# Men: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182 "2023-09-15T20:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/61 "2023-09-16T19:25:00Z")
Does Rome vaguely cross my mind regularly? Only from the standpoint that Latin words and phrases come up from time to time, as does mention of Romans like Julius Caesar. That doesn’t make me stop and think about the Roman Empire, however. How often do I actually actively think about **the Roman Empire**? Very rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/62 "2023-09-16T19:27:26Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > (Also, when Trump was in offices and violating historical norms every Tuesday and Thursday, I often wondered whether he’d reached his Rubicon). But if he ever does cross the Rubicon, will he not become Emperor for Life (dictator perpetuo)? Yuk. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/63 "2023-09-16T19:27:34Z")
Nobody expects … _the Roman Empire_!!! [cue scary music] ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/64 "2023-09-16T19:30:26Z")
I’m a woman, so I didn’t answer the poll (which means it’s annoying to see the results, by the way – yet another reason to put an “other” category in polls) but this: > [@Alessan](#): > > I mean, I think about a lot of things. My mind is always bouncing from one thing to another. How often does it bounce to the Roman Empire? I’d say fairly often - but then ,you could say that about thousands of other subjects, too. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/65 "2023-09-16T19:38:25Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > If you can reach Kevin Bacon from any actor in six steps, you can probably reach The Roman Empire from any concept in three or four. I’m in the United States. Joe Biden is the President of the United States. Joe Biden is a Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic Church was founded in the Roman Empire. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/66 "2023-09-16T20:08:06Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I follow the acoup.blog site by Bret Devereaux Me too. Plus I correspond with some Roman reenactors. So weekly, for me. . ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/67 "2023-09-16T20:29:17Z")
What is the Roman Empire? Is that one of the new, more correct, names for an NFL team that had to be changed, like the Redskins? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/68 "2023-09-16T22:28:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Occasionally, when I see a Trojan advert. It just occurred to me what a very unfortunate name that is for a condom, assuming we’re thinking of the horse. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/69 "2023-09-16T23:32:23Z")
I saw an article about this which I presume inspired the thread. I rarely think about this except when I do. I’ve read quite a lot of books on it and know the basic history. If someone quotes, say, Seneca, or whatever in Latin, or modern Italy, I usually just consider this in a narrow context without remembering the whole shebang. However, it is a common enough feature of movies, magazines or media that I would guess once a week? At most? An odd question. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/70 "2023-09-16T23:48:14Z")
Generally when I’m playing Civ IV and the Romans happen to be one of the opposing civilizations. Otherwise if I happen upon a documentary about Rome. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/71 "2023-09-17T00:06:26Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > The inadvertent wisdom of Yogi Berra, on the other hand? Now _that_ is relevant almost daily. You observe a lot just by watching, you know. And what country did Lorenzo Pietro Berra’s parents immigrate from? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/72 "2023-09-17T00:20:21Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > An odd question. At the risk of runing the humor by explaining the joke - I think there’s an interesting study in meme culture here. The original TikTok trend is pretty typical humor for people in my age group (younger Millenials - you can lump in older Zoomers - younger Zoomer humor gets even more abstract\*). There are a few factors that make this funny: 1. it’s a callback to the “how often do men think about sex/every seven seconds” meme of our youth. Like all generational cohorts, us Millenials love our callbacks. We may not have control of Christmastime radio playlists there, but the internet is **our** domain, and here our nostalgia is dominant. 2. it subverts the meme because the men in the joke aren’t actually thinking about sex at all. That’s a popular subversion, pushing back on the “boys will be boys” narrative of prior generations and declaring that there’s more to masculinity than being sex crazed - as exemplified by the " \*He’s Probably Thinking About Other Girls" meme I used above. [I Bet He's Thinking About Other Women | Know Your Meme](https://amp.knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-bet-hes-thinking-about-other-women) 3. the specific subversion is something totally random and unrelated. This is another hallmark of Millenial humor, which is often absurdist and referential in nature. I think what is _most_ interesting is the way that Boomer/Gen X dominated platforms like The View (and let’s be honest, the Dope) are reacting to the trend. I think that while “the Roman Empire” was picked by the Millenials or Zoomers who started this trend _because it is random_, this story gained traction over other stories because of what the Roman Empire means to many people who studied history through a more classical lens. Maybe I’m off basethere, though. - There’s a meme going around that contrasts Boomer/Gen X/Millenial/Zoomer humor that I think captures what I mean here really well. Perhaps it deserves its own thread, _Meme Culture 101_. > **[https://i.redd.it/1bc1tz80ptw41.jpg](https://i.redd.it/1bc1tz80ptw41.jpg)** ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/73 "2023-09-17T01:27:35Z")
I would agree humour changes throughout the decades, as is obvious from being a fan of stand up comedy. The problem with using generations for these things is, even if you agree on dates, things in 1980 and 1996 (or 1997 and 2012) and other following equidistant years were pretty different, humourwise. Sure, the memes may have been slyly addressing stereotypes. If so, the article I read (below) bashed the joke into the ground and then kept jumping on it. “Ladies, you would be surprised how often men think about…”…. I guess we, as men, should be glad they didn’t mention something we _really_ think about (also stereotypes): Star Wars, superheroes and the ferschlugginer Marvel Comic Universe, the price of gas, that creepy scene from _‘Salem’s Lot_ where the guy bangs on the window, or how the board game _Clue_ and Tarantino movies both teach the same valuable lesson about running for cover if everyone around you suddenly seems to be named after a colour (hint, politely leave rather than accept an invitation to the conservatory). 🙂 > **[How often do men think about ancient Rome? Quite frequently, it seems.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/09/14/roman-empire-trend-men-tiktok/)** > > Videos shared on TikTok and Instagram as part of a new trend reveal that many men think about the Roman Empire frequently. But why? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/74 "2023-09-17T01:35:06Z")
As for the “what is he up to” meme, what is the spousal equivalent of the fairly true statement “happy wife, happy life”? Even the brother from another mother has a sister from another mister… ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/75 "2023-09-17T01:51:06Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I would agree humour changes throughout the decades, as is obvious from being a fan of stand up comedy. The problem with using generations for these things is, even if you agree on dates, things in 1980 and 1996 (or 1997 and 2012) and other following equidistant years were pretty different, humourwise. I agree that the meme is overgeneralizing, but I think that’s the joke. However, I don’t think it’s necessarily about “the humor that was popular when that generation was in its prime” but rather “the humor preferred by members of that cohort today”. And I think there’s some truth to the trends it satirizes. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Sure, the memes may have been slyly addressing stereotypes. If so, the article I read (below) bashed the joke into the ground and then kept jumping on it. I can’t read the article due to a paywall, but it doesn’t surprise me to see “mainstream” culture as represented by Boomers/GenX totally missing the point of a Millenial meme. Our memes are very referential (see the prominence of Sponge Bob, or Shrek, etc) - this one is, too - and if you don’t get the reference you’ll very likely miss the point. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/76 "2023-09-17T01:59:15Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > …but rather “the humor preferred by members of that cohort today”. I [see what you did there](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldBoE.png). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/77 "2023-09-17T02:02:36Z")
I’m showing my (late) Boomerness here but … Speaking to the 4-panel cartoon @Babale cited from reddit: I totally got the Boomer & GenX panels. And the difference in how the humor was delivered and meant to be received. I got the point of the Millennial one, but to me was more offbeat / odd / thought provoking than funny. I could not make anything of the Zoomer one. A nonsense pastiche of words and images is the most I can do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/78 "2023-09-17T02:08:58Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > As Isaac Asimov once wrote: > > > Take an Empire that was Roman and you’ll find it is at home in all the starry Milky Way. _Star Wars_ is significantly influenced by ancient Rome: > [@](#): > > The political institutions of _Star Wars_ — such as the Senate, Republic and Empire — and the pseudo-Latin names of characters such as chancellors Valorum and Palpatine echo those of ancient Rome. As Tony Keen notes in _Star Wars and History_, the architecture on the planet Naboo resembles that of imperial Rome, and the pod race in _The Phantom Menace_ rivals that of the Roman chariot race seen on screen in _Ben-Hur_. > > The transition from the democratic Galactic Republic to the dictatorial Galactic Empire over the course of the franchise also mirrors that of ancient Rome. “It is plain that the basic structure of Lucas’s history derives from the fall of the Roman Republic and the subsequent establishment of a monarchy,” Keen writes. > **[The Real History That Inspired 'Star Wars' | HISTORY](https://www.history.com/news/the-real-history-that-inspired-star-wars)** > > Historical figures and events informed George Lucas as he created his sci-fi saga in a galaxy far, far away. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/79 "2023-09-17T02:16:43Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I think that while “the Roman Empire” was picked by the Millenials or Zoomers who started this trend _because it is random_, Oh that’s good. My husband (Millennial) was worried it was some Jordan Peterson shit. Fellas, is it gay to think about the Roman Empire? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2023, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182/80 "2023-09-17T02:24:09Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I [see what you did there](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ldBoE.png). 😉 That was actually entirely unintentional, believe it or not [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-how-often-do-you-think-about-the-roman-empire/990182.md?page=5)