No, I’m only 48 years old, and I remember it. Sometimes it does seem like I dreamed it, though.
The past is another country. They do things differently there.
You know, I was watching Gladiator on HBO a few minutes ago, and I came out here and sat down at the computer because I wanted to google a little about the real-life Marcus Aurelius & his son, Commodus, and I was just reading about some of Commodus's antics after he became emperor:
The emperor also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a gladiator. This action was considered to be unusual conduct for an emperor by the people of Rome. The Roman people also found Commodus' naked gladiatorial combats as disgraceful and disgusting... Privately, it was his custom to slay his practice opponents. For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy.And in reading Sowell's piece and in thinking about it just now, it dawned on me that I, in calendar year 2008, feel about as far removed from any [hypothetical? mythical?] black American spirit of self-reliance [which Sowell is describing in his piece] as I feel removed from the Romans themselves.Commodus did raise the ire of many military officials in Rome for his Hercules persona in the arena. Often wounded soldiers and amputees would be placed in the arena for Commodus to slay with a sword. Commodus' eccentric behavior would not stop there. Citizens of Rome missing their feet due to accident or disease were taken to the arena where they were tethered together for Commodus to club to death while pretending they were giants.
It literally feels as though Sowell is talking about the ancient history of long-extinct peoples.