html

The End of Public Civility

There's a popular judge on TV. I've watched her for years, for her straight forward, no-nonsense way. However, she's been grating on me lately. Is it necessary to be so aggressive with people?

As a lawyer, I feel that part of the purpose of court shows would be to educate the people about the law...a little bit. It is not necessary to get into a situation where the judge seems to be fighting with one or both litigants.

One of my children would not watch her. The child thinks this judge is plain rude!

Has she gotten worse or did I just outgrow her shenanigans?

Then there's the story of the "Housewives". I am still trying to find out why school teachers spend their time teaching children how to conduct themselves, only for them to grow up and behave improperly on TV, and be paid for it. Are these people really like this, or are these people acting?
                            

And then there's Omarosa! She's back on Celebrity Apprentice. The girl's gotta pay her bills, right?

Truth be told, nobody wants to watch boring TV. The greater the drama, the more people watch. The more people watch, the more money is made.

The success of these people is really only a reflection of who we are as a society.

They are who we have become. I don't like it.