Boris Johnson: "The Romans were bastards"

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  • čas přidán 15. 12. 2015
  • Want to join the debate? Check out the Intelligence Squared website to hear about future live events and podcasts: www.intelligencesquared.com
    __________________________
    Taken from the Intelligence Squared debate "Greece vs Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard". The debate can be watched in full on Curzon Home Cinema here: bit.ly/GreecevRome.
    Filmed at Central Hall Westminster on 19th November 2015

Komentáře • 490

  • @wiszak9370
    @wiszak9370 Před 4 lety +264

    "The Romans were imperialist, can you imagine how cruel is this " said the British guy

    • @beccastell6439
      @beccastell6439 Před 4 lety +4

      The sad thing is, plenty of British people will agree with you, having just tried to vote this creature out. Imperialism has huge effects globally on former colonies but the mindset is practised first and then later on its own poorto make the labour that props up colonialism.

    • @wiszak9370
      @wiszak9370 Před 4 lety +1

      @Anth Graves like being a Nazi and democratically elected? Or being pro-human rights in some countries, and against them in other countries?

    • @donttakeitpersonal8704
      @donttakeitpersonal8704 Před 2 lety +8

      The Athenians were the biggest imperialists of their time

    • @darioburatovich2240
      @darioburatovich2240 Před 2 lety

      ...pero más bien!...pordio' !!, As I always say.

    • @darioburatovich2240
      @darioburatovich2240 Před 2 lety

      @@wiszak9370 ...the funny thing is, that good old Adolf was democratically elected ...and then my forebears had to take arms and join the Yugoslav Communist Partizans to help fix his mess, thanks God, so to say....

  • @robertt8862
    @robertt8862 Před 4 lety +277

    And they compare him with Trump?

    • @robertt8862
      @robertt8862 Před 4 lety +2

      @Sebastian Volland Well I like both of them actually. I was referring to intelligence and oratory skills

    • @jamesclark976
      @jamesclark976 Před 4 lety +12

      @Sebastian Volland didnt trump dodge the draft?

    • @peace__777
      @peace__777 Před 4 lety +1

      @Scott Laux If you completely changed the definition of the word: "dodge," then yes.

    • @XxSniper32
      @XxSniper32 Před 4 lety

      gerard henry Leader of saudi of arabia done so much to his people than Clinton, the university in saudi arabia is free, and also the government hospitals and they’re richer than most americans

    • @ninjawhoya2073
      @ninjawhoya2073 Před 4 lety

      You easily can since the Clinton's were receiving money from the Saudis

  • @Octavius0
    @Octavius0 Před 8 lety +503

    Boris was massively pro-Roman a few years back.

    • @jimthetallguy
      @jimthetallguy Před 8 lety +142

      +Caesar Himself He still is, he was just asked to argue the Greeks *cough* Athenians' side ;)

    • @Athenaikos
      @Athenaikos Před 7 lety +1

      Yeah, right. As if the self-evident truth needs asking to argue in its favor.

    • @joaofernandes4769
      @joaofernandes4769 Před 7 lety +29

      All English were pro-Roman 200 years ago...

    • @Athenaikos
      @Athenaikos Před 7 lety +13

      Tell that to Boudica, the Warrior Queen and her deeply humiliated people.

    • @jamesadcock5235
      @jamesadcock5235 Před 7 lety +4

      Caesar Himself did u want to get up on that stage and pull Boris off

  • @liamlyons6645
    @liamlyons6645 Před 5 lety +98

    Here just to see my next PM actually answering a question

  • @madmacca_5
    @madmacca_5 Před 4 lety +153

    Sorry Boris but the question should be "what did the Romans do for us" as asked by the Judean popular front or is that the popular front of Judea 🤔

    • @TheMsGilioli
      @TheMsGilioli Před 4 lety +12

      That scene from the life of Brian is the first thing that popped into my mind hearing the question hahaha

    • @benny2427
      @benny2427 Před 4 lety +1

      I love that movie hahaha

    • @1346crecy
      @1346crecy Před 4 lety +2

      Splitters!!!!!!!!

    • @Jharrycornelius
      @Jharrycornelius Před 4 lety +1

      The Aqueduct?

    • @yallowrosa
      @yallowrosa Před 4 lety +2

      that of Romans was a sort of franchise and Federation
      only Caledonians and Germans did not accept/absorb it

  • @alfredvinciguerra532
    @alfredvinciguerra532 Před 4 lety +111

    Rome was a republic for 500 years that is a fact

    • @amirsabbaghi209
      @amirsabbaghi209 Před 4 lety +4

      But it wasn't as big that time

    • @panoskatrin4910
      @panoskatrin4910 Před 4 lety +28

      A republic not a democracy ,the roman republic was basically a oligarchy with some elements of democracy

    • @justinpachi3707
      @justinpachi3707 Před 4 lety +4

      Rome lasted as an Empire far longer. 27 BC - 1453 AD

    • @liz5141
      @liz5141 Před 4 lety +4

      Look, I studied Latin and Greek in Italy during the high school. The kind of school where you can study them is the "liceo classico". Now i'm studying laws. We studied the law in the ancient Rome
      After I studied all of them I can say you the actually democracy it's so different from the "res publica" [republic] of the ancient "Roma".

    • @nobblkpraetorian5623
      @nobblkpraetorian5623 Před 3 lety +1

      @@amirsabbaghi209 500 years is pretty good. Longer than the US.

  • @javierperezbarreto4229
    @javierperezbarreto4229 Před 3 lety +47

    The Romans gave us Londinium, turned it into a major port and centre of commerce. Simply put, there would be no London without Rome.

  • @bm8725
    @bm8725 Před 4 lety +21

    Just a small correction, a lot fewer people died at the games than people generally think. Gladiators especially were way too valuable to sacrifice. The aim was principally to non-lethally injure your opponent so that he would bleed but not die, usually cutting or stabbing him lightly on the back so that the crowd could see the blood. It was rare that a gladiator was killed. Other than that though the Romans were indeed bastards.

    • @teseofabbri1812
      @teseofabbri1812 Před 4 lety +4

      How were they bastards? They treated slaves way better than any other civilization of their time, yes they had a centralized government but every single civilization had it, including Greece at that point in time. If your argument is because they took some one else's land then I'll remind you that the UK, Spain, France and the us did the same thing just a century ago, and in a much more cruel way. The Roman empire helped northern Europe giving them the technology and infrastructure they lacked, and laws and civilization. It improved the lives of billions of people, such as mine and yours. So how were they evil?

    • @youtubeistryingtocensorme
      @youtubeistryingtocensorme Před rokem

      And where did you get this information from? Some Italian source that tried to underplay the atrocities committed by the Roman Empire?

    • @bm8725
      @bm8725 Před rokem

      @@youtubeistryingtocensorme A Roman museum in the UK which had a special exhibition on gladiators at the time

    • @sa34w
      @sa34w Před 7 měsíci

      The Colosseum was more likely like pro wrestling with theatrics than actual deaths. It’s hard to get good gladiators who can put on a show.

    • @getthekool1758
      @getthekool1758 Před 7 měsíci

      He is descendant of a Turkish agent from the Otoman Empire called Ali Kamal. There´s a report on the subject on CZcams: Prime Minister Boris Johnson Traces His Family History | Who Do You Think You Are?

  • @anthonyaferrara
    @anthonyaferrara Před 7 lety +163

    Boris is so right; of course the English won their empire politely and with total kindness..

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 Před 4 lety +15

      "The prerequisite of a british army campaign was that the enemy should under no circumstances carry guns, even spears made us think twice. The people we prefered to fight were two feet tall and armed with dry grass"
      -Captain Edmund BlackAdder

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 Před 4 lety +2

      @illegal_opinions Both the napoleonic and crimean wars showed that the british could only fight wars against major powers if they had allies with more powerful armies. And the crimean war showed that the british army hadn't yet grasped the fundamentals of a lengthy campaign (i.e. basic medical care).

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 Před 4 lety +1

      @illegal_opinions But they always had powerful allies who did much of the hard work in those wars.

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 Před 4 lety

      @illegal_opinions I seriously doubt that Britain's 60 divisions would have done better against Germany on the Eastern front than the Soviet Union's 400 divisions. Also, I'm not sure if the Malaya campaign would be a good example of Britain "lifting their fair share", considering that they lost despite having a near 3/1 superiority in manpower. If anything, that proves that Britain needs it's allies to be able to fight a war against a strong opponent.

    • @lavrentivs9891
      @lavrentivs9891 Před 4 lety

      @illegal_opinions I've never claimed that one nation could fight it all alone. My point from the start has been that Britain has always relied on powerful allies to win big wars and several smaller ones as well.

  • @TheGreatGodPan
    @TheGreatGodPan Před 2 lety +9

    Boris was wrong about several things:
    - The gladiator games were ritualistic and "sport" to a degree, comparable to the olympiad and pankration martial arts of Greece though potentially more lethal, but if I am correct the most praised gladiators were those who won without drawing blood, it was probably more like modern reenactment battles but without the modern health and safety measures. They originated as Etruscan funerary rites, which involved two slaves fighting (to the death I think).
    - The empire was not all bad, the late republic was decadent and corrupt, Caesar was a sleazy dictator and war criminal but August was pious and brought in new laws against adultery, several others in the Juleo-Claudian dynasty despite their reputation and smearing by historians actually couldn't stand the corrupt elite class of sycophants and Caligula better than anyone else exposed them for what they were and cut through all the pretence, and paid the price for it. Also worth noting the republic was responsible for the devastating Punic wars which were hugely costly for the Romans, just so they could destroy Carthage and gain trade dominance in the mediterranean. So no, it wasn't a case of democracy good empire bad, and several emperors were really worthy of praise.
    - Roman punishments were no more brutal than Greek ones, nor were they more brutal in the empire than in the republic, they just brought in stricter laws as said to clean up the decadent state of the late republic. Also scenes depicting women whipping each other relate to agrarian rites that were still practiced in the early modern period, in Friuli especially. Not everything revolved around fear instilled by the emperor, and some were consciously "populist" emperors, notably Commodus (because he was seen as mad and hated by his peers so went for people appeal instead). He probably dislikes the empire precisely because its absolutist monarchy had nothing but disdain for the sleaze and corruption of high society that he and his party revel in today.

  • @Trecesolotienesdos
    @Trecesolotienesdos Před 6 lety +43

    they didnt end democracy on purpose.
    come on boris, don't judge romans by our moral standards. the greeks were as harsh. the romans didn't kill babies like sparta did.
    you say democracy, but then how many greeks could vote? men? and only rich men?

    • @giannisv.5151
      @giannisv.5151 Před 4 lety +3

      Well rich men could vote in any democracy till the 19th century then gradually all men could vote and only in the 20th century women started voting. So yeah ancient Athens' democracy was far from perfect but so was democracy in general till the 20th century.

    • @beccastell6439
      @beccastell6439 Před 4 lety +1

      Exposure of babies was limited to certain periods in the history of both cultures but folk only remember the stuff they learnt at school. Exposure was certainly practised informally by the Romans as the naming ceremony on the 9th day was based on the ceremony in which father either taking the child up formally or rejecting it in which case it could be left on a midden to whoever found it - probably as brothel fodder.

    • @euphoricatheist6694
      @euphoricatheist6694 Před 4 lety

      @@giannisv.5151 "'Till", you say? Not 'till. Ever.

    • @malfinocroce2137
      @malfinocroce2137 Před 2 lety

      Bravo. By the time the romans entered in athens democracy was long time over.

  • @Basedlocation
    @Basedlocation Před rokem +4

    Brit just mad the romans already accomplished what his country did thousands of years prior 😂

  • @50shekels
    @50shekels Před 11 měsíci +4

    "Can you believe people from the past didnt live up to the moral standards we have today?? Ludicrous!"

    • @AbeAlJ
      @AbeAlJ Před 9 měsíci +2

      If you read Cicero, you'd know they didn't live up to their own moral standards. There were internal critics of such practices from within. In general, I don't really think feeding people to lions alive for relatively minor crimes is a "well it depends on the time and place" kind of thing.

    • @deussivenatura5805
      @deussivenatura5805 Před 9 měsíci

      Very true @@AbeAlJ

  • @PedroUR
    @PedroUR Před 4 lety +11

    And what did the Brits do at the time? Talking about brutality!
    Let's judge people from 2.000 years ago by today's standards, why not?

    • @h3egypt
      @h3egypt Před 4 lety +1

      It's a long debate you can find here on CZcams it's called Greece vs Rome... Boris is taking Greece side

  • @JimOverbeckgenius
    @JimOverbeckgenius Před 3 lety +2

    Boris' Germanic ancestors slaughtered the Romans & his Turkish ancestors slaughtered the Byzantines.

  • @s1monz
    @s1monz Před 7 lety +4

    He's just doing it for the theater. I'm sure he's aware what he's saying is daft. The Coliseum, for instance, was not a slaughterhouse, for if 200,000 people had died there would be nobody left to fight and no one would want to take up the job of being a professional combatant.

    • @the500mphtortoise
      @the500mphtortoise Před 7 lety +1

      remember it was in use for 390 years and it was mostly slaves fighting in the arena so the idea of people choosing the job seems a bit silly. Many estimates actually put that figure as high as 400,000

    • @gnulinux5108
      @gnulinux5108 Před 5 lety +1

      ​@@the500mphtortoise Will you please mention the primary source from which you have drawn this figure of 400000. In the count were there included zebras, elephant lions and crocodiles, by chance? You would be a very good politician, like Mr. Johnson.

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas Před 5 lety

      @@the500mphtortoise Gladiators were costly highly trained persons. So it took time and money, they were an investment and had to fight for a long time.

  • @harambe7430
    @harambe7430 Před 4 lety +6

    How many people died under British imperialism??

  • @suzannenoble414
    @suzannenoble414 Před 2 lety +10

    Mary Beard sitting there trying not to lose her wits in the beginning is the best part of this video

  • @theseventhgeneration6910
    @theseventhgeneration6910 Před 3 lety +2

    What was once a celebration of achievement has now become a memorial for those lost to the Roman machine.

  • @slappy8941
    @slappy8941 Před 8 lety +28

    He thinks the Greeks lived in a blissful utopia merely because of theater and democracy, and blames the Romans for killing it, when in reality, the Romans loved Greek plays, and Athenian democracy had self-destructed long before through in-fighting, as democracies always do. It's amazing how ideology can turn otherwise intelligent people into complete idiots.

    • @zero_one6297
      @zero_one6297 Před 8 lety +5

      +Tvarisch Byele They loved Greek plays so much they went on to absolutely butcher it with their own feeble attempts.

    • @slappy8941
      @slappy8941 Před 8 lety

      forfrosne I didn't say they did a good job of copying the Greeks, but they weren't completely barbaric. Not completely...

    • @CyGrGuy
      @CyGrGuy Před 8 lety +1

      +Tvarisch Byele The Greeks sought to expand the knowledge of man, and made great revelations in doing so. Once the Romans came along, scientific inquiry practically halted. Imagine what would have been accomplished to this day had the Greeks been able to continue their works.

    • @796g
      @796g Před 7 lety +1

      Agreed,Roman Republic was an improved form of athenian democracy that included greater institutional controls over the rulers and a smaller state racial profile that helped cultural assimilation of conquered greek cities.
      The funny fact is that more greeks fought for Romans than against the Romans.

    • @Athenaikos
      @Athenaikos Před 7 lety +2

      The Romans loved everything Greek and they continue to date to have a deep inferiority complex towards Greece. That's a scientific fact.

  • @fishernz
    @fishernz Před 4 lety +11

    He seems to have learned how to exercise power from the Romans.

  • @LiterallyGod
    @LiterallyGod Před 4 lety +11

    Why won’t Boris Johnson talk about his parents and what they did? He’s hiding something

    • @flaccidchrist
      @flaccidchrist Před 4 lety +1

      Cos his real dad is Jimmy Savile

    • @LiterallyGod
      @LiterallyGod Před 4 lety +3

      He’s made from Turkish and German elite

    • @ambebhavani
      @ambebhavani Před 4 lety +3

      Just watch "Who do you think you are?" The man is genuine. Thankfully we have an intelligent, decent PM.

    • @LiterallyGod
      @LiterallyGod Před 4 lety +4

      Tony Parsons they put something in the water over there to make you more docile

    • @flaccidchrist
      @flaccidchrist Před 4 lety +2

      God sodium flouride, it shows doesn’t it? Johnson is educated beyond his intelligence and is far from decent. This is the man who used to take the piss out of the professions of working class kids parents when he was at Eton. I’d love to hear what he says about the British public when he’s behind closed doors

  • @Constantine_IA
    @Constantine_IA Před 5 lety +16

    Modern Democracy has nothing similar to Ancient Greek Democracy

  • @mdb4michele
    @mdb4michele Před 4 lety +10

    In those days, it was "in fashion" and everybody did what they had to. The only difference is that the Romans were the only civilisation that recorded the passage of history.

    • @zephergaming4437
      @zephergaming4437 Před 4 lety +2

      Michele Diblasi lol

    • @nikoniortnike
      @nikoniortnike Před 2 lety +1

      "The only civilization that recorded the passage of history"? Are you high or just plain ignorant?

    • @EyeLean5280
      @EyeLean5280 Před 2 lety +6

      "The only difference is that the Romans were the only civilisation that recorded the passage of history."
      I'm sorry, but how on earth did you form this opinion?

  • @mindgrapes1009
    @mindgrapes1009 Před rokem +5

    Boris, more than most people, really shows how intelligence is not a uniform trait.
    The verbal intelligence to coin a phrase like 'great supine protoplasmic invertebrate jellies', with a passion for classical civilisation and an amazing ability to work a room (by usual UK political standards).
    And somehow stupid enough to shake hands with people infected with a deadly new virus and nearly die.
    He can do great soaring rhetoric, just not what should be absolutely basic.

    • @TheClarksonFan
      @TheClarksonFan Před rokem

      Some could say his is a classic case of Savant Syndrome: highly intelligent and capable in specific fields, but lacking the intellectual broadness to be able to undertake basic tasks, what one would oft describe as “common sense.”

  • @schmickaussie1038
    @schmickaussie1038 Před 4 lety +5

    At least Monty Python showed the Romans in a positive light with the quote "terrific race the Romans, terrific" and crucifixion was needed by the people to "nail some sense into 'em".
    With all those sundry orgies...Well, perhaps Boris was right the Romans were bastards in many ways...

    • @teseofabbri1812
      @teseofabbri1812 Před 4 lety +4

      Every single thing the Romans did wrong the British and Mongols did way worse. And without the Roman empire Europe and America would still be at middle age level technology

    • @stateofflorida5082
      @stateofflorida5082 Před 2 lety

      @@teseofabbri1812 Thats not necessarily true as technology advanced faster after the collapse of Rome because Europeans actually competition to get ahead of.

  • @antoniomartellini3443
    @antoniomartellini3443 Před 4 lety +3

    Boris would be right if we made the comparison with our current yardstick. This time, however, all peoples were bastards and behaved in the same way. When Brenno (Gallo leader 390 BC) conquered Rome he pronounced the famous phrase: "Woe to the defeated" and Brenno was not Roman.

  • @Caleidus
    @Caleidus Před 7 lety +7

    Not as much as the british .....just google "Bengal famine of 1943"....
    cheers

    • @gladifly
      @gladifly Před 6 lety +2

      Lorenzo Oh fuck off, the world doesn't revolve around your shitty little former colony, the British brought technology, culture, language and law & order to the world, be happy!

    • @SuperJuvexxx
      @SuperJuvexxx Před 6 lety +3

      gladifly You Brought what? Lmao!

    • @beccastell6439
      @beccastell6439 Před 4 lety +3

      @@gladifly ''Little former colony''. Geography of scale isn't your strong point is it?

    • @JJaqn05
      @JJaqn05 Před 2 lety

      @@beccastell6439 Neither do most people who claim the UK is a small tiny island when it is the 9th biggest island in the world. It seems geography isnt most peoples strong point.

  • @The_Mad_King_Aerys
    @The_Mad_King_Aerys Před 4 lety +4

    RIP Caligula

  • @julianroybal4843
    @julianroybal4843 Před 2 lety +1

    i know this was 6 years ago but still it's pretty weird that Boris Johnson talks bad about the ancient Romans and now he's talking about bringing them back

  • @OdditiesandRarities
    @OdditiesandRarities Před 6 lety +4

    title kinda gives away the 'punchline'

    •  Před 4 lety +1

      100% but if it weren't there it would have so many fewer views. Clickbait title.

  • @t.f.5265
    @t.f.5265 Před 5 lety +2

    "The Roman were bastards" "Cu parrò m'arricriò".

  • @annamalais2870
    @annamalais2870 Před 17 dny

    No british should talk about democracy for next 1000 years

  • @MaXiTisMc
    @MaXiTisMc Před 4 lety +3

    Is saying a man that’s a prime minister to a former biggest empire in human history of colonization

    • @beccastell6439
      @beccastell6439 Před 4 lety

      Yes but then he's the biggest tit in the history of Colonialism....

    • @guts145
      @guts145 Před 3 lety +1

      It's a comparison, not a judgement without context.

  • @georgeagonzalez
    @georgeagonzalez Před 2 lety +3

    So why British use roman architecture.then....?

  • @tatianapantazopoulou7518
    @tatianapantazopoulou7518 Před 4 lety +4

    Thucidides says that " ἐγίγνετό τε λόγῳ μὲν δημοκρατία, ἔργῳ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πρώτου ἀνδρὸς ἀρχή. Thuc.2.65.10.

  • @user-nr3sd4dg3y
    @user-nr3sd4dg3y Před 4 lety +10

    I agree with him the Romans were way more cruel than us

    • @teseofabbri1812
      @teseofabbri1812 Před 4 lety +2

      The Romans for their time obviously had slaves, like every single nation before the 19th century, but treated them in much better than any other civilization. Plus consider this: the Roman empire only killed a few million people at maximum to gain the territory (which by the way is nothing compared to how many people the UK killed) but significantly improved the lives of billions and billions of people, they built infrastructure, aqueducts, theatres, streets, while northern Europe was a caveman's shithole

    • @user-nr3sd4dg3y
      @user-nr3sd4dg3y Před 4 lety

      @@teseofabbri1812 I agree mate but the Greeks also did many important stuff for example Pythagoras whose rules are still used in mathematics or Eratosthenis who proved that earth was round or Klisthenis who made democracy wich is the dominant form of goverment everywhere

    • @JJaqn05
      @JJaqn05 Před 2 lety

      @@teseofabbri1812 Lol they didnt improve the lives of anyone. Only the rich Romans living in the Italian peninsula lived good lives. Rome didnt even have a population of 80 million so how could they have improved the lives for billions? Slaves lived terrible lives in the empire. Rome killed way more than Britain in its conquests. The UK didnt even conquer countries, it colonised them and there is a difference. We didnt kill anyone outside of war. You are suck an L

  • @vk168saurus_rex_yt2
    @vk168saurus_rex_yt2 Před 4 lety

    DO YOU WANT A CUP OF TEA????!!!!

  • @objetivista686
    @objetivista686 Před rokem +1

    Stand up with doctor Boris de Johnson

  • @slightlyconfused876
    @slightlyconfused876 Před 3 lety +1

    Eton and Oxford and that is the extent of his historical analysis? Who took his exams for him?

  • @bio_5467
    @bio_5467 Před 2 lety +2

    Sounds like a load of barbarian propaganda to me

  • @Jharrycornelius
    @Jharrycornelius Před 4 lety +3

    The aqueduct?

  • @frednicolas3811
    @frednicolas3811 Před 5 lety +2

    I am roman

  • @Pt-gf9jf
    @Pt-gf9jf Před 4 lety +5

    And one thing. Please. Boris Johnson. Take the DNA test. Could surprise you.

    • @jacklang3314
      @jacklang3314 Před 4 lety +1

      He did an episode of Who Do You Think You Are which goes into detail about his family history, you can watch it online if you want.

    • @marvinsilverman4394
      @marvinsilverman4394 Před 4 lety

      @@jacklang3314 he comes from a islam land that tortured Europeans for several centuries

  • @Pt-gf9jf
    @Pt-gf9jf Před 4 lety +2

    Congratulations Britain. You are no longer part of Europe. But, no worries. You are in the middle of everything. All you have to do is look at the map. What a luck!! There are no Romans, Vikings, Normans, Saxons!! Finnally! You can do what ever you want!! Like, The British Empire.

  • @georgiosrigas8094
    @georgiosrigas8094 Před 4 lety +1

    Next: Good and bad of British Imperialism in humanity

  • @annenunney9907
    @annenunney9907 Před rokem

    We could ask him the same question what has he done

  • @jamie2866
    @jamie2866 Před 5 lety +3

    Dear everyone in the comment section, this is a part of a debate between Boris Johnson and Mary Beard, the topic being Greece Vs Rome, for which they were the respective proponents of.
    The point of the debates was to give informal, dramatic and comedic appraisals of their favourite civilisation of antiquity whilst slagging of the other.
    It’s not earnestly motivated so calm down

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas Před 5 lety

      Jim Johnson makes a decent standup comedian, but his desire to lie cost him two jobs.

    • @glynnwright1699
      @glynnwright1699 Před 4 lety

      @@TorianTammas Take a look at the crime rate in London since he was replaced by the earnest Sadiq Khan.

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas Před 4 lety

      @@glynnwright1699 So what did Johnson do? I know the Tories cut 20.000 police since 2010. May be less police on the street and crime rates have some connection. What is your assumption?

  • @yuvrajmandlik9465
    @yuvrajmandlik9465 Před 4 lety +1

    I think people forget that he went to Oxford..

    • @debfisher6096
      @debfisher6096 Před 4 lety

      I think people are unaware that boys from certain schools could still get into Oxford in the 1980s without trying very hard.

    • @yuvrajmandlik9465
      @yuvrajmandlik9465 Před 4 lety

      @@debfisher6096 oh I didn't know that.. did you attend Oxford as well?

  • @mohamedyousuf8637
    @mohamedyousuf8637 Před 2 lety

    What boris neglects to mention is how just as today the roman democracy turned into an oligarchy prior to it becoming a dictatorship.
    Friends I recommend you all to read of the gracchi brothers and the struggles between the optimates and populares.
    I do not make the claim that it is the same as what we see in western democracies today however the similarities are striking and here we have of all ironies boris a man of that system making one set of arguments but acting as the athenian upper classes did prior to the expedition

  • @darphbobo4971
    @darphbobo4971 Před 7 lety +19

    I was searching for 'Boris the basterd' How did I end up here?

  • @AveSPQR
    @AveSPQR Před rokem +1

    This is a rubbish argument. The Romans were great for their time. I do not say they are morally acceptable but they were the best civilisation to live in then, aside from mabye Persia. They offered protection from threats and reasonable living conditions for the most part.

  • @lilahdog568
    @lilahdog568 Před 4 lety +2

    Did some Italian guy rip boris off?

    • @IsaacRainford21
      @IsaacRainford21 Před rokem

      Italians are not Romans lol

    • @krixxset2214
      @krixxset2214 Před 10 měsíci

      @@IsaacRainford21 They are the descendants of Romans. Deal with it.

  • @SexRealist301
    @SexRealist301 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Takes one to know one...

  • @darioburatovich2240
    @darioburatovich2240 Před 2 lety +1

    How many million people did the British Empire kill ?....
    ...pero c'eme l' favo' !!....
    JULIAN ASSANGE.

  • @annamalais2870
    @annamalais2870 Před 17 dny

    So we're the british

  • @Sabamike192
    @Sabamike192 Před 7 měsíci

    He's not wrong.

  • @gabrielacobian9137
    @gabrielacobian9137 Před 2 lety +4

    They gave you EVERYTHING YOU HAVE NOW.

  • @bernardfinucane2061
    @bernardfinucane2061 Před rokem

    Yeah, well Boris doesn't look a lot like his dad either.

  • @user-jg5du6wl1k
    @user-jg5du6wl1k Před 4 lety

    *being mad that gave you language logical*

  • @Yimyimyimyim277
    @Yimyimyimyim277 Před 4 lety

    Fuck me, thank God someone said it

  • @Wayzor_
    @Wayzor_ Před 2 lety +2

    The public baths are a great delight,
    and it's safe to walk in the streets at night.
    Cheese and medicine, irrigation,
    Roman law and education
    the circus for our delectation
    and the gladiation
    Well, apart from medicine, irrigation,
    health, roads, cheese and education,
    baths and the Circus Maximus,
    what have the Romans ever done for us?
    What have the Romans,
    what have the Romans,
    what have the Romans ever done for us?

  • @wankawanka3053
    @wankawanka3053 Před rokem

    Romans were ancient people when they made their empire the british weren't

  • @panobiektywnyKielce
    @panobiektywnyKielce Před 2 lety +1

    Wielka Brytania zawsze miała zapędy imperialistyczne. Co za hipokryzja.

  • @SimonSozzi7258
    @SimonSozzi7258 Před rokem

    Democracy barely lasted 250 years in ancient Greece. A very limited democracy un which among 20,000 or so Athenian Elites reluctantly participated. Remember Socrates was sentenced to death and felt he had no other choice but to commit suicide and Aristotle was an "alien" from Macedon who couldn't own property... and was run out of the Athens after the death of Alexander the Great. No comparison. Ridiculous really. Within the next 250 years, Rome's "democracy" would fall and the Julio-Claudian dynasty would begin. Of course at this point the city of Rome had grown to hundreds of thousands and the Empire included Millions! 200 years later, citizenship would be granted to all free inhabitants of the Empire. The largest amnesty ever granted in Human history. They may not have had democracy like we know it today but they firmly believed in the principles of Libertas!

  • @simonsimon2888
    @simonsimon2888 Před rokem

    They were 'the Roamans' of the earlier version of 'Hitler's Nazi'. "I came, I saw & I conquer". But, God is watching you from a distant. Did Rome Empire collapse? God Almighty!

  • @CannibaLouiST
    @CannibaLouiST Před 4 lety

    Isn't that Andrew Marr?

  • @BossySwan
    @BossySwan Před 2 lety

    Joris Bohnson

  • @randomquestions7741
    @randomquestions7741 Před rokem +1

    british are roman norman and viking decents

  • @yallowrosa
    @yallowrosa Před 4 lety +8

    often BoJo is clever as a German
    fortunately, Britons finally accepted the Roman system
    and further spread out it all over the world (as UK and US empires)
    Now this allows Western world to effectively contrast Chinese and Islamic countries

  • @victoriaincometaxandinsura4321

    HAEC EST VICTORIA QUAE VINCIT.. ..ROME IS AEMORE.. Lol...

  • @garyk.nedrow8302
    @garyk.nedrow8302 Před 3 lety +4

    This video illustrates the difference between learning and wisdom. Johnson is learned; he is quite right about the Romans. Their entire culture was based on obedience and fear; they borrowed the forms of civilization from the Greeks, but rejected the Greek emphasis on individual liberty and worth. Yet when Covid popped up, Johnson sided with the Romans and imposed a totalitarian lock down to "contain" a virus -- a strategy which could not succeed and did not succeed, in the UK or any place else. So though he recites Greek entertainingly and understands the lessons of Rome and Greece, he lacked the wisdom to apply that learning when the moment came. In truth, Johnson is a moderate Liberal, not a true Conservative in the mold of Thatcher or Enoch Powell. He only appears to be one because there are no true conservatives left in the UK, sad to say.

    • @Elitist20
      @Elitist20 Před 2 lety

      He is neither Liberal nor Conservative, in the genuine sense of either of those terms. He is a grubby chancer.

  • @jonathanwheeler4767
    @jonathanwheeler4767 Před 5 lety +5

    The romans were conservatives

  • @frednicolas3811
    @frednicolas3811 Před 5 lety

    Then

  • @olioappifyouarestruggling1595

    Boris is the Barstard

  • @aarengraves9962
    @aarengraves9962 Před rokem

    cant wait to read all the non-Italian fanboy roman comments

  • @xxcxxcv1014
    @xxcxxcv1014 Před 4 lety

    servi necati ,Christianos ad leones ,spectacula mortis-was this really ancient Rome?.Of course not.

  • @x24_rs21
    @x24_rs21 Před 4 lety +7

    Save ur life
    Go to 1:03

  • @ogutumbeke6041
    @ogutumbeke6041 Před rokem

    now notice what alphabet he is using to write that speech, or how the island he is on stopped having mud huts for houses in cities

  • @mariobrandsma9830
    @mariobrandsma9830 Před 2 lety

    BORIS MY HERO ,SHOULD MIND THE STEPS , JULIUS

  • @adem503
    @adem503 Před rokem

    likewise the british colonization of many countries ...

  • @0hn0haha
    @0hn0haha Před 8 lety +7

    For those who don't get it; Boris is pro Rome, just arguing on the side of the Greeks cuz he's smart.

    • @frednicolas3811
      @frednicolas3811 Před 5 lety +1

      Laughing out my skull

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas Před 5 lety +1

      He is for himself and his bank account.

    • @leighjordine4031
      @leighjordine4031 Před 4 lety

      @@TorianTammas aren't we all

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas Před 4 lety +2

      @@leighjordine4031 No we are much better as we did not get fired from two jobs because of our lies. We did not abandon our own children. Neither did we betray next to all our wife's and girlfriends.

    • @leighjordine4031
      @leighjordine4031 Před 4 lety

      @@TorianTammasif you think that is bad. i must be a terrible person then. I dont really care what boris did with his own life it is not my business.

  • @FM-to9wo
    @FM-to9wo Před 8 lety +2

    loool this cracks me up

  • @Pt-gf9jf
    @Pt-gf9jf Před 4 lety

    I could bet! You are not 100% British! Whatever it means.

  • @janeswan1124
    @janeswan1124 Před 4 lety +5

    Great going Boris!!

  • @shanelevene4864
    @shanelevene4864 Před 8 lety +18

    I was in Rome a while back and didn't see any of this barbarism. Sure they drive crazy over there and like their scooters, but I sure as hell didn't see any decapitations. Mostly people sat around outside cafes drinking coffee and smoking and looking damn hot. They have their iphones and tablets and watch CZcams videos and tweet. What's so barbaric about that? X

    • @markeff8511
      @markeff8511 Před 8 lety +7

      Because those are Italians not Romans lol The Roman Empire was spread out all over Europe and Northern Africa 2000 years ago it just so happens that it's capital is located in modern day Italy (Which has only been a country since 1861 when all the kingdoms in the Italian peninsula united into one). Many Europeans if not most will have Roman ancestors especially people in the Romance speaking countries (Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Romania).

    • @chrislawton9557
      @chrislawton9557 Před 8 lety +1

      What a stupid comment!

    • @chrislawton9557
      @chrislawton9557 Před 8 lety

      I doubt it

    • @chrislawton9557
      @chrislawton9557 Před 8 lety

      Of course I'd laugh at that, who wouldn't? Laughing at the rest of Europe is even funnier.

    • @shanelevene4864
      @shanelevene4864 Před 8 lety

      Then my respect for you is intact... I'm sure you'll be delighted to hear that! X

  • @catherinethomas2906
    @catherinethomas2906 Před 2 lety

    actually bj is correct they were

  • @valentino3191
    @valentino3191 Před 4 lety +2

    The Roman Republic NEVER practiced democracy. Once the Kings were expelled and the Res Publica was established, Rome was an Imperial, Aristocratic Republic ruled by about 30 Noble families that held the high offices of state. And while the Consuls, Praetors and Tribunes may have been elected by the tribal assemblies, it was nothing even remotely resembling democracy. This guy needs to study Roman history better.

    • @teseofabbri1812
      @teseofabbri1812 Před 4 lety

      Greek democracy functioned in the same way and collapsed much faster.

  • @MapleSyrupPoet
    @MapleSyrupPoet Před 2 lety +3

    Boris is very intelligent ...sharp guy ...knows his history ❤💙

    • @unoqualunque993
      @unoqualunque993 Před rokem +1

      Listen buddy, apparently nor you, nor him know anything about the Romans, or history at all.

    • @MapleSyrupPoet
      @MapleSyrupPoet Před rokem

      @@unoqualunque993 I agree ...I'm open to learning/understanding my friend #teachable

    • @unoqualunque993
      @unoqualunque993 Před rokem

      @@MapleSyrupPoet then do not assume he is intelligent, or that knows history. For the learning part I've no time to explain, but if you are willing to learn so much you can search the topics for yourself, you have a phone after all.
      Altho I can give a little summary.
      In the Colosseum gladiators didn't die, it was Really rare that a gladiator died in the Colosseum because of the wounds, but the whole thing was never meant to kill, but only to provide entertainment. You see, what would happen if today after an actor acted in a series of films, (like pirates of the Caribbean)he suddendly retires? The film maker (disney in this case) is going to lose a lot of Money, so it was for battles in the Colosseum, a dead gladiator wasn't good for business, the Romans were not bloodthirsty as the idiot Boris Johnson wants to make them appear.
      The democracy thing never worked, and for that matter it doesn't work today. Look at biden, Boris Johnson himself, and all the leaders of the world with democracy, is the situation in their country good? The Romans, in part of the period of the Roman empire, the emperor was choosen by skill, and that always worked. In my country, democracy was installed by idiots like the British and Americans, now my country is their colony, and the democracy they left us with is bringing us always closer to the abyss.

    • @MapleSyrupPoet
      @MapleSyrupPoet Před rokem

      @@unoqualunque993 thanks for teaching lesson ...abyss yes, I agree ...Communism is for dummies ...for the weak, not strong ...I'd rather die free, than live as slave to dummies. My community I was raised in, had many nationalities within its midst. We prospered, because we were united by Christianity ...not perfect Christianity, but Christianity was the norm. Our democracies have allowed Barbarians to take root - Anti-Christian tribes. There having more children than us Christians. This arrangement in democratic societies will not work. Mixing religions, counter to Christianity (Judeo-Christian) is recipe for disaster, eventually

  • @gregtees9995
    @gregtees9995 Před rokem

    Takes one to know one.

  • @ByzantineCapitalManagement

    It's so nice to see that the British finally acknowledging this fact. Romans killed their culture and the Brits in turn killed others through colonialism.

    • @michaelsantos8377
      @michaelsantos8377 Před 4 lety +4

      Rome is the greatest civilization in history. Brittain were far more cruel and racist towards other civilizations. The Romans were far more educated even in 2000 years ago. The British were cruel and that was just like 300 year ago.

    • @assasin738
      @assasin738 Před 2 lety +1

      The greatest would be ancient china empire

    • @mikeno8192
      @mikeno8192 Před 2 lety +2

      Michael Santos: Of all the European powers 2-300 years ago, Britain was far less cruel, compared to the French, Spanish etc. it was British who abolished slavery and pushed other countries to do the same for good. And had much more benign later colonisation than other countries. Rome? Rome treated other nations as slaves throughout centuries.

    • @ssrmy1782
      @ssrmy1782 Před 2 lety

      The idea that the British were more cruel than the Romans is idiotic nonsense and shows what happens when people are poorly educated.

    • @IsaacRainford21
      @IsaacRainford21 Před rokem

      @@michaelsantos8377 greatest civilization? Lol where are they now?

  • @-_--vx5hz
    @-_--vx5hz Před 5 lety +4

    completely true

  • @nicolinapinto6614
    @nicolinapinto6614 Před 4 lety +3

    unbilievable! the Romans took us streets , roads , trade and commerce , new cities ...LONDINIUM

  • @stephaniehardwall9839
    @stephaniehardwall9839 Před 3 lety

    Like you really

  • @arthurheidt6373
    @arthurheidt6373 Před 5 lety

    jeah lets look how the romans threated the proletarians they basically invaded other countries in order to enslave the population for their billionaires.

    • @si4632
      @si4632 Před 5 lety +3

      better life under roman rule this can not be denied lol

    • @arthurheidt6373
      @arthurheidt6373 Před 5 lety

      @@si4632 not for the slaves

  • @Kolious_Thrace
    @Kolious_Thrace Před 2 lety +3

    Well said Mr Johnson👏🏻

    • @andreakevin8685
      @andreakevin8685 Před rokem

      Say the poor Greek lol . Your "democracy" was far worse than Roman emperialism. A civilisation that called others barbarians, the First concept of racism created by Humans kind Is not something to be proud of

    • @unoqualunque993
      @unoqualunque993 Před rokem

      Ah yes, the ignorant greek, like it always has been.

    • @Goldenskies__
      @Goldenskies__ Před rokem

      Just so you know... His grandfather was Turkish. It might be right for you, but I'm not taking democracy lessons from an Ottoman. Lol.

  • @SkurtavusGrodolfus
    @SkurtavusGrodolfus Před 4 lety +2

    It's true. For all the greatness they achieved, I dare say they were more barbaric than the feared and reviled Germanic Tribes past the eastern shores of the Rhine, if only because their capacity for commiting atrocities was greater.

    • @SkurtavusGrodolfus
      @SkurtavusGrodolfus Před 4 lety

      @Marshmallow You clearly are subliterate since you completely missed the point of my comment. Read it again, and if you don't understand don't bother responding again.

  • @Mat-Teo
    @Mat-Teo Před 7 lety +7

    This man can't be serious!

  • @tokenwhite1810
    @tokenwhite1810 Před 2 lety

    Even if it wasn’t perfect,
    a civilization having a democracy, while other folks were living in caves

    • @JJaqn05
      @JJaqn05 Před 2 lety

      Rome was not a democracy

    • @tokenwhite1810
      @tokenwhite1810 Před 2 lety

      @@JJaqn05 i was talking about greece

    • @andreakevin8685
      @andreakevin8685 Před rokem

      Wrong. The idea of history we have in the Western part of the world Is Eurocentric!! Persia, Egypt, China and India did not live in the caves at the time, instead they were far more advanced than the majority of Greek cities

    • @tokenwhite1810
      @tokenwhite1810 Před rokem

      @@andreakevin8685 persia egypt and china had no democracy it was brutal monarchy.

  • @hegemonersmith1048
    @hegemonersmith1048 Před 3 lety +2

    Of course BoJo, the fake intellectual, lost the debate to the wonderful Professor Mary Beard, who actually knows what she is talking about because she has been actively researching and studying this area for many years. BoJo’s sheer, overwhelming chutzpah never ceases to amaze.