Are gladiator contests ethical?

[Mr. President]

They'd probably have to find some legal loophole where they can show people being disembowelled.

[Sava]

I don't think such programming should be on normal broadcast TV, however. I think broadcast TV (meaning anything you can pick up without cable or a satelite service) should be publically owned, and should have strict standards.

[Zkribbler]

Definitely unethical.

Even with volunteers, the very concept cheapens the value of human life. Why would anybody set up an event where someone dies in order to produce a few moments of transitory thrills.

[Sava]

who cares? one day the sun will go red giant and consume the earth... why not have fun in the meantime? if two people want to fight each other to the death, fine... let them... three words: "thinning the herd"... if people want to watch... let them

human life is cheap zkribb, haven't you studied history?

[Pekka]

Sure.. fire away. I've alwyas wanted to see classic duels with flamethrowers, hand granades and Uzis.

[Ned]

MtG, I don't think expense had anything to do with ending the gladiator contests. The "animal" hunts continued to be displayed in the Coliseum at great expense well into the next century and ended only at the onset of the Gothic Wars.

What happened in 407 is that one Telemachus, a traveler from the Eastern Empire, attended the Coliseum one day. When he saw what was happening, he went to the lower barrier and began to call for the gladiators to stop. "In the name of God, I call on you to stop!" (After all, they were butchering each other.) When they ignored him, Telemachus jumped into the arena and ran about to each gladiator pair urging them to stop. He was suddenly struck himself by an unintentional blow and fell dead in the arena. Thereupon silence fell over the Coliseum. The gladiator contests stopped and the assembled crowd left in solemn silence.

The next day, Emperor Honorius banned gladiator contests throughout the Western Empire.

[Sava]

yeah, and after stopping the gladitorial games, the Christians ushered in a peaceful era in the history of humankind.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Sava
human life is cheap zkribb, haven't you studied history?

I have. It's the study of humanity's struggle from being uncivilized to being civilized. --And you guys are now heading in the wrong direction!

[Pekka]

Zkribbler, nah man.. you can't fight it. It's the human nature.. deep inside we're like animals. We like killing. If we really hated it with all our guts, there would be no killings. But we like it.

[Ned]

Sava, the Roman Empire was a relatively modern state at the time of its collapse. It was replaced by a rather barbarous German-dominated culture that eventually was replaced during the Enlightement and by the American and French revolutions. The barbarity of "German" culture had nothing to do with the Church.

In another thread here recently, I found it very interesting that the new European constitution calls for "reunification" of Europe and makes specific mention of Rome and Greece. The "reunification" that Europe longs for is the reunification of the Roman Empire, not the Empire of Karl de Grosse or of Napoleon.

So much for the contributions of German culture to civilization.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


I have. It's the study of humanity's struggle from being uncivilized to being civilized. --And you guys are now heading in the wrong direction!

what's civilized? If you were to look at a graph of the death count of humanity, it would rise higher, the closer you get to present. just because you live in a part of the world that isn't torn by war doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't...

civilization and technology has only brought with it more efficient means of killing...

life is cheap, zkrib, that's the way the ball bounces. you might think that ancient roman times, when they had gladiators and stuff, is less civilized then today, but there weren't wars that killed 20 million people back then...

in fact, I would argue that human culture was more peaceful to itself in ancient times and older... smaller societies, cultures, and communities have more equality, peace, and much less violence

death is the only constant in life, and there was less of it so long ago

[Sava]

Originally posted by Ned
Sava, the Roman Empire was a relatively modern state at the time of its collapse. It was replaced by a rather barbarous German-dominated culture that eventually was replaced during the Enlightement and by the American and French revolutions. The barbarity of "German" culture had nothing to do with the Church.

In another thread here recently, I found it very interesting that the new European constitution calls for "reunification" of Europe and makes specific mention of Rome and Greece. The "reunification" that Europe longs for is the reunification of the Roman Empire, not the Empire of Karl de Grosse or of Napoleon.

So much for the contributions of German culture to civilization.

and your german bashing troll has what to do with what I said?

[Kramerman]

Yes, damn it

Let the condemned murderers and such kill each other, and those so inclined to watch, shall watch!

[Kramerman]

god, i wish i oculd have 2 avatars....

[Sava]

god? sh1t kramerman, just ask MarkG