#oiclassics

An introduction

Welcome

My name is Sam, I’ve just turned 20 and I currently study Classics at the University of Leeds. In the space of about 200 500 words, I’m going to show you how the stuff we learn in classics can help you in pretty much all walks of life. Pretty rad.

Have you even noticed a situation pan out before your eyes, and a little voice in the back of your head screams “this must happened before”. Well, chances are you’re either a schizophrenic, or that little voice is right. History constantly repeats itself, to the point where it would be funny, if it weren’t for the repeating itself part leading to awful outcomes.

“But Sam, you’re just some stranger on the internet, why should I give a shit about what you have to say?” I hear you moan. Well, it comes down to this. The lessons you learn from Classics can be applied into a multitude of different careers and life choices.

Example

“Sam, I think you’re chatting nonsense. I want to go into politics, give me a relevant example of how I can use Classics”

A completely fair question. Let’s take a quick second to look at the Roman emperor Augustus, arguably one of the top dogs when it comes to being a politician. (dude convinced the public that they were living in a republic, whilst transforming Rome into an empire, gradually reducing the power of the senate and the people)

What lessons does Augustus teach us? Well, for a start, the importance of playing to the public’s perception of fear and happiness. He marketed himself as the saviour of the republic, following a bitter civil war that split brother from brother, friend from friend. When he said he was going to step down, the senate and public begged him to stay. Clever, right? How else do I make the public happy? Give them free games, days off work, and free food. Now I’m not saying you should walk through London handing out hotdogs and telling everyone to have the week off. But take a second to think about what you just read.

Do any politicians come to mind that prey on the public’s fear as a factor to drive home their policies? Nah, I couldn’t think of any either.