Modern-Day Gladiators

[The_Rorschach]

"The more government changes, the more it remains the same. The Roman Empire built the Coliseum and entertained its citizens with gladiators. Today cities entertain the masses by building stadiums for baseball and football contests."

That is an extremely silly premise, the first Colliseums were built by wealthy patrons, Roman Citizens, and only years later became quasi-political tools. Today stadiums are used as the wonders of Baghdad, the gardens of Babylon or the Colossus of Rhodes - To attract the wealthy, or at least their riches. Los Angeles profits so greatly from the Emmy and Oscar Awards that in the wake of September Eleventh New York respectfully requested the right to host either event in order to capitalize on the influx of income. Are either of those events political constructs? No, and neither are stadiums, for all the fact they have political uses. Hell, cigarettes have political uses too, are you going to say that they are provided by politicians now too?

"The Roman Empire provided bread, circuses and gladiators to anesthetize its citizens."


That statement is as laughable as it is ignorant. All of the above were furnished by the private citizens of Rome. It would be like saying the American Government provided Twinkies, Woostock and Survivour to anesthetize its citizens.

Regardless of the valid illustrations in the article, such flagrantly faulty points as this make me question the veracity otherwise presented.