Are Yankees The Descendants Of Roman Gladiators?
Although Rome “blew it” almost 2,000 years ago there are a few remarkable parallels between Rome and today’s Washington, D.C. Both fought wars by hiring mercenaries from the poor and the provinces to fight them. Slaves from poor countries worked for the rich in labor-intensive jobs, whether in vineyards and farmyards or hotels, restaurants, gardening, and meatpacking plants. But what stands out for me is the culture of celebrities used as the glue keeping the people’s minds off real problems. Gladiators were the celebrities of the Roman Empire, some recruited from criminals, prisoners of war, and slaves. But gladiators could gain wealth, power, and powerful friends if they survived the ring. In some cases the thumbs could not go down on them if they were popular with the masses. By the end of the Republic, about half of the gladiators were free men who chose it as an occupation—the same as a young MBA would choose investment banking. They did it for money, “honor,” and fame. They were
