1. People are forgetting how to be personally social. Obviously, this wasn't a big problem for Rome. It is a problem specifically in our society because we have so many digital devices that we can hide behind that speaking with people face to face isn't as important as it once was. I'm sure the Romans were able to write letters or send messages in ways other that didn't require face to face communication, but it's nowhere as prevalent as it is in the US today.
2. There is a huge divide between differing political parties in the US. "Who but the wealthy get sleep in Rome? There lies the root of the disorder." Although the roles are a little different in this scenario, the principle is the same. Rome was not divided by political party, per say, rather they are divided between wealthy and poor. This quote shows the attitude of the wealthy towards the poor and the poor towards the wealthy. The wealthy are taken care of, the poor are left alone. The wealthy can sleep comfortably, while the poor suffer. "It
is no easy matter, anywhere, for a man to rise when poverty stands in
the way of his merits: but nowhere is the effort harder than in Rome,
where you must pay a big rent for a wretched lodging, a big sum to fill
the bellies of your slaves, and buy a frugal dinner for yourself." It is not easy to be poor in Rome.
3. The family is definitely under attack in the US. I think this problem is illustrated with all of the other quotes used in this post. Conditions in Rome were not ideal. There was a huge divide between wealthy and poor, and families either benefited or suffered because of it. Wealthy families continued in wealth, while poor families were stuck in a cycle of never-ending poverty. I don't think families were purposefully attacked, but the government's policies led to the destruction of a well-off society.
4. The government. "This
failing is universal here: we all live in a state of pretentious
poverty. To put it shortly, nothing can be had in Rome for nothing." This is a pretty telling statement about the state of affairs in Rome. Obviously the government is failing in aspects of poverty and taking care of it's citizens. I'm not suggesting the government should take full responsibility to fix poverty, but there are cases where the government makes the problem worse. This seems to be one of those cases.
5. Bullying has come to the forefront as a major issue today. "I cannot abide, Quirites, a Rome of Greeks; and yet what fraction of our dregs comes from Greece? The Syrian Orontes has long since poured into the Tiber, bringing with it its lingo and its manners, its flutes and its slanting harp-strings; bringing too the timbrels of the breed, and the trulls who are bidden ply their trade at the Circus." Although Rome did not consider bullying a major problem, bullying the Greeks happened constantly in the empire. The Romans didn't like the Greeks. They did whatever they could to rid the Greek blood from their population. They really did bully them.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
5 Most Challenging Social Problems
The 5 most challenging social problems facing the United States today are as follows:
1. People are forgetting how to be personally social. The digital world is taking over the lives of nearly every American. People communicate via digital devices more than they do face-to-face with each other. People are losing the skill of face-to-face communication. Before long, we won't even be able to look at each other without digital devices (Google Glass).
2. There is a huge divide between differing political parties in the US. The divide is growing and the disagreement is becoming more and more hostile. People don't want to listen to the other side's opinion, they want to demean the other side and make them feel bad. There is no more public debate, it is becoming a war.
3. The family is definitely under attack in the US. Specifically for our beliefs, the traditional family is becoming less and less important. Instead, society is making way for progressive trains of thought. "People should be able to live with or marry whoever they want," is a common argument. Our beliefs value loving all men, but we do not need to tolerate the disintegration of the traditional family.
4. The government. I could probably leave it at that, but I will expound briefly. Spending is out of control. Trust is lost daily. The most powerful nation in the world is losing trust with it's own leadership. Corruption and lies abound. I could go on and on, but when the people start to turn on their own leaders, that is one problem that needs to be fixed quickly.
5. Bullying has come to the forefront as a major issue today. Not only physical, but social and cyber bullying has been growing more and more recently. It seems there are new cases every week of young people committing suicide because of overwhelming bullying. I don't know what the solution is, but we need to find one.
1. People are forgetting how to be personally social. The digital world is taking over the lives of nearly every American. People communicate via digital devices more than they do face-to-face with each other. People are losing the skill of face-to-face communication. Before long, we won't even be able to look at each other without digital devices (Google Glass).
2. There is a huge divide between differing political parties in the US. The divide is growing and the disagreement is becoming more and more hostile. People don't want to listen to the other side's opinion, they want to demean the other side and make them feel bad. There is no more public debate, it is becoming a war.
3. The family is definitely under attack in the US. Specifically for our beliefs, the traditional family is becoming less and less important. Instead, society is making way for progressive trains of thought. "People should be able to live with or marry whoever they want," is a common argument. Our beliefs value loving all men, but we do not need to tolerate the disintegration of the traditional family.
4. The government. I could probably leave it at that, but I will expound briefly. Spending is out of control. Trust is lost daily. The most powerful nation in the world is losing trust with it's own leadership. Corruption and lies abound. I could go on and on, but when the people start to turn on their own leaders, that is one problem that needs to be fixed quickly.
5. Bullying has come to the forefront as a major issue today. Not only physical, but social and cyber bullying has been growing more and more recently. It seems there are new cases every week of young people committing suicide because of overwhelming bullying. I don't know what the solution is, but we need to find one.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Golden Age
A golden age is a time where citizens of a country feel united and motivated to progress and succeed. Not only do citizens just feel united, but they work together to accomplish new things in technology and society. A golden age is a time of progression and advancement; the society must be more advanced and accomplished after the golden age than before.
Under Augustus, the Roman empire expanded and grew. Not only did they advance the borders of their land, they progressed with technology, learning and art. They created new sewer systems, advanced society, and completely overhauled the concept of art. They changed art to reflect how they felt about their society: superior. Every depiction of a Roman was perfect. No physical flaws. The Romans really did think of themselves as a superior society.
When I think of a golden age in American history, I immediately think of the 40's and 50's, right after WWII had ended. The economy was doing very well and the citizens felt very highly of themselves. Why shouldn't they? We had just defeated Hitler and the Nazi regime! This was a time with a lot of technological progression as well. Vehicles became much more advanced; movies and TV were starting to become a reality. These advancements along with the attitude that the United States was invincible constituted a golden age in America.
Under Augustus, the Roman empire expanded and grew. Not only did they advance the borders of their land, they progressed with technology, learning and art. They created new sewer systems, advanced society, and completely overhauled the concept of art. They changed art to reflect how they felt about their society: superior. Every depiction of a Roman was perfect. No physical flaws. The Romans really did think of themselves as a superior society.
When I think of a golden age in American history, I immediately think of the 40's and 50's, right after WWII had ended. The economy was doing very well and the citizens felt very highly of themselves. Why shouldn't they? We had just defeated Hitler and the Nazi regime! This was a time with a lot of technological progression as well. Vehicles became much more advanced; movies and TV were starting to become a reality. These advancements along with the attitude that the United States was invincible constituted a golden age in America.
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