Talk about a long suppressed truth. This takes the cake.

[Hoping4Change]

The other evening PBS aired a BBC doc about ancient Rome and its penchant for violent games. (The doc related it to what is happening today or what could happen.)

One of the most mind boggling things I've ever heard is that the blood sports ended with the invasion of the Vandals, Goths, and Visigoths. It seems the barbarians didn't understand the value of this senseless bloodletting. Has anyone ever heard this?

Maybe others aren't stunned by this but I for one was taught that the barbarians were total no-goodniks. In fact many Romans it seemed welcomed the invaders believing that they would fare better with the barbarians.

Other interesting tidbits is that the various bloodsports happened every other day. There was massive massive bloodletting. And wealthy people who paid for certain games would have expensive mosaics made in their homes depicting a particularly bloody image from the game they had paid for.

Above all else Romans hated compassion. The doc quoted all sorts of Roman writers despising any degree of compassion which they considered feminine and beneath contempt.

If anyone thinks that compassion is something that can be taken for granted, please think again.

[Dunvegan]

1. It's an "Empire" thing.

Those plain old "barbaric" cultures aren't refined into the rarified air of extraordinary wealth leading to extraordinary decadence, so they just "don't get it."

Remind you of any modern culture's trajectory?

[Hoping4Change]

6. Your post reminds me of another point the doc raised which was

that the games were not caused by decadence but were regarded as the antidote to decadence. Romans like Cicero thought it was bracing annd morally benefical to watch instances of courage.

[European Socialist]

2. "hated compassion" Sounds like today's Repukes.

[Hoping4Change]

8. But even repukes don't yet come close to the degree of

Roman callousness.

[LiberalVoice]

3. Towards the fall of the Roman Empire...

the Romans became more and more desensitised because of those "games". Politicians had to have gangs of murderers in their pocket just to survive. Political assasination became more and more common place in those times. People were clashing and killing eachother for supporting different opponents. In fact graffiti was tagged everywhere in ancient rome expressing support for different politicians.

[Hoping4Change]

11. But there was no sensitivity to begin with. Sensitivity was not

in the Roman makeup.

[Raksha]

4. Very good observation.

Too bad the people who really need to take warning from it will never see it, or if they do will just dismiss it as more hand-wringing from the "bleeding heart libs."

[Hoping4Change]

12. Your comment reminds of an incident the doc relates. Its seems

that during one of the games they ran out of people to throw into the ring, so Caligua commanded that a whole section of spectators be rounded up and thrown in the ring so the game could continue. Would it not be great to know the reactions of those spectators. Could any of them ever imagine they would end up where they did?

[aquart]

5. There's a reason Christianity grew in the Roman Empire.

There's a reason they started with a fish and decided they'd rather have a cross, a symbol of Roman torture.

And none of it points to Roman popularity.

[Hoping4Change]

9. The cross is a symbol of overcoming. The fish has always remained

a symbol. The fish has never disappeared from the iconography of the Eastern rite.

[WiseButAngrySara]

7. I'm sure that the lack of compassion contributed heavily to their fall.n/t

[Hoping4Change]

13. Unfortunately it didn't. My understanding is that they were

destroyed by lead poisoning which came from their lead pipes.

[Igel]

14. Many causes.

It's hard to wipe out an empire like that from lead pipes. The Pb certainly helped.

[pitohui]

16. oh come on

compassion is not an advantage to a imperialist nation, the romans didn't conquer the world because of their wonderful warm hearts, nations known for their wisdom and compassion instead got conquered, see under the iroquois or many other eastern native american nations known for their kindness

the romans got to rule the world, the native americans got some casinos

it sounds like a miserable existence back then in old rome but being sensitive and compassion wouldn't have helped you any, you'd prob. always be in a state of depression at all the hideousness around you

[Hoping4Change]

10. The doc is called Gladiators the Brutal Truth. nt

[pitohui]

15. you didn't pay attention in sunday school my friend

er, yes, the romans were rather well-known for such expensive and tacky practices as throwing christians to the lions

the "barbarians" didn't have the coin for such hobbies

[Hoping4Change]

17. I am well aware of their barbarity. What was news to me is that

the blood sports stopped with the barbarian hordes.