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Yeah, I have a strange kind of fascination with it. I read a lot about the Roman republic, it's rise and demise, and it feels like living through the fall of an

Yeah, I have a strange kind of fascination with it. I read a lot about the Roman republic, it's rise and demise, and it feels like living through the fall of another 'empire'. Writings were on the wall for the Roman republic for a long tine before it happened. Same with the US today.

AnimalMuppet 1y ago
Well, if history rhymes, I'd guess we're about at Sulla.
senectus1 1y ago
I get really annoyed with the constant comparison with the "Fall of Rome". This is not the same thing. This is a concerted attack from within, these people are deliberately dismantling a democratic society for personal profit.
- Insanity 1y ago
  Do you mean fall of Rome (empire) or fall of Rome (republic)? Fall of Rome’s republic was deliberate and for personal gain / profit. Edit: And I’m not saying it’s a one-to-one comparison, like a bad sequel film.. I’m saying that it’s comparable at a layer of abstraction. The fall of two large “empires” with a ton of influence on the world.
  - senectus1 1y ago
    fair point.
    - IAmGraydon 1y ago
      It’s really not. It’s blatantly wrong, actually. Money did not motivate the fall of the Republic. Literally reading even the most basic text on the period would make this obvious.
IAmGraydon 1y ago
How do you think this compares to the fall of the Roman Republic? With all due respect, I would argue that your line of thinking tells me that you don’t really read about the Roman Republic, or at least don’t understand what was happening at the time. The political disfunction, powerful military figures, extreme wealth divide, and the dynamic of the First Triumvirate all make what the US is going through today look downright civilized. The sheer amount of turmoil made the people in Rome desperate for authoritarianism. The rise of Roman Empire is what they wanted, and what they got. This is the same dynamic that unfolded in 1930s Germany. I do not at all believe that most people in the US want an actual authoritarian. Trump may think he can implement authoritarianism, but I suspect he will find out just how misguided he is if he truly pushes it.

AnimalMuppet 1y ago

Well, if history rhymes, I'd guess we're about at Sulla.

senectus1 1y ago

I get really annoyed with the constant comparison with the "Fall of Rome". This is not the same thing. This is a concerted attack from within, these people are deliberately dismantling a democratic society for personal profit.

Insanity 1y ago
Do you mean fall of Rome (empire) or fall of Rome (republic)? Fall of Rome’s republic was deliberate and for personal gain / profit. Edit: And I’m not saying it’s a one-to-one comparison, like a bad sequel film.. I’m saying that it’s comparable at a layer of abstraction. The fall of two large “empires” with a ton of influence on the world.
- senectus1 1y ago
  fair point.
  - IAmGraydon 1y ago
    It’s really not. It’s blatantly wrong, actually. Money did not motivate the fall of the Republic. Literally reading even the most basic text on the period would make this obvious.

IAmGraydon 1y ago

How do you think this compares to the fall of the Roman Republic? With all due respect, I would argue that your line of thinking tells me that you don’t really read about the Roman Republic, or at least don’t understand what was happening at the time. The political disfunction, powerful military figures, extreme wealth divide, and the dynamic of the First Triumvirate all make what the US is going through today look downright civilized. The sheer amount of turmoil made the people in Rome desperate for authoritarianism. The rise of Roman Empire is what they wanted, and what they got. This is the same dynamic that unfolded in 1930s Germany. I do not at all believe that most people in the US want an actual authoritarian. Trump may think he can implement authoritarianism, but I suspect he will find out just how misguided he is if he truly pushes it.