Can You Guess....
About which society this little gem was written?
“…the senatorial class was localized throughout the *country*, performing *national* administrative duties, receiving *national* administrative titles, and displaying little of the public-mindedness and public generosity that had characterized its earlier members. The financial burdens of the state fell more and more on the *middle class comprised of civil servants, army officers, teachers, and physicians* and *the lower class comprised of the merchants and traders, craftsmen and small farmers*. The economic decline of the *Blank* century therefore must be regarded chiefly in terms of its effect on the lower ranks of society – the men and women whose ability to lighten the new economic burdens of taxation and inflation was strictly limited.”
...
Lemme give you a hint.
“…the senatorial class was localized throughout the Empire, performing imperial administrative duties, receiving imperial administrative titles, and displaying little of the public-mindedness and public generosity that had characterized its earlier members. The financial burdens of the state fell more and more on the honestiores and humiliores. The economic decline of the third century therefore must be regarded chiefly in terms of its effect on the lower ranks of society – the men and women whose ability to lighten the new economic burdens of taxation and inflation was strictly limited.”
It’s referring to beginning of the collapse of the Roman Empire. (Edward Peters, Europe and the Middle Ages)
Any resemblance to American economy and government today is purely coincidental, of course. ;)
As much as the History Channel and Christian televangelists may want to sell the idea that "Roman Vice Brought Down the Empire" (played all weekend *bor-RING*), the fact is the Empire long survived the Julio-Claudian Caesars (Augustus through Nero) and it was the rather less salacious economic, political and military mismanagement that led to Rome's demise rather than the juicy "moral corruption" of its upper class, and that is what it will come down to for America if we don't start paying attention to our government and electing intelligent, ethical leaders. We have already seen "morals" without ethics for the current administration, I am looking forward to some morals and ethics in the next.
TV has been very amusing to watch, the gross materialism and fascination with dangerous creatures and people reflected in the vast majority of our programming is amusingly pathetic. Now we get blatant racism with this latest season of "Survivor". Sit back for a moment folks and think about what our media programming says about us....
At least teachers and army officers back in the R.E. earned a wage that kept them in the upper middle class and merchants were relegated to the lower middle class. Two up on us. We at least don't have highly factionalized military that are more loyal to the regional commanders than they are the national government. (Took care of that last century. One up for us.)
“…the senatorial class was localized throughout the *country*, performing *national* administrative duties, receiving *national* administrative titles, and displaying little of the public-mindedness and public generosity that had characterized its earlier members. The financial burdens of the state fell more and more on the *middle class comprised of civil servants, army officers, teachers, and physicians* and *the lower class comprised of the merchants and traders, craftsmen and small farmers*. The economic decline of the *Blank* century therefore must be regarded chiefly in terms of its effect on the lower ranks of society – the men and women whose ability to lighten the new economic burdens of taxation and inflation was strictly limited.”
...
Lemme give you a hint.
“…the senatorial class was localized throughout the Empire, performing imperial administrative duties, receiving imperial administrative titles, and displaying little of the public-mindedness and public generosity that had characterized its earlier members. The financial burdens of the state fell more and more on the honestiores and humiliores. The economic decline of the third century therefore must be regarded chiefly in terms of its effect on the lower ranks of society – the men and women whose ability to lighten the new economic burdens of taxation and inflation was strictly limited.”
It’s referring to beginning of the collapse of the Roman Empire. (Edward Peters, Europe and the Middle Ages)
Any resemblance to American economy and government today is purely coincidental, of course. ;)
As much as the History Channel and Christian televangelists may want to sell the idea that "Roman Vice Brought Down the Empire" (played all weekend *bor-RING*), the fact is the Empire long survived the Julio-Claudian Caesars (Augustus through Nero) and it was the rather less salacious economic, political and military mismanagement that led to Rome's demise rather than the juicy "moral corruption" of its upper class, and that is what it will come down to for America if we don't start paying attention to our government and electing intelligent, ethical leaders. We have already seen "morals" without ethics for the current administration, I am looking forward to some morals and ethics in the next.
TV has been very amusing to watch, the gross materialism and fascination with dangerous creatures and people reflected in the vast majority of our programming is amusingly pathetic. Now we get blatant racism with this latest season of "Survivor". Sit back for a moment folks and think about what our media programming says about us....
At least teachers and army officers back in the R.E. earned a wage that kept them in the upper middle class and merchants were relegated to the lower middle class. Two up on us. We at least don't have highly factionalized military that are more loyal to the regional commanders than they are the national government. (Took care of that last century. One up for us.)
posted by KiplingKat | 3:58 PM
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