discussion. Although this is apparently because women had
discovered men actually think about it quite a lot.
Now, there are numerous videos looking at exactly why this is
the case (and several compilation videos) but explanations
have varied. People Magazine suggested Rome has
historically been over-emphasized in Western Societies. The
Washington Post suggested its about the over-emphasis of
the masculinity of Rome. Others have suggested that men
and women are essentially 'built different' mentally and that
Rome hits a sweet spot of all the things men care about.
I'm not sure I completely buy any of these explanations. For
myself, I'm a monarchist and a student of history; Rome
comes up a lot. But if I were into sports, engineering,
linguistics, or economics, Rome would be unavoidable in
those fields as well.
I think the quest to find the equivalent 'Rome Question' for
women is indicative. Some popular suggestions are the Salem
Witch Trials or Princess Diana. Fair enough, I don't think
about either topic all that much. But the question that I think
is probably the closest female equivalent is "How often do
you think about your ex-best friend?" And honestly, until I
saw that question I couldn't remember the last time I
thought about them but to an extent I had never put someone
in that box as an 'ex-best friend'. As a test I actually asked a
female coworker familiar with the meme when they last
thought about their ex-bestfriend and she said it was just the
other day. I asked a male coworker and he paused for a
second and replied, "I think the question is how often do I
think about my current best friend, because its not a lot."
And in a way the questions are the same. One's best friend can
shape your life in ways that are both subtle and profound. In
a similar vein, Roman influence permeates Western society in
ways we aren't always fully aware of.
Ireland drew a straight line from
space shuttle design back to
Roman chariot standards. Now,
while cute, this line isn't as clear
as the meme would seem to
suggest. Still, it would seem that
in the modern world, at least on a
conceptual level, all roads do still lead to Rome.
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour