ext_38032 ([identity profile] fadethecat.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] hawkwing_lb 2011-11-09 04:02 pm (UTC)

I've had some interesting discussion in ancient language classes when someone will point out how gloriously kind and forgiving and longing-for-peace Julius Caesar was, and get a bit irked when I go "Yeah, if you weren't a non-Roman he was brutally slaughtering or enslaving!" While I think it's interesting when someone is especially virtuous for their context, I would prefer those be presented with full context, and not as if a bunch of ancient men with very culturally-defined values were somehow models of virtue for modern folks to follow.

I thought the "It can't be Athens, there are no lawsuits going on down there!" was from The Clouds? But I'm working on fuzzy memory of my professor mentioning that joke in class, since I haven't read the play myself.

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