Just to educate, Romans didn’t have an issue with homosexuality as long as there was a clear power dynamic. A Roman man could have sex with a younger, lower status person and he would be looked at as virile. The boy would also not face backlash. However as they grow into adults, the “bottom” would be looked at as a woman or unmanly. Caesar was mocked as the queen of Bithynia due to a gay rumor between Caesar and the king, but the making fun wasn’t because of the gay act, but because Caesar was rumored to be the bottom.
I’m guessing two Gladiators going at it would not be an issue for anyone as they were slaves and prisoners. Additionally, Gladiators were extremely sought after as male prostitutes to women of wealth.
If I remember correctly, being gay in the sense of being exclusively with men was strange to them and socially bad.
For like equestrian and ruling class I would say yes. That was the nice thing about being a pleb, you’re already looked down on so you can just do whatever the fuck you want really lol
I’d imagine overarching social taboos and whatnot were in effect for them too, when it came to sexuality. But we know less of them because average pleb didn’t write about this stuff and nobody else gave two shits to document them.
This is where all the rude and lewd graffiti comes in handy!
Wow, your memory must be really good!
T-thanks
“Ceasar: Every woman’s man and every man’s woman.”
The western Roman empire lasted about a thousand years, right? So I’m guessing they would have gone through many social norms over time and even had different norms depending on geography and class.
Well yeah. But in the time period this film is set in, it was still Roman norm. Homophobia entered later, when Christianity took over.
Yesterday I watched something about Sacha Baron Cohen (https://youtu.be/a8d-Xj2V4Zg) and a gay kissing scene (recorded live and in front of an unexpecting crowd) and they tried to at least beat him up, I guess they’d have him lynched if they had the possibility. I guess the American, rural crowd isn’t ready yet for sweaty men kissing.
So yes, show it! Make them feel uncomfortable! 😂
There was more context to it than “rural Americans saw men kissing and got angry.” He intentially created a situation where the crowd was filled with hateful bigots, they were specifically there because they are homophonic.
Classic Sacha
would you like to be out of the closet in rural america?
Oh lord, it’s OK boo boo, no need to be angry. Let’s break it down. I did not claim there are not problems in rural America, at all. All I stated was that that particular incident was intentionally created for that reaction. He even hyped up their homophobia to a fervor before the kiss. That was a demonstration of herd mentality and crowd manipulation.
Yes, and it was glorious!
How so?
What I read it was at the county Fair and this flyer was the promotion:
It was his “super straight, straight pride” hype for the event. During the event, he even hyped them up before the kiss to elicit that reaction. How is this not plainly obvious? I’m not saying those people aren’t shit stains. Let’s just keep it reality.
It seems like he manipulated the crowd after they’d arrived, but I couldn’t find anything that suggests they advertised it as straight pride or anything other than a cage match to specifically draw in homophobes and bigots as you suggested.
It has been awhile, but I remember that he promoted it ahead of time with his “super straight carl” (or whatever the name was) persona.
America isn’t ready to be civilised
Americans would probably invade
I saw the trailer of the movie and saw that lucius is somehow the son of maximus… couldn’t they cut that part instead?
I believe his father was fairly ambiguous in the original film. I don’t know that he was ever intended to be Maximus’ son, but be did have a bond with Lucius, and be was definitely implied to be an old lover and likely a mashing buddy of his mother’s.
I’m sure it’s technically possible, I still find it dumb.
Release the butthole cut!
