Did the Romans destroy Europe's HIV resistance?

New Scientist ^ | Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | Matt Walker

[Antoninus]

In fact, homosexual acts were accepted among the Romans too. There was a saying about Julius Caesar that went something like this: “To every wife he was a husband, to every husband a wife.”

This only happened in the late Republic and the practice was restricted mainly to the elites who were educated by Greek pedagogues.

There were still plenty of Romans who found the practice of sodomy and pederasty abhorrent.

[Antoninus]

Hell, Hadrian was an out and out flamer. Built a city and named for his boyfriend who drowned. But nobody refers to an unnatural act of intercourse as “going Roman”.

That's because the practice was never as accepted in the Roman west as it was in the Greek east. Those who participated were often the subjects of mockery.

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, that was ridiculous. At its peak, the Spanish Lady influenza pandemic killed more PER WEEK than AIDS has killed in its known history.

[SunkenCiv]

I thought it was the Egyptians...

[InABunkerUnderSF]

He was at least half Syrian.

True, but by that time, what WAS an ethnic Roman? Trajan was from Spain, Septimius was from North Africa and while both were from families that had been Roman citizens for generations the Romans were never great respecters of ethnic purity.

[Antoninus]

True, but by that time, what WAS an ethnic Roman?

Being Roman implied more than just ethnic purity. They didn't really even speak in strictly ethnic terms in ancient times. Being a Roman was mainly a cultural thing. Elagabalus may have had a Roman father, but his mother was culturally (and probably ethnically) from the East. He certainly inherited more from her than from him.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

No argument there. He and Mommy got what they deserved in the end.

[Pontiac]

At its peak, the Spanish Lady influenza pandemic killed more PER WEEK than AIDS has killed in its known history.

Not to mention someone with AIDS can live relatively normally for years after infection.

A person could leave for work perfectly healthy, contract the flue and die before reaching work.

The tendency in the western world to inflate the importance and severity of every minor problem drives me nuts.

The quality of life in the world today is the best it has ever been in recorded history.

Yes there are problems that need to be addressed but not every one of them is an emergency. AIDS is a problem. One possible solution is known and has been known for decades. The problem is that it requires behavior changes in the population of a certain politically powerful group. (Powerful beyond what its numbers would suggest)

The real problem is that so called educated people buy in to this over inflation of importance.

If you point out this exaggeration of importance you are labeled insensitive or homophobe. And naturally no one will ever debate the facts with you. You are just shouted down.