Coichetti says that he has helped people from all walks of life suspend, including lawyers, wrestlers, doctors, acrobats and politicians.
Did the games provide examples of virtuous conduct? May blood games of this sort be examples of art? — Ciceronianus
Well, I've rambled, I see. — Ciceronianus
Were gladiators virtuous? — Ciceronianus
Tertullian, a Christian and therefore an enemy of the games, claimed that those who defended the games and were fans of the games admired the art involved, but considered the artists to be inferior in social status. — Ciceronianus
Thinking of our own times, sports (though much less bloody and risky relatively speaking than the games) are sometimes thought to instill virtue or involve a sort of artistry. You know, the "playing fields of Eton" sort of virtue, at least. Do they? If our sports do, and the Roman games did not, why is that the case? — Ciceronianus
I think Hemingway and Mailer felt this. — Tom Storm
I personally think this is largely nonsense - playing the flute would probably accomplish the same end, but it isn't as cool and there's no blood unless you do it wrong. And it is probably true that any activity that helps people take their minds of drug use and hanging out looking for trouble is helpful in some way. Even golf... — Tom Storm
What about the aristocrats who participated? Did they do so entirely by choice or did it have something to do with status or wealth? — praxis
I personally think this is largely nonsense - playing the flute would probably accomplish the same end, but it isn't as cool and there's no blood unless you do it wrong. And it is probably true that any activity that helps people take their minds of drug use and hanging out looking for trouble is helpful in some way. Even golf... — Tom Storm
I can't understand Hemingway's fondness for bullfighting. — Ciceronianus
It may not be PC to say — Pinprick
But how account for the mystique, the appeal of blood games in that case? Is the reference to virtue and artistry mere puffery? — Ciceronianus
I imagine a boxer or martial arts contestant would feel something similar. — Ciceronianus
If the gladiatorial games were governed by rules and regs, that would reflect the costs incurred in putting the games on. — Bitter Crank
The nonsense that justifies body contact sport disguises the action in which a lot of people find pleasure. I don't know whether bloody sports are good or bad, but a lot of people clearly get a charge out of them. — Bitter Crank
Ah, the vicarious pleasures of watching other life struggle, suffer, and die form a safe distance ... maybe with popcorn ready at hand. — javra
It's rather strange that as a lawyer, you don't see life as a struggle for survival/the upper hand. — baker
Gladiators were slaves. Period. — god must be atheist
I think there’s a difference between physically exerting your strength over another person and learning a skill like playing an instrument. It may not be PC to say, but I think a lot of men particularly have a need to exert their strength; whether it’s through violence, physical labor, or exercise. — Pinprick
For those who are into it, there’s quite a resurgence of enacting the Ancient Roman dictum of “bread (like fast food for those who can’t afford better) and circus (like the both literal and figurative bloodsports that surround)” … this in our oh so civilized society, so as to keep the vast majority of us appeased in times of ever-increasing want. — javra
Ah, the vicarious pleasures of watching other life struggle, suffer, and die form a safe distance ... maybe with popcorn ready at hand. — javra
:sad: Oh well, let's not spoil the fun! This is the best the world has to offer by way of enjoyment! Schadenfreude is all we got, take it or leave it! — Agent Smith
Mistaking the pleasure of watching well played-out combat sports for the pleasure of bloodlust is on par to mistaking the wails that occur during sexual orgasms for manifestations of suffering. — javra
That said, there of course are those who find fun in bloodlust’s fulfilment, this as they find fun the bringing about of others’ suffering via sex — javra
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