Debriefing The Superbowl: Are we a gladiator culture?

          Every Superbowl Sunday it seems, a new news article is published which likens the sport of football to the Gladiatorial games of Rome. As someone who is studying both anthropology and history, it is interesting to make connections from antiquity to the modern era, but these comparisons have to be analyzed along with the social and political framework of the times they are a product of.

          Let's take a closer look at American football with Roman gladiator culture in mind. These are the comparisons I have seen most commonly drawn. The setting: a football stadium, not unlike in appearance and function to a Roman coliseum. The players: athletes who have formed a communitas around a game which encourages displays of strength and speed, violence and danger. The crowd: everyday people, i.e. the 'mob,' are the spectators. A few distinctions must be made.

          Are American footballers modern-day Gladiators? Although Americans often seem to project the notion upon them and compare their violent game-play and celebrity status to Roman gladiators, we are not Rome. Roman gladiators were generally slaves, owned by the business class, and exploited for the entertainment of their blood splattering the arena. Rome was a culture that was martial throughout her history, and violence was integrated into military, political, and social spheres. They did not have any qualms about the head and hands of Cicero decorating the Rostra of the Roman Forum, and violence, especially at the close of the Republic, was the most expedient and efficient way for ambitious men to manipulate politics. It is certain that the Roman people were desentized to violence to a degree that is grossly disproportionate to modern Americans. The ancient world was an unforgiving and erratic place.

            This is not to say that we are not a martial culture, because we are. It is partly the violence of the game that entertains us. We do not, however, enjoy the spectacle of violence as a triumph of free citizens over slaves, and status over non-status as in Rome. American footballers are free citizens, not slaves as most gladiators were. Successful gladiators were sometimes given their freedom, along with wealth, social celebrity and prestige. However, it would have been difficult even for retired gladiators to have a political career, the most desired path for ambitious Roman men. Furthermore, they would likely not have lived long enough to enjoy fame or freedom. Free citizens were levied into the Roman legion if there was need of them or if the current political climate allowed, but this practice would have been intermittent. So, ex-gladiators as free citizens would probably not have had the opportunity for a political or military career.

         
            Overall, the game of American football does embody a collective set of values, some of which I think are competitiveness and a martial attitude but also hope, spirit, and team support.  I don't think the Roman people put as much emphasis on the last three as we do, and much more on the first two.

My Generation

My generation is coming of age at a unique time in the world in which globalization and the internet give us a connectedness that is completely unprecedented in history. Technologies supporting these new networks of people are evolving at a lightning fast rate and we are increasingly finding ways to connect virtually in ways that were not possible before. Professionals, students, families, activists, politicians, and your dog  are creating virtual communities in all facets of culture all over the world. The January 25th Egyptian Revolution in 2011 would not likely have gotten the civilian response of activism that it did if social media had not played a large role in documenting the peaceful protest which went viral on YouTube and other personal media. This is not to say that the response of ordinary people was a direct cause of the resignation of Mubarak, but it was definitely relevant to the ultimate outcome and was important in scaling awareness to the global community.

Never before have we been able to respond and gather support for a cause with such density and rapid-fire outreach as with the technology that has developed in the last twenty years. These new tools can be used for the spread of ideas and the coalescing of groups with common goals, which is taking activism to a new level.

And activism is what has been proposed to my generation. It is not something that we have chosen, but not something that is optional, either. Conflict and war over depleting sources of fresh water and fossil fuels, global warming, overpopulation, these are all things that my generation is faced with and it has become our responsibility to act. I want my grandchildren to enjoy the National Parks, clean air, heirloom tomatoes, fresh water, and corners of the world that are still wild.

I have hope in us to accomplish this. I get confidence from the fact that we are exploring and producing alternate and efficient forms of energy, that we are eating more locally produced food, and that we are becoming less reliant on non-renewable energy sources. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources in Germany has increased from 6.3% in the year 2000 to 25% in 2012. Worldwide, the use of wind power is increasing 20% annually with the global use of photovotalic cells doubling every year since 2004.

I recently watched an especially inspiring documentary called "Solar Mamas" which focuses on the Barefoot College, a college in India that trains women of marginalized communities to engineer photovotalic cells. After six months at the college these women return to their communities all over the world and are able to set up a sustainable and self-sufficient solar energy infrastructure. It struck me that a college in rural India could have such an impact as this, that a small college with dirt floors and just a few professors could empower women of the global south, many of them illiterate, and give them a new found sense of self-worth and knowledge that made a vital impact on their communities.

A link to the Barefoot College is here: http://www.barefootcollege.org/

My generation certainly has a full plate, but programs like the Barefoot College remind me what can be accomplished with a few really good ideas and a motivated group of people.

Outreach is becoming the easy part, we just have to start the dialogue.