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naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   31474 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of November 7, 2022

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In a now famous remark, Edward Gibbon observed that ‘of the first fifteen emperors Claudius was the only one whose taste in love was entirely correct’, meaning heterosexual. If Gibbon was right, the Roman Empire was ruled for almost 200 consecutive years by men whose homosexual interests, if not exclusive, were sufficiently noteworthy to be included for posterity. -- Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality by John Boswell.

“But,” added W.C. Firebaugh in 1966 “Claudius was a moron.”

When press’d by loads of state affairs,

I seek to sport and dally,

The sweetest solace of my cares

Is in the lap of Sally.

Let Yankey parsons preach their worst–

Let tory Witling’s rally !

You men of morals! and be curst,

You’d snap like sharks for Sally.

Yankee doodle who's the noodle

Wine's vapid tope me brandy

For still I find to breed my kind

A negro wench the dandy!

-- Drinking song set to "Yankee Doodle" attributed popularly to Thomas Jefferson as the "sage of Monticello"

A true gentleman has no vices, but he allows you your own -- Michael Shaara describing Robert E Lee

Hurrah for Maria Hurrah for the kid, we voted for Cleveland and we're damn glad we did!-- Song by supporters of Grover Cleveland after he fathered a bastard.

After guarding marriage with this modesty and reserve, he was equally careful to banish empty and womanish jealousy. For this object, excluding all licentious disorders, he made it, nevertheless, honourable for men to give the use of their wives to those whom they should think fit, that so they might have children by them; ridiculing those in whose opinion such favours are so unfit for participation as to fight and shed blood and go to war about it. -- Plutarch describing Lycurgus

Happy birthday, Mr President -- Marilyn Monroe to JFK; for those of you zoomers who don't know her, Meghan the Stallion describes her as "my favorite ho" and "the goat".

In a now famous remark, Edward Gibbon observed that ‘of the first fifteen emperors Claudius was the only one whose taste in love was entirely correct’

This is indeed a very amusing statement, considering that Claudius married his niece.

Swings and roundabouts. The Romans considered it fine to fuck men (as long as you didn't marry them) or your niece (as long as you married her). Gibbon considered it disgusting to fuck men (married or not), and fine to fuck your niece (as long as you married her). Modern blues consider it fine to fuck men (or marry them) and disgusting to fuck your niece (especially if you marry her).

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