We are good, WHOLESOME enjoyers of violent history here!

As a white guy with a beard who works in tech and plays warhammer, my hand is in here too.

I used to work with a guy who saw "300" and became convinced that Sparta and the way Sparta did things was perfect and that's why they won wars, and everyone should be like Sparta. When I discussed the issue with him and disagreed, he offered to wrestle me.
- Well, did you? And how gay was it?
  I'm asking for me.
  
  Yes of course I wrestled him.
  It went okay.
- I used to work with a guy who saw “300” and became convinced that Sparta and the way Sparta did things was perfect and that’s why they won wars, and everyone should be like Sparta.
  ... does he remember that the Spartans die at the end of 300
  
  But a hero's death!
- Ya know, the Spartans only were better at fighting than the other Greeks because they trained. Once the other cultures started training, they lost the head start they had.
  
  Not even. There is no evidence for special training. Their battle record was average and their reputation mostly manufactured. This entry of a blog series on the myth of Sparta dissects that particular justification frequently offered for all the inhumanity laid out in the preceding posts.
- I mean, they certainly didn't lose any battles that one time Phillip II of Macedon marched in... because they never offered any and just let him take what he wanted. Can't lose if you never fight, right?
- Big Joel did a solid breakdown of how pro-fasc 300 was. Shamed to admit I never realized it when I watched when I was young and it was new. I was just like, oooo slow-mo fight scenes, epic!
  It's also, like, super gay in hindsight. Super, super gay. I never fully understood how it was so idolized by men back then when it was basically just slow-mo bros with huge muscles all greased up and stuff.
  
  The Western conceptualization of masculinity is obsessed with violence, war and domination with being a protector of others (including animals and nature) being an afterthought so this is really not all that surprising if you have any exposure outside of the confines of that world view.
  This is mainly a consequence of individualism which Western thought has sent into overdrive.

Another one: Bald guys who shave their head
- Why do you shave your head if you are bald?
  
  Because the medieval monk hair style doesn't work for everyone.
  
  Self acceptance. Hygiene. Bodily autonomy. Illusion of choice. Style preference. Depends on the person.
  If you are balding, you've really only got the choice between shaving and not shaving. Many prefer to feel like they still have some agency in the matter.

Ah, but see the influence war has had on societal cultures and its continued......
ah, anyway, yeah.
Doesn't help im an army brat with a southern accent and look like a redneck.
Really surprises people im a gay, chinese, history buff.
- Huh
- I am sorry if this is inappropriate but I don't really have an internal filter of what I can and can't say...
  So I wanted to ask, as there are a lot of stereotypes about it, how was your parents reaction when you came out(if you did)?
  
  There is, some of my friends had rough times about it. Disowned, kicked to the street then and there. There is a sterotype because it is bad, and I don't live in the deep south.
  My father isn't really in the picture and thankfully my mom is an odd old sort of conservative where she believes thats a personal behing closed doors sort of deal between a person, thier partners and god. She dislikes the whole coming out type of stuff but its because she says that should be kept to oneself, that its nobody's business and perverted to concern yourself with someones sexual preferences and to proclaim your sexual preferences. Its almost funny, shes held the same beliefs all her life, been staunchly republican all the while but now people are starting to call her liberal. When it came up she said "Okay, that's your business"
  Something that helped me was knowing in the bible it says it is Gods job to judge people, not anyone elses, that you should not judge a person for sin but treat them equally. No matter what anyone says they think God believes, he said if they cast hatred in their hearts they are sinners.
  Good luck to you, and to anyone else struggling. May you find peace and happiness in your life.

People with a certain buddhist tattoo

I hate living in this timeline where everything is being questioned in this way. I miss when people could just have interests without some assholes making it political for some psychotic reason. Honestly, those who are the most eager to project extremist political motives into everything other people do should probably take a good hard look in the mirror.
- People simping for imperial empires have historically been poltical with it. Mussolini Italy was big on ancient Rome. Greek Nazis always have been big on Ancient Greece. Look at the Washington Obelisk simping for pharaonic Egypt. Napoleons Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Neoclassical interpretation of roman architecture...
  I am afraid the time you refer to never existed.
  
  "Simping for" is fundamentally different from being interested in the history of. In some cases, quite the opposite.
  I spent some time researching the legal frameworks of American slavery, and a ton of time on racist laws between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in large part because I think that it is under reported just how racist the origins of a lot of our day to day lives are. So when I'm deep in the weeds on racist history, it's often because I can see the parallels today and don't want to reinvent the wheel on stamping out the pockets of racism I actually have the power to change.
  
  No no. I'm sure there have always been crazy assholes who like things that normal people also like. The difference from the time I'm talking about and now is that the fringe psychos didn't get to represent whole areas of interests and thereby have people who are on the outside of the interest, paint all people with the interest as fascists.
  That is the difference. I miss when people could have interests without having to defend themselves against trigger happy people who see ghosts in every corner.
- It has always been political

Military history is for the, well, history-obsessed nerds. But Greece is for the gays. Norse is for the fantasy-obsessed nerds. Rome is both for the gays and history-obsessed nerds.
... It's me. I am the gay, fantasy-obsessed, history-obsessed nerd.
I just bought Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, a historical-adjacent retelling of Hadrian from his own perspective based on texts written at the time. And I, too, think of the Romans every day.
I also picked up The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, which is a history of England from the early, early years onward (The Last Kingdom TV show discusses King Alfred's Chronicles, this is that book). Trying to find a good source for The War of Roses, and a copy of Graham Turners art of the period.
I read Sappho to my wife as she fell asleep on arm. That's Greek and gay!
Plus I'm juggling Matemorphosis by Ovid (Roman myths), another Anglo-Saxon book, two mangas, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Stormlight Archives bk 2 which is the main reading focus. All while I'm trying to find a copy of Poetic Edda for Norse poetry, too.
Gay, fantasy-obsessed, history-obsessed nerd, with a likely serving of fkn ADD, yeesh,
- I read Sappho to my wife as she fell asleep on arm. That's Rome and gay!
  That's Greek? She's from the Greek island of Lesbos around 600 BC.
  
  Ooop, caught my mistake hah. Thanks! I'll edit it. Dunno why I put Rome lol. Her poems are interesting though. The whole "Sappho and her friend" take is legitimate but I think she was at least bi, though. With lines like:
  "Although clumsy, Mnasidica has a more shapely figure than our gentle Gyrinno"
  Or,
  "The gods bless you May you sleep then On some tender Girl friend's breast"
  I think about her poetry often haha. Though my favorite is:
  "Although they are Only breath, words which I command are immortal"
  Fuckin iconic 👑
- If you like Rome and manga, might I suggest Ad Astra: Scipio and Hannibal?
  
  I'm more of a passing interest in manga; currently with ones called Blade of the Immortal (Omnibus), Star Blazers 2199 (Omnibus) and I'm following a vampire one called Happiness. I started Berserk, but haven't gotten far, too. I've been trying to find a cheap copy of Planetes because it's been highly recommended to me.
  Besides the above, I've never really read much of it. I tried one that was supposed to be a romance but it was a harvest spirit fox-girl? That one grossed me out.
  But I will for sure look into that one and maybe add that to my list! Thanks for the recommendation!

They are moving in on Byzantine Empire history as well (I guess that's sort of Roman history as well)