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Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

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Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#31

Post by sam_goody »

The current politician who had a mastery of humor was Ronald Regan (formerly Bozo the clown).

It was used to great effect - mostly to villianize Russia, but as needed against all of his opponents. When he was criticized for his age, he responded "I won't use my opponent's lack of experience against him" gaining a laugh and owning the conversation (worth watching).

It also made him more approachable and liked by the common man (and hated by the media, but whatever...)

"I've instructed my aids that in case of emergency they should wake me in all circumstances; even in a cabinet meeting!"

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#32

Post by permo-w »

sam_goody wrote: post #31

The current politician who had a mastery of humor was Ronald Regan (formerly Bozo the clown). It was used to great effect - mostly to villianize Russia, but as needed against all of his opponents. When he was criticized for his age, he responded "I won't use my opponent's lack of experience against him" gaining a laugh and owning the conversation (worth watching). It also made him more approachable and liked by the c…

Reagan often used humour in the form of jokes that were clearly laid out in a very traditional way: joke set-up, unexpected twist

His humour took a very defined and clever format. However, he’s absolutely not the recent politician to use humour. While Trump’s humour is less clearly defined than Reagan’s, he still uses it to great effect. The same for Boris Johnson, or Putin, and Obama too.

Especially Trump though. Trump plays his rallies like a stand-up gig

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#33

Post by bryanrasmussen »

sam_goody wrote: post #31

The current politician who had a mastery of humor was Ronald Regan (formerly Bozo the clown). It was used to great effect - mostly to villianize Russia, but as needed against all of his opponents. When he was criticized for his age, he responded "I won't use my opponent's lack of experience against him" gaining a laugh and owning the conversation (worth watching). It also made him more approachable and liked by the c…

>The current politician who had a mastery of humor was Ronald Regan (formerly Bozo the clown).

I don't believe Reagan was ever Bozo, perhaps you are thinking of his starring role in Bedtime For Bonzo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedtime_for_Bonzo in which he also did not play Bonzo.

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#34

Post by jonquark »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #23
gerdesj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"in remembrance of what really happened in Tiananmen Square." That event is still remembered across the world. Recently the Register noted that "Tank man" vanished for a while from certain search engines but has made some re-appearances again. It may also surprise you to learn that "Cicero sic in omnibus, et Brutus aderat" (Big C puked in the bus and Brutus had a rat) I understand where you are coming from and I thin…

> "Cicero sic in omnibus, et Brutus aderat" This would appear to mean "Cicero [was] this way in everything, and Brutus was there", which comes across as two clauses with absolutely no connection between them. On the other hand, it is comprehensible Latin, unlike "semper ubi sub ubi". Is it a quote from a real source, or was it composed purely for the sake of sounding like English when read in the British standard Lat…

See the section about "Down with skool" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Latin

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#35

Post by mandmandam »

sam_goody wrote: post #31

The current politician who had a mastery of humor was Ronald Regan (formerly Bozo the clown). It was used to great effect - mostly to villianize Russia, but as needed against all of his opponents. When he was criticized for his age, he responded "I won't use my opponent's lack of experience against him" gaining a laugh and owning the conversation (worth watching). It also made him more approachable and liked by the c…

Doug Gamble wrote that shit; Reagan was just dry Satan toast.

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#36

Post by thaumasiotes »

jonquark wrote: post #34
thaumasiotes wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Cicero sic in omnibus, et Brutus aderat" This would appear to mean "Cicero [was] this way in everything, and Brutus was there", which comes across as two clauses with absolutely no connection between them. On the other hand, it is comprehensible Latin, unlike "semper ubi sub ubi". Is it a quote from a real source, or was it composed purely for the sake of sounding like English when read in the British standard Lat…

See the section about "Down with skool" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Latin

Hm. That original poem is much better English and, of course, completely impossible Latin.

I find it interesting that what gerdesj remembered were two lines (in the wrong order) that didn't go together in the English, but which were also the only two lines that made sense as Latin.

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#37

Post by CalChris »

philipov wrote: post #25
CalChris wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cicero's father was of the equestrian order, not patrician but definitely not plebeian. Think upper middle class from the midwest who goes to the right schools and ends up in DC.

Calling equestrians the upper middle class is not accurate. They were firmly upper class, just the lower portion of the upper class. If the senatorial class was roughly the billionaires, then the equites were the ten and hundred millionaires. Perhaps not as rich as the very top of the upper class, but still a league above the upper middle class.

Yes, calling Equestrians the upper middle class is not accurate. Our classes don't accurately map on to Roman classes; it was just a flip remark. Nouveau riche doesn't work either.

However, the Senatorial class was not an economic distinction either but rather an aristocracy. Even in the Late Republic these were old families who had had Senators and Consuls in their heredity. There were fewer of these clans, 14 at the time of Caesar (of the Julii clan). Cicero by comparison was of Equestrian rank and a New Man, novus homo, in the Roman political world.

Equestrians weren't knights anymore, expected to field a horse, .... The Roman legions had been professionalized by then. There were property and suitability requirements enforced by the Censors.

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#38

Post by Y_Y »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #23
gerdesj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"in remembrance of what really happened in Tiananmen Square." That event is still remembered across the world. Recently the Register noted that "Tank man" vanished for a while from certain search engines but has made some re-appearances again. It may also surprise you to learn that "Cicero sic in omnibus, et Brutus aderat" (Big C puked in the bus and Brutus had a rat) I understand where you are coming from and I thin…

> "Cicero sic in omnibus, et Brutus aderat" This would appear to mean "Cicero [was] this way in everything, and Brutus was there", which comes across as two clauses with absolutely no connection between them. On the other hand, it is comprehensible Latin, unlike "semper ubi sub ubi". Is it a quote from a real source, or was it composed purely for the sake of sounding like English when read in the British standard Lat…

  Caesar adsum jam forte
  Brutus aderat
  Caesar sic in omnibus
  Brutus sic in at

Re: Cicero used humor to charm audiences–and humiliate opponents

#40

Post by [deleted] »

MR4D wrote: post #7
SiVal wrote: post #3

This past weekend was to have been the annual vigil in the park in Hong Kong where thousands come out every year on June 4 in remembrance of what really happened in Tiananmen Square. This year, the park was empty. Not just a few, but empty. Those in power made statements in the Mainland "media", whose job is to persuade people to support those in power, about how misinformation needed to be eliminated and the terrori…

> the end Cicero was silenced by those who were taking power. This is a spin on the fact that he was a participant in the murder of Caesar. Cicero was trying to take back power that had been lost to a very popular Leader by participating in the murder of said leader.[0] The killers and conspirators involved were all hunted down and killed. [0] - for those not up on Roman institutions, Dictator had a different role th…

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