How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?

[Ben]

From the news this morning, there is apparently some stupid tiktok thing going around with women asking men (often spouses/boyfriends) how often they think about the Roman Empire. It appears any response other than "never" is bad.

I don't pay that much attention to the crazies, so have I missed that the Roman Empire is now evil domestic terrorist patriarchy (or at least more so than any other Western thing)? Or what started the idea that toxic men think about it a lot?

I suppose I think about it once in a while, usually not in a positive way, and often here at APS when I read one of our many threads on the direction our country is going. We often mention that most societies don't make it past 250 years or so, and lament that the US is at that point. This is when I think of the Roman Empire, as my toxic self looks at them as the main example of a great and powerful society that sank into ruin, and how similar our decline is to theirs.

Otherwise, I don't think much about it unless I'm reading some history book that refers to it or to similar empires of the past.

[WLJ]

Explains the memes that have been popping up lately.
Correct answer would be whenever I'm watching movies about gladiators 

Tiktok is synonymous with stupid

[Tuco]

Correct answer would be whenever I'm watching movies about gladiators 

How often do you think about movies with gladiators?

[WLJ]

How often do you think about movies with gladiators?

Airplane reference

[K Frame]

[K Frame]

Well, Benerius, I have to admit that I only Pompi attention to crap like this when I'm Roman around with my legion of friends and we're decimating beers. We are gladius for our lives. Sometimes you just have to colosseum and move on down the appian way.

[Hawkmoon]

As an architect, I think of the Roman empire whenever I see a building in a Classical style, or a stone bridge with a lot of arches.

Also, of course, whenever I encounter a legal or medical term in Latin.

What's TikTok?

[lee n. field]

From the news this morning, there is apparently some stupid tiktok thing going around with women asking men (often spouses/boyfriends) how often they think about the Roman Empire. It appears any response other than "never" is bad.

Saw that pop up on my BookFace, didn't know where it came from.

Actually do think about it, more than "none".

3-4 years back I read through Augustine's City of God.  written 412 - 426, in response to the sack of the city of Rome.  In the first half he talks a lot about Roman history and Roman society.  Everything sounds so much like the present day.  "we is them, they is us".

Latest reading project, a modern biography of Augustine,

If that's evil partriarcy, so be it.

I don't pay that much attention to the crazies, so have I missed that the Roman Empire is now evil domestic terrorist patriarchy (or at least more so than any other Western thing)? Or what started the idea that toxic men think about it a lot?

I suppose I think about it once in a while, usually not in a positive way, and often here at APS when I read one of our many threads on the direction our country is going. We often mention that most societies don't make it past 250 years or so, and lament that the US is at that point. This is when I think of the Roman Empire, as my toxic self looks at them as the main example of a great and powerful society that sank into ruin, and how similar our decline is to theirs.

Otherwise, I don't think much about it unless I'm reading some history book that refers to it or to similar empires of the past.

I've come to think, later in life, that the education I got when I was young wasn't great.  History, in particular, is pretty vague.  In a logarithmically compressed view, the Romans are distant, and only a step or two away from the cave men.

[WLJ]

What's TikTok?

The Chinese version of facebook.

[Doggy Daddy]

What's TikTok?

The Chinese version of facebook.

  x 1,000 !

[230RN]

Similar to Ben's sentiments regarding the rise and fall of the United States.  Sadness.  Preserving our freedom, as I say often, is like swimming towards shore in an ebb tide.

I mostly ignore fads, though I'll admit to having been "influenced' in a major way by some.  The "Hi-Fi" one took my interest for quite a while, even to building one, then another Bass Ultraflex loudspeaker cabinets.  The later one was necessitated by advent of consumer stereo technology.

Relevant to this board, I admit to buying my first Colt 1911 Commercial because of the temper of the times... this was before other 1911 frames got to be popular.  I also got pulled into the pointless fad about red-logoed Ruger Standard .22 auto grips before the fad factor boosted the "value."

Not that I'm immune to fads and gag questions, but I'm less tangled up with the "keep up with the Jones" attitude.  I decided that rather, I should "keep up with my needs."

Terry, 230RN

[lee n. field]

I decided that rather, I should "keep up with my needs."

Terry, 230RN

Maybe dislektika, or my own peculiar life circumstances, but I read that first as "keep up with my meds."

[230RN]

Kind of a stretch but I wonder if the reason that "never" answer is the only right one relates to women thinking men only think of Caligulan orgies and the like.  That is, sex and women, indirectly, as playtoys.  Might as well ask if you ever folded out a playboy of the month.  No answer but "never" is acceptable.

Kind of a stretch as I said, but figuring women out sometimes requires stretching probabilities a bit.

And sometimes impossibilities.

Hey.  Married twice.  Thirty three years all in all.  Forty percent of my life.  I know.

Lotsa practice checking off probabilities down through improbabilities and touching base with some impossibilities.

[MechAg94]

When I first heard of this questions last week, I had just finished watching Drachinifel's video on the 1st Punic War.  So the answer was probably once a day. 

The 1st Punic War - Corvus, Rams and Drachma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVnXG0Yrfns

At the least, I have heard this meme mentioned at least once a day since then.  I do have a wooden Gladius.  I want to get a real one, but I am not sure who makes one of decent quality. 

That said, once a day might be unlikely, but more than a few times a week might happen depending on the subjects that come up. 

[dogmush]

When I stumbled across this it wasn't being framed in a "toxic masculinity, bad" way, just a perplexed "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" way.  Like the women never ever thought about Rome.

FTR, I probably think about Rome or something Roman weekly.  Between Latin roots of our language, The general parallels of empires rising and falling, dealing with immigration, dealing with Barbarians, architecture, infrastructure (roads/plumbing/sewers), etc I run across a lot of stuff with roots in the Roman EMpire to think about.

[WLJ]

Start a "how often do you think about Mao?"

[MechAg94]

When I stumbled across this it wasn't being framed in a "toxic masculinity, bad" way, just a perplexed "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" way.  Like the women never ever thought about Rome.

FTR, I probably think about Rome or something Roman weekly.  Between Latin roots of our language, The general parallels of empires rising and falling, dealing with immigration, dealing with Barbarians, architecture, infrastructure (roads/plumbing/sewers), etc I run across a lot of stuff with roots in the Roman EMpire to think about.

If you have a grounding in history or a related subject, Rome comes up in some way often enough.  It is one of the more significant periods affecting Western history/culture.  The video clips I have heard show women who don't think about history or politics at all.   

[HankB]

About the only time I think about the Roman Empire is when I'm watching a movie (Heston in Ben-Hur, Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, etc.) or reading a book (e.g., John Maddox Roberts' SPQR mysteries).

Or maybe when watching them remake the Roman gladius on Forged in Fire or pondering the mystery of the Roman Dodecahedrons. Or checking out the few Roman coins in my collection.

And of course with my interests, I come across the word Parabellum quite often. And (also) of course any Christian who thinks about their faith can't help but have the Roman Empire cross their thoughts regularly.

Hmmm . . . maybe I WOULD give the "wrong" answer to the question after all. 

[230RN]

MechAg94:

At the least, I have heard this meme mentioned at least once a day since then.  I do have a wooden Gladius.  I want to get a real one, but I am not sure who makes one of decent quality.

There's a smoke shop on about the 7300-7500 block of West Colfax in Lakewood CO which sold a lot of edged weapons --real steel --and I bought some unusual blades from them.

Just FYI for anyone in the Denver area interested in sharp things. There's another smoke shop on Wadsworth in Wheat Ridge with knives and axes and swords and such.  I think that's where I got my first legal switchblade.  So you might check around in your local cigarette stores for real "ferric" gladii.

I'm not sure why there might be a corollary between smoke shops and edged weapons.  There's also a smoke shop on 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge, but they don't have knives and such. Possibly common ownership.

Haven't been in any of them since I quit smoking in 2017.

Terry, 230RN

[MechAg94]

Thanks.  I will keep that in mind. 

I have seen some on Amazon, but haven't looked around on some of the bigger blade websites.  Cold Steel makes a relatively cheap version and there are cheap version on Amazon that I know little about.  Gotta make up my mind and try one.  I have seen one or two videos that mention a Gladius might make a halfway decent home defense blade.  Bigger than most knives, but well designed for thrusting in a narrow hallway. 

[dogmush]

And after Rome, women have now discovered situational awareness:

https://x.com/BardVorpal/status/1705733119561646523?s=20

Question for men:

My mom, who has been married to my dad for over thirty years, just found out that my dad constantly scans for, assesses, and plans for possible threats

Menfolk, do all of you do this?

My wife learned early on in our marriage that I hold hands with my right hand.  Don't grab my gun hand.

[gunsmith]

 
 Not realizing it was one of those ticky tocky things that's supposed to make toxic men with muscles and red meat habits look bad, I answered "around once a month"
When I was asked a week or so ago, only now I can't recall who asked

[Ben]

And after Rome, women have now discovered situational awareness:

Funny - on the other side of this, I had the dawg in for his annual shots last week, and there was a fill-in vet at the office. I was wearing a Warrior Poet Society hoodie that I have with really subtle graphics - just the emblem and the "TRN-HRD TRN-SMT" in really small letters.

The first words out of her mouth were "John Lovell! Train hard, train smart!" I think my jaw dropped because most guys don't know that. It turns out she's a retired Army medic who did two tours in Afghanistan. While we were talking, she told me the first question she asked her boyfriend before they started dating was, "Sheep or sheepdog?", and one of those answers would have killed the first date. 

[WLJ]

https://twitter.com/Jbanklestankle1/status/1706337550250426472

[230RN]

And after Rome, women have now discovered situational awareness:

https://x.com/BardVorpal/status/1705733119561646523?s=20

My wife learned early on in our marriage that I hold hands with my right hand.  Don't grab my gun hand.

But, but... you're holding her gun hand ! ? ! ?

I take that back.  Silly me didn't recognize that the implication was that he must left-handed.

 

I always shake hands with my left (weak side) hand because of arthritis. I found doing that avoids the bone crushers who can screw up my right (strong side) hand for a couple of days.

I sometimes make a joke about "Gotta be careful with my gun hand" as I kinda wave my right hand  at them.  But I'm a little more than half-serious.

Some time ago I bought a half dozen real cheap 10 inch kitchen knives at a dollar store and I have some of them squirreled away around the house.  I'm not concerned about the quality of the steel or anything like that, since they'll only be used once.

As I am fond of saying, "Paranoia is a survival trait."

Terry, 230RN