Back in the days of Ancient Rome, around 80,000 people would gather to watch some poor bugger fight for his life against his opponent – normally another man or an animal that was fighting for his or its life. The crowd laughed, cheered and barracked for their favourite with little regards to who or what was fighting the battle.
All they wanted was blood. And a lot of it.
The Colosseum was the home of incredible violence and theatrical drama to entertain and delight the bored masses who lived in luxury, decadence and privilege.
The People of Ancient Rome were bored.
When one section of human life is so lacking in purpose and so privileged that it has no other purpose than to seek the entertainment of slaughter, murder, destruction of others? Then call it what it was and is:
ENTERTAINMENT.
Social Media today is indeed a modern colosseum. Complete strangers attack, cheer on and use verbal weaponry to support someone, anyone, as long as there is blood on the ground and there is a body lying dead at the end of it.
MODERN DAY fights in the colosseum are now fought out on twitter, instagram,, tik tok, facebook and blogs.
The problem is that we often allow ourselves to be baited and we strike back. Of course, this is what the spectators ( trolls ) want and, I, like a fool, fell for it.
Sadly, the loser is a foregone conclusion. In this case, it was me.
I have fallen for it and, to my shame, reacted to the taunts and have come out the loser for it. By acting or reacting, we/I lose our dignity when tempers are lost.
Unlike the lions, slaves or gladiators of past eras, I, like you, have a choice: to stay and fight or walk out.
I am sitting here wondering why I even walked into the arena in the first place? Surely I know that to do so is putting me in dangerous territory? Yet, walk in I did, and made the same mistake, hoping for a different outcome.
In ancient Rome people gathered to celebrate the death of people or animals they did not give a shit about and applauded their death.
They clapped and cheered when a lion or a slave died.
What has changed? Nothing.
Perhaps, in truth, the problem lies at the feet of the spectators. If the crowds weren’t there, would the blood sports exist? Who would be interested in two people having a barney if there was no one to witness it?
For myself, I can only say that I have made a decision to cancel my season ticket to the colosseum.
I far prefer to sit here, write my blog and engage with friends of a like mind.
The decision to walk away or put myself in a place where I know that I will not be entertained but BE the entertainment is a no brainer.
I regret my words, temper and lapse of judgement.
This Lion is no pussycat but I will not walk in to the arena and play the game for other’s amusement again.
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