| Francis Wheen's top 10 modern delusions: 1. "God is on our side"; 2. The market is rational; 3. There is no such thing as reality; 4. We mustn't be "judgmental"; 5. Laissez-faire capitalism is the prerequisite for trade and prosperity; 6. Astrology and similar delusions are "harmless fun"; 7. Thin air is solid; 8. Sentimental hysteria is a sign of emotional maturity; 9. America's economic success is entirely due to private enterprise; 10. "It could be you..." |
It's all Greek to me ;-D
Stephen Halliwell GREEK LAUGHTER A study of cultural psychology from Homer to early Christianity In the third century BC, when Roman ambassadors were negotiating with the Greek city of Tarentum, an ill-judged laugh put paid to any hope of peace. Ancient writers disagree about the exact cause of the mirth, but they agree that Greek laughter was the final straw in driving the Romans to war. One account points the finger at the bad Greek of the leading Roman ambassador, Postumius. It was so ungrammatical and strangely accented that the Tarentines could not conceal their amusement. The historian Dio Cassius, by contrast, laid the blame on the Romans’ national dress. “So far from receiving them decently”, he wrote, “the Tarentines laughed at the Roman toga among other things. It was the city garb, which we use in the Forum. And the envoys had put this on, whether to make a suitably dignified impression or out of fear – thinking that it would make the Tarentines respect them. But in fact g...
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