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Nov. 24th, 2002
watched The Shield tonight - my absolute baby, I adore it so much. Not commenting because commenting is just...useless. It fucks itself up and is realistic about all its fucked-upness and subtext. (though Lemonhead? The boy is flexible. Flexible, I'm telling you. And he's probably meant to be.)
But have been watching the new series on Sparta, too. And am saying one thing : If any female has to go back to Ancient Greece and has to pick between being a Spartan woman or an Athenian one? Pick Spartan every fucking time.
Let's see, no rights, no education, barely ever seen, never mind heard, hardly ever step foot outside the home and totally controlled by your family and a non citizen, often married by 12, vs. trained to fight and do sports and keep yourself fit and toned throughout life, lots of freedom, encouraged to mix, run business, own land, take most of the decisions in the home, marrying age 18 (you could choose whether or not to marry), pretty much the only people seen out on the streets as the blokes spent their whole time in the mens clubs, expected to be vociferous and opinionated and lauded for the really good insults. I think I'll pick door number two, Alex.
Also, Sparta : every slasher's dream. A society where men and women basically lived apart, and both sexes were expected to be in a homosexual relationship before marriage, not to mention after, and though marriage was actively encouraged for the procreation of more male babies for the army (women outnumbered men due to the somewhat harsh training regime the boys went through), it sure as hell weren't no hetero thing.
Sparta. Nowhere near a paradise, but damn did they know how to treat their womenfolk.
But have been watching the new series on Sparta, too. And am saying one thing : If any female has to go back to Ancient Greece and has to pick between being a Spartan woman or an Athenian one? Pick Spartan every fucking time.
Let's see, no rights, no education, barely ever seen, never mind heard, hardly ever step foot outside the home and totally controlled by your family and a non citizen, often married by 12, vs. trained to fight and do sports and keep yourself fit and toned throughout life, lots of freedom, encouraged to mix, run business, own land, take most of the decisions in the home, marrying age 18 (you could choose whether or not to marry), pretty much the only people seen out on the streets as the blokes spent their whole time in the mens clubs, expected to be vociferous and opinionated and lauded for the really good insults. I think I'll pick door number two, Alex.
Also, Sparta : every slasher's dream. A society where men and women basically lived apart, and both sexes were expected to be in a homosexual relationship before marriage, not to mention after, and though marriage was actively encouraged for the procreation of more male babies for the army (women outnumbered men due to the somewhat harsh training regime the boys went through), it sure as hell weren't no hetero thing.
Sparta. Nowhere near a paradise, but damn did they know how to treat their womenfolk.
