Bread, Circuses and BET
Bread, Circuses and BET
by
Varo Borja
We bring the bald lecher – the legions of Julius Caesar
The Roman Empire was a far-reaching, famously feared and complex organism. Before the Empire, in the days of the Republic, men of honor and ability graced the halls of the Roman senate with splendid oratories and diatribes, calling all citizens of the Republic who possessed intelligence and courage to great deeds. These illustrious senators also fought at the head of the Roman legions, conquering vast expanses of territory and furthering the interests of their fellow countrymen. Then, after the ascension of Augustus, a great empire was born, encompassing most of the known world; stretching from Spain to the Tigris-Euphrates river the Roman Eagle cast its shadow upon a world of toiling slaves, sturdy yeomen, and a luxuriant caste of persons who knew neither toil nor want. In the modern age, another eagle casts its shadow upon the Earth: the bald eagle of the United States of America. Born a republic and reluctantly, after a long period of isolationism, thrust into the forefront of global politics, this final superpower conceived under the auspices of liberty and justice seeks hegemony over the race of man. Through suggestion, sanctions, and outright subversion, the United States of America maintains its place at the head of the global machine. In the near or distant future, will the United States of America collapse, as Arnold J. Toynbee said, “by suicide, and not by murder”? (Dreher, 1) This remains to be seen, if not by our generation, then maybe by some future race of Americans. The Roman Empire fell amidst the fires lit by their neighbors the Goths, but the same flames were fueled by 400 years of licentious decline and outright cowardice. The moral armor of the Roman Empire was pierced with the arrows of pride, greed, gluttony and sloth. The once illustrious senators and noble patricians of the Republic were gone. They were replaced by a clan of self-interested, self-indulgent princes who cared neither for the austerity of toil for the good of their fellow citizens, or even for the defense of a bloated, but shrinking dominion from which they drew their incomes and pleasures. The United States of America has not wasted away to the extent of the late Roman Empire. However, the United States of America and the late Roman Empire have three broad characteristics in common that could, as in the case of the latter, lead to the eventual collapse of the United States and end life in America as we know it today.
The first characteristic that both empires have in common is the quality of the characters of their respective citizens. Citizens of the Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D. were copious gluttons, and they were both slothful and avaricious. Furthermore, they were loath to participate in government, and left its machinations to the “weak and distracted” (Gibbon, 663). Roman citizens also betrayed their fellow countrymen and “exploited public goods” (Dreher, 3) for their own purposes. From the time of the Julio-Claudian emperors, such disgusting public spectacles as the use of vomitoriums (public binging and purging houses) and the dispersal of massive quantities of bread to the mob at large gatherings were commonplace. Citizens of the United States of America in the 21st century are also greedy, lazy and gluttonous. Voter turnout in the twenty-first century is negligible compared to that of the early 20th century. Civil litigation is just as prevalent or more commonplace in the United States today than it was in the Roman Empire. According to insideprison.com, “The term ‘lawsuit abuse’ was first defined in the early 1990’s”. Many residents of the United States of America would rather sue their neighbors than carve out an existence by their own labors. Also, according to insideprison.com, “in 2002, civil lawsuits cost the U.S. economy a reeling 233 billion dollars.” This statistic is staggering considering the U.S. gross domestic product for the year 2002 was 9.5 trillion dollars (USA.gov); this means that two percent of the entire GDP for the United States of America was eaten up with civil disputes in the year 2002. Although some, if not most of these suits were legitimate, this disturbing statistic still reflects badly upon the land where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness supposedly underpin a society of industrious and benevolent, freedom seeking citizens. Another truly upsetting fact reveals itself when examining the GDP statistics for the year 2002: more income was generated through civil litigation than through the industry of agriculture. According to statistics found on USA.gov, a paltry 164 billion dollars was produced by the agricultural sector in this country in 2002: a little less than half what the deluge of civil lawsuits that year cost the federal economy. This is a startling fact, considering the decline of agriculture within the Roman Empire coincided with the decline of civilization. To quote Edward Gibbon once again, “Agriculture is the foundation of manufactures; since the productions of nature are the materials of art” (Gibbon, 48). It is also common knowledge that obesity runs rampant in the United States, and eating disorders abound, while much of the rest of the planet struggles to maintain even the most minimal diet. Citizens of the United States gorge themselves at Golden Corral and Taco Bell and then some of the diners immediately retire to restrooms to vomit up their extravagant meals, while the residents of East Africa and parts of Asia die by the millions for lack of proper nutrition.
Another disparaging aspect of the characters of both civilizations is the lack of zeal present for the defense of their respective, over-extended dominions. Roman citizens of rank in the fifth century A.D. spurned military service in favor of empty official titles and the pleasures of the symposium. The Roman army was overstretched and under-staffed, and therefore unable to defend its prodigious borders. Potential military talent was wasted as the old families of Rome cowered in their estates and left the protection of the empire to mercenaries and foreigners. 21st century Americans support their military from the sidelines with yellow ribbons and Toby Keith inspired flag-waving, but few citizens in this country sign up for military service. Charles Moskos, a former professor at Northwestern University, noted in Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel’s article for the Los Angeles Times in December of 2006, that “of his 1956 Princeton University class of 750 men, 450 served (in the military). In the Princeton University class of 2006 there were 1,108 men and women, but only nine so far have joined the military” (Barnes and Spiegel, 3). Apparently, the Ivy League patricians of the U.S. aren’t as willing to defend this country as their forefathers were. The United States Army struggled to meet its goals for enlistment in the years 2004 and 2005, and according to the Barnes and Spiegel article, the army was willing to give exorbitant incentives for anyone under the age of 40 who would sign up for active service (Barnes and Spiegel, 3). Isn’t this a form of hiring a class of warriors to defend that which most of us are either too lazy, or too cowardly to defend? With such negative statistics as these confronting Americans today while we are in the midst of two overseas conflicts, an easy comparison may be made to the days of Rome when the outposts on the Rhine and the Danube went unmanned, and the Gothic barbarians trumpeted their entry into the age-old capital of a once proud empire. A more embarrassing fact may be noted when the military service records of the last two presidents of the United States are examined; the former president of the United States evaded the draft imposed by Congress during the Vietnam War, and the current Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the United States used family connections within the Federal government to evade active duty during the Vietnam conflict in favor a rear-echelon post in the States.
The second characteristic present in both empires that could lead to the eventual destruction of the United States is the content of their warped and highly self-indulgent cultures. The late Roman Empire featured a policy of Bread and Circuses, or an attempt to distract and sate the lust of the populace with material goods and horribly violent spectacles. Gladiatorial combats featured two or more opponents who fought to the death for the amusement of the mob. Horse races and exotic animals from obscure locales re-directed the attention of the denizens of Rome away from the ever-present threats of invasion from the Danube and Rhine sectors, and the potential assassination of whomever wore the purple of imperator at the moment. To quote Gibbon once again, “A people who still remembered that their ancestors had been the masters of the world would have applauded, with conscious pride, the representation of ancient freedom, if they had not long since been accustomed to prefer the solid assurance of bread to the unsubstantial visions of liberty and greatness” (Gibbon Vol. II, 85). Twenty-first century America has adopted economic policies that favor goods for the present, and a sedentary, television centered lifestyle. According to the California State University, Northridge website, “the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube” (www.csun.edu). This is a very disturbing statistic, considering American families lose 9 years worth of bonding and development; civic duties and religious affiliations fall by the wayside 2 months out of the year. Reality television composes much of what is broadcast in the United States today, and engenders feelings of self-hatred, exorbitant spending on the part of the viewers to become like those viewed, and a cynical, self-centered view of life in the modern age. Also, we Americans have our own brands of gladiatorial combat: WWE wrestling and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Self-indulgence may also be found in the homes of many Americans who sit for hours in front of computer screens or Xbox monitors. According to the Canada Review of American Studies, “The video- and computer-game industry generated a profit of US$6.35 billion in 2001, earnings greater than those of either Hollywood films or pornography and, in the entertainment field, second only to those of the music industry. It is estimated that 60 per cent of all Americans regularly play computer or video games;1 42 per cent of them are women; the median age of gamers is twenty-eight.2 The production budgets for computer games now regularly run into the tens of millions of dollars, and the creation of a single game may involve a team of designers, actors, programmers, and musicians that rivals in size some film production crews” (muse.jhu.edu). With all this technological deterioration in the homes of American families, it is quite easy to relate this type of societal decay to the Bread and Circuses policies of the late Roman Empire.
Furthermore, religion in the late Roman Empire was a state-mandated form of Christianity that lacked the vigor, self-sacrifice and courage displayed by the early followers of Christ. Petty squabbles over doctrine and the clambering for crumbs of power from the table of Constantine wreaked havoc on the religious lives of Roman citizens. To quote Gibbon once again, “Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty, was successfully practised; honours, gifts, and immunities were offered and accepted as the price of an episcopal vote; and the condemnation of the Alexandrian primate was artfully represented as the only measure which could restore the peace and union of the catholic church” (Gibbon, 706). Many faiths abound within the borders of the United States, but an increasingly secular worldview, lackluster religious observance, and recent scandals associated with religious leaders have dampened what was once a vital element of the culture of the U.S. In the past twenty years, at least three major Protestant leaders have been indicted for crimes including solicitation of a prostitute and fraudulent money handling in regard to their congregations.
The third characteristic that both empires have in common is the nature of their respective capital cities. Rome, the capital of the Western Empire, was a city fraught with corruption and a professional governing class. The administrators of Rome were spurious at best; according to Mr. Dreher’s article the leading lights of Rome “ruled as if the common good coincided with their private interests” (Dreher, 2). Assassination was a constant threat in the Roman capital as well. Gibbon states on page 150 of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that, “The dark and sanguinary soul of the tyrant was open to every suspicion against those among his subjects who were most distinguished by their birth or merit. Whenever he was alarmed with the sound of treason, his cruelty was unbounded and unrelenting.” So, within the capital of Rome, whenever a tyrant was in power (which was most of the time) the constant threats of a leaderless empire or a general proscription laid upon those of the highest ability or rank laid waste to the societal peace of mind. Does not this same type of fear of assassination exist in Washington D.C.? Not always the act of physical assassination, but the even more cowardly process of character and political assassination enacted during the tenures of various Senators and Representatives, or Presidents and Vice-Presidents. Also, Washington D.C., the capital of the United States of America, is a city rife with the backhanded manipulations of lobbyists and self-interest groups. Furthermore, Washington houses a double-headed hierarchy of elected officials who both profit from and cling to their respective positions with all the fervor of babies clinging to their mother’s breasts. Is this image not akin to the sculpture of young Romulus and Remus, the mythological brother-founders of Rome, between whom fratricide was committed, suckling at the tit of the she-wolf who raised them with the same savagery and blood lust endemic to the other children of her breed?
In conclusion, I feel it is important to state two of the major differences between the late Roman Empire and the present United States of America: the resistance exhibited by Americans to be classified as an empire versus the Romans’ glory in that title, and the perfection taken for granted by Romans in their system of government, and a good portion of Americans’ desire for progressive fiscal and social policies over the outdated and archaic views held by some in power at the present time (Dreher, 3). Also, the Roman Empire had over a millennium to become stagnant and infertile. The United States, although certainly corrupt, lazy, and in some cases apathetic towards the rest of the world, is much younger and therefore stands a better chance of revival. Rome experienced periods of grandeur and political stability under such emperors as Hadrian, Trajan, the Antonines and Aurelian. The United States has also had moments of glory and unimpeded progress under various leaders, and has given birth to some of the best minds to ever grace the intellectual arena. However, the United States of America also designed, manufactured and dropped the first atomic bomb: a fact that haunts this country today in its dealings with rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. Also, much like the Romans, we have a hoard of manufacturing and capital craving “barbarians” seeking economic mastery just outside the gates of our empire: the Chinese. Still, we as a nation insist on forcing our brand of democracy, our love of the material, and our self-centered egoism on the rest of mankind. The future generations of this country will have some very difficult choices to make concerning character and culture, but hopefully reform in our capital will herald a new and brighter age for the free and brave citizens of the United States of America.
Informal Works Cited:
1. Are We Rome? How the U.S. can avoid its own version of the fall of the Roman empire by Rod Dreher. Dallas Morning News: July 29, 2007
2. Expanding the military, without a draft; proposals to sign up more troops are raising concern about lower recruiting standards by Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel. Los Angeles Times. December 24, 2006.
3. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Abridged Version). Edward Gibbon. The Modern Library, New York: 2005.
4. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Unabridged). Edward Gibbon. The Modern Library, New York: 1965.
5. Insideprison.com. Found at: http://www.insideprison.com/
6. USA.gov. Found at: http://www.usa.gov/
7. The Canada Review of American Studies. Found at: http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/canadian_review_of_american_studies/v034/34.1budra.html
8. Television and Health. Found at: http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html
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