So he chooses to romanticize* one ancient city vs. another. Silly, ahistorical comparisons.
*Unfortunate choice of words there
@Faizal_Ali has already provided helpful additional context for the remarks, so I will go directly to what I believe is the heart of the matter. My interpretation of Prime Minister Carney’s comparison—while leaving aside for now whether his analogy is truly apt and historically accurate—would be:
(1) Athens was a cradle of democracy, an orderly rule-driven society, and one of rich traditions of high culture, the arts, and intellectual attainments (especially philosophers.)
(2) Rome was a thuggish empire which brutishly dominated its world for centuries—but recognized the superiority of Greek culture and even language. Those Romans who could afford to buy them tended to have Greek slaves as tutors for their children. (Status symbol.)
(3) Rome was more powerful in sheer domination but the Greeks were more influential, then and now, in terms of superiority of culture and “higher ideals.”
With these ideas as backdrops, the Prime Minister was basically saying: The USA is much bigger and much more powerful but we are the good guys—and the more mature and reflective adults in the room.
3 Likes
Yeah, but they killed Socrates.
2 Likes
GOP response to fears that people will die as a result of Medicaid cuts:
3 Likes
Ernst’s response to the controversy over her remark. It is worse than you imagine: