Are all men obsessed with the Roman Empire? We investigate. | Mashable.
Are all men obsessed with the Roman Empire? We investigate.
Ask the dudes in your life how often they think about the Roman Empire. You might be surprised to learn the answer: often and regularly.
That's what TikTokker @paige.elysee discovered earlier this week. In a video posted on Tuesday, she recapped a recent conversation she had with her girlfriends, where someone posed the innocuous question: "How often does your boyfriend, or the man in your life, think about the Roman Empire?" By doing so, she tapped into a truism hidden in plain sight; which is that, apparently, straight men think about the Roman Empire a lot. To support this theory, @paige.elysee said she asked some of her gay male friends, to which they responded, "Never."
There are, of course, exceptions, which we'll get to later, but the overwhelming response has proven there's definitely something going on with the straight male mind and the rent-free space in which the Roman Empire inhabits.
The post, which currently has almost 10,000 likes, quickly spawned numerous Stitches and videos of women asking their male partners and friends. Notably, many of the TikToks feature men answering the question without missing a beat, instead of asking why they're being asked such a random question. Their immediate responses underscore what a normal habit it is for them — like asking them how often they brush their teeth.
"Like, all the time," @listenwithbritt's husband quickly said. In another TikTok, @kirakosarin's partner immediately answered, "three times a day." Just when you think @shleybe's partner is going to ask why she asked him this, he instead responds with a simple, "biweekly."
Other responses from a quick search of "Roman Empire trend," include, "Honestly? At least three or four times a week," from @haley_mcquire and "mmm once a week" from @heatherandsinna. What specifically does @heatherandsinna's boyfriend think about? "The longstanding misattribution of the word 'vomitorium' and sometimes just, Colosseum looks cool."
The Roman Empire is still relevant
Aside from the fact that this is a funny trend that gives the world a little more insight into the minds of dudes, there's some real truth to it. That the Roman Empire comes up so frequently is a testament to its enduring legacy and relevance. There are the infamous tyrants. The depraved and sadistic Caligula, the cruelly violent Caracalla, and the brutal and paranoid Nero. These figures serve as cautionary tales for the power-hungry, and we love a cautionary tale.
And then there are the Roman emperor fanboys. If there's one thing straight dudes love, it's political and military strategy, and Julius Caesar was the political and military GOAT. And on any given day, you'll find someone referencing Marcus Aurelius and r/Stoicism is a "Top 1%" subreddit in terms of the number of members. Also, hustle culture loves #stoicism.
Beyond that, the Roman Empire's renowned innovation and achievements come up a lot in everyday life. This became evident when I conducted an informal survey of Mashable staffers. One coworker said her husband rarely thinks about the Roman Empire, but it comes up occasionally (e.g. when people talk about how roads are falling apart, "but the Romans made stuff that's still standing").
The Roman Empire has infiltrated pop culture and media in ubiquitous ways. You may not organically think about the Roman Empire that often, but you've probably seen Gladiator. Even Game of Thrones borrows from the Roman Empire from time to time. Another coworker said the Roman Empire came up in a completely unrelated conversation the other day. Why? They were discussing the HBO series Rome. Oh, and did you know there's a Gladiator 2 coming out in 2024?
Roman history isn't just for straight dudes
I'm a woman, and I think about the Roman Empire fairly regularly. My frequency of Roman Empire thoughts definitely increased after listening to the Hardcore History season "The Fall of the Republic," which tracks with this theory, because it's a podcast favorite amongst dudes. When I think about the Roman Empire, I think about its decline and human tendencies to repeat the same mistakes throughout history.
Other women have come out of the woodwork to share their interest in the Roman Empire. Mashable's Senior Culture Reporter Christianna Silva recently read SPQR — which is written by a woman, Mary Beard, and loved it because of how it focused on how Rome was built, not its decline. Sex and Relationships Reporter Anna Iovine, said, "Not a man but I'm absolutely the 'Roman empire partner' in my relationship." After reading A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Iovine has been thinking about the Roman Empire every day: "I love learning about Ancient Rome/other ancient societies because of the parallels to our society."
There's no denying that Roman history fascinates people because of its enduring relevance, and, yes, straight men do spend an indescribable amount of time thinking about the Roman Empire — but so does everyone else who's curious about the past and the lessons it offers about modern culture. Just as the Colosseum once served as an ancient space for spectacle and collective discourse, TikTok is now our virtual arena. And women are driving the conversation.
Topics TikTok
Mashable ,,What we do in life... ECHOES IN ETERNITY!!!" 🤌
ReplyDelete(Joe Pantoliano as Ralph Cifaretto, imitating Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, 2000)
You ever heard of the Masada? For two years, 900 Jews held their own against 15,000 Roman soldiers. They chose death before enslavement. The Romans? Where are they now?"
DeleteTony Soprano: ,,You're looking at them, a**hole."
(The Sopranos, 1999)
Greek Femboys
ReplyDelete🐥💄😏🌾 Rise and slay.
Deletehttps://guatemalaof.vercel.app/
Only with the man to man relationships 😈
ReplyDelete😮
DeleteWe are obsessed with history because we can't make our history as good as it was. Our time will pass without any major impact for the future..
ReplyDeleteWe are not creating any legacy for the next generations..
👍
DeleteWomen are driving the conversation? By asking men what they think. Good one.
ReplyDeleteThe Roman Empire is dope, this is why
ReplyDeleteI think about it from time to time, but mostly it’s collapse and the similarities to today.
ReplyDeleteIf you don’t study the Roman’s , you will fail as a society. We now have the same senate trying to hold down the people
ReplyDeletecringe
Deletethanks dead Jesus
Deleteright on blazin asian.
DeleteMaybe you should actually study.
DeleteYou've never read a single book on the matter, have you, Steve? Do you know what an unstudied opinion is worth?
Delete💩
WW2, as well.
ReplyDeleteSurely not only men 😅
ReplyDeletehttps://media.tenor.co/c2ueaoVxUHAAAAAC/roman-reigns-entrance.gif?t=AAYFme9H0o8HAuHYhQbbAQ&c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2s&itemid=13989945
ReplyDeleteNo
ReplyDelete“East Roman”
ReplyDeleteCringe
ReplyDeleteThe Roman I think about is Roman Reigns ☝️
ReplyDeletewe need to make a list of things like this
ReplyDeleteRight!!! boy brain is interesting sometimes lol
Deleteyour not going to like the answers
DeleteAcknowledge me ☝🏽
ReplyDeleteI’m honestly not sure if I’m right but everytime I watch night at the museum which only has happened twice 😂
ReplyDeleteI think mine is broken . He said he doesn’t
ReplyDeleteMine said never
ReplyDeleteThis is news to me 😂 must be a friend group thing
ReplyDeleteTwice on Tuesdays😭😭
ReplyDeleteMine said never, but ask about lucha libre and that’s a daily
ReplyDeleteI think about my Tribal Chief, Roman Regins, all the time!
ReplyDeletei asked mine. he said weekly and proceeded to tell me about its advanced sanitation system
ReplyDeleteI am girl and I think about once a week at least 😭
ReplyDeleteEveryday 👆🏻👆🏻
ReplyDeleteSome ppl just like history🤷🏻♀️I think about the Roman Empire a lot, mostly bc of architectural innovations, but the storied history is fascinating
ReplyDeleteMine said once a week 😂
ReplyDeleteMy brother said twice a week 😂😂😂
ReplyDeleteI thought about the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns the only Roman Empire I know
ReplyDeletejey ☝️
DeleteI’m a history nerd so it’s a lot for me, but probably not the same reason as most guys. It’s myths and “Cleopatra & Antony won” alternative timelines
ReplyDeleteHe said once in a blue moon. 😂
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite trend on the Internet right now
ReplyDeleterofl "not a lot going on in your head anyways"
ReplyDeleteA lot! It’s all around us! You look at a clock - Roman Numerals. Months of the year all Roman e.g. July - Julias Caesar, August - Emperor Augustus
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a joy to me!! I love history so if they respond with some great conversation I’m all in
ReplyDeleteis this an American thing? cause idkkk
ReplyDeleteEvery day, as well as the events leading up to WW1 & WW2
ReplyDeleteI got "a lot actually, why and how did you know that"
ReplyDeleteMine said “why would you ask me that. Never”
ReplyDeleteMine said never. Like ever…
ReplyDeleteidk tbh I'm a woman and I think about it every other week. I thought I was strange for that but ig not
ReplyDelete“every time someone pisses me off” 😂
ReplyDeleteMine said "some months it's a lot and others not really" 😂
ReplyDeleteWhy is this a thing 😭😭 my husband said not often but went on a rant about it making me think his answer wasn’t honest 😂
ReplyDeleteacknowledge him ☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽
ReplyDeletenever never never 👎
DeleteSo it’s like my second favorite time, below the old Greek, but my favorite game was placed in the area and I think of that game a lot and I like
ReplyDeleteLearning about the gods and stuff from the time
DeleteWE……THE……ONES !!! 👆🏾
ReplyDeletetwice on tuesdays had me dead 💀
ReplyDeleteI only acknowledge one Roman and that’s Roman Reigns☝️
ReplyDeleteMine said not really unless he’s watching a movie about it.
ReplyDeletemy husband said almost never. but he's Arab so I asked him about the Caliphates and he said "oh every day"
ReplyDelete🥴🥴🤔😂😂 Is it because of movies? I don’t understand. I’m scared to ask any man I know I don’t know why 🤷🏽♀️
ReplyDeleteMy husband said not often if at all. I probably think about it more because I watch a lot of history videos 😂
ReplyDeleteMine was a himbo. I doubt he does but tbh I think more about Napoleon
ReplyDeleteMine said never 😂 waiting for my dad to reply haha
ReplyDeleteMy brother said never. When I explained why I asked he said good to know because he thought I was losing my mind! 😂
ReplyDeleteI had the the same conversation with my sister 😂
DeleteIt depends, are you talking about just the imperial period, or does this include the Roman Republic as well
ReplyDeleteGladiator 2 is in the works!
ReplyDeleteSo no one dramatically goes “Et Tu Brutus”? When they feel “betrayed” by their sibling or loved one ?
ReplyDeleteEVERY. DAMN. TIME.
DeleteI need more of these
ReplyDeleteAs a history teacher I teach Ancient Rome, but never think of the empire. Now wondering if my male students will get influenced by my lessons? 🤔
ReplyDeleteIncredible 😭
ReplyDeletestrength and honor
ReplyDeleteI literally have ceaser's death on my outlook calendar 😳
ReplyDeleteALOT 😳
ReplyDeleteDoing this with my brother 😂 he loves history
ReplyDeleteI’ve never thought about it since Latin class in high school
ReplyDeleteit’s giving mojo dojo but respect 🫡
ReplyDeletehe literally said 'anytime something reminds me of it so pretty often"
ReplyDeletemine said "literally all day"
ReplyDeleteMy dad said - uh never
ReplyDeleteWHY IS THIS EVERYONES PARTNER. Mine is OBSESSED with anytning Roman…
ReplyDeletemy dad and one of my good friends have uttered the words roman empire sooo many times 😂
ReplyDeleteHe said never 😭
ReplyDeleteBut he did say Germany
DeleteI basically never think about this without it being prompted. I honestly can’t fathom why people would think about the Roman Empire just because. 🤨
ReplyDeleteThey really do
ReplyDeleteNever leaves my mind
ReplyDeleteI feel attacked….😂
ReplyDeleteI think about ancient Egypt a lot… I wanted to be the female version of Indiana Jones 💀
ReplyDeleteThat that's my kinda guy lmao
ReplyDeleteTo be fair i love history and id say i think about it monthly
ReplyDeleteI literally asked Everyman I know
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean only men? This article was very direct to men, I am a woman and I am also VERY interested in the Roman Empire.
ReplyDelete