# Better human rights - North Korea, or ancient Rome/Babylon/Egypt/etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 25, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770 "2018-05-25T02:28:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770/21 "2018-05-26T17:56:05Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > When they crucified Jesus, they didn’t send his parents and siblings to be tortured. In North Korea they punish your parents, siblings, kids, grandkids, cousins, etc. Also being crucified for a few hours or days sounds preferable to years in a concentration camp. > > Plus in modern society the state has better tools to control people. In ancient times the control wasn’t as powerful just because they couldn’t project power. > > I’d say North Korea is worse. The Romans at times would order the execution of all members of a family, down to the youngest because of the transgressions of one. It was forbidden to execute virgins so the unmarried women would first be raped. Yes, down to the very youngest. Fortunately for the majority of the population this fate was generally reserved for the aristocracy. Those whose families mattered. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770/22 "2018-05-26T18:27:51Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > The Romans at times would order the execution of all members of a family, down to the youngest because of the transgressions of one. It was forbidden to execute virgins so the unmarried women would first be raped. Yes, down to the very youngest. Fortunately for the majority of the population this fate was generally reserved for the aristocracy. Those whose families mattered. Absolute nonsense. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770/23 "2018-05-26T18:53:10Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Absolute nonsense. Cite? Here’s the death of Junilla, daughter of [Sejanus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejanus) > [@](#): > > According to ancient historians, because there was no precedent for the capital punishment of a virgin, Junilla was raped first, with the rope around her neck… ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770/24 "2018-05-26T19:07:38Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Here’s the death of Junilla, daughter of [Sejanus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejanus) This was a one-off case - the virtual lynching of the most hated man in Rome and his family during a vicious political purge. It had nothing to do with Roman law, or with standard Roman practice. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770/25 "2018-05-26T19:21:50Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > The Romans at times would order the execution of all members of a family, down to the youngest because of the transgressions of one. It was forbidden to execute virgins so the unmarried women would first be raped. Yes, down to the very youngest. Fortunately for the majority of the population this fate was generally reserved for the aristocracy. Those whose families mattered. Fair enough, but it wasn’t a common practice I’d hope. In North Korea that is one of the best tools they use to keep the regime afloat and it seems to apply to everyone. For the truly important, they extend the family out. I think one major regime figure who left had family members out to the 9th cousin arrested [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-human-rights-north-korea-or-ancient-rome-babylon-egypt-etc/814770.md?page=1)