Rome's Imperial Period and the US Today

Looking through Rome's Imperial period and especially reading through Juvenal's Satire III it is very interesting to see many parallels to the US today. Many of the problems they were faced with then are still problems today. We like to think that our society has changed a lot however in reality we haven't solved many of our problems.

• Sexism--"...seeing that the praetor is bidding the lictor to go full speed lest his colleague should be the first to salute the childless ladies Albina and Modia, who have long ago been awake?" Although this was an issue during the Roman time and is also a problem now I think that it has changed in nature. Before women didn't do a lot, they cooked and took care of the house and took care of the children. They didn't really leave the house. They didn't have a whole lot of say in things--they couldn't vote, etc. This is sexism but it's different from what sexism is today. Today women are working and voting and doing everything men do. I think that sexism today is more in the attitudes of people. In Roman time all this was accepted by everyone, that's just how it was. People didn't recognize that it was a problem. Nowadays people are aware of the problem and people are trying to change it.
• Discrimination based on race/age--"And now let me speak at once of the race which is most dear to our rich men, and which I avoid above all others; no shyness shall stand in my way. I cannot abide, Quirites, a Rome of Greeks; and yet what fraction of our dregs comes from Greece?" It's interesting to see the hatred toward the Greeks throughout Satire III. Juvenal paints them to be these conniving people who try to worm their way into the high class through flattery and buttering people up. He paints them as this awful race who really don't belong in Rome. Today we still see people who think that other races shouldn't be in America or are less then Americans and are trying to worm their way in. It is very interesting to see that this perspective is still around and like I mentioned before, we think we have changed so much but have we really?  
• Homelessness/poverty--"Poor Codrus had nothing, it is true: but he lost that nothing, which was his all; and the last straw in his heap of misery is this, that though he is destitute and begging for a bite, no one will help him with a meal, no one offer him lodging or shelter." After reading Satire III it is very apparent that poverty was a big issue in Rome just like it is today and people felt that not enough was being done to help it just like today. Juvenal very pointedly tells us that there was a large difference between the rich and the poor and we're seeing that again in our society--the rich are very rich and the poor are very poor and the middle class is shrinking.
• Discrimination based on sexual orientation--"Besides all this, there is nothing sacred to his lusts: not the matron of the family, nor the maiden daughter, not the as yet unbearded son-in-law to be, not even the as yet unpolluted son; if none of these be there, he will debauch his friend's grandmother." This is an issue that I think has changed quite a bit since Roman times. I'm sure it was frowned upon then but I don't really think it was something that was discussed a lot or brought out in the open. Today this is a huge controversial area. There are so many debates about it and I think in a lot of ways it has taken the spotlight. Everybody is aware of this discussion on sexual orientation whereas then I don't think it was largely discussed.
• Immigration--"Is a man to sign his name before me, and recline upon a couch better than mine, who has been wafted to Rome by the wind which brings us our damsons and our figs? Is it to go so utterly for nothing that as a babe I drank in the air of the Aventine, and was nurtured on the Sabine berry?" In this part of Satire III we can see that Juvenal really feels like all these non-Romans are worming their way into things and places that should belong to those who are true Romans. He feels that they're taking what is rightfully his. This parallels a lot of people's thoughts today on people coming from other countries. People feel that their jobs are being taken from them and that as Americans they should get first dibs so to speak. Very interesting to see that this mentality really hasn't changed a lot since ancient times.

Social Problems in the US today

• Sexism--sexism has been a problem for a long time. It is a problem just about everywhere in the world and definitely still a problem in the US. Although things have changed with this issue and seem to have gotten much better, it is still around. Now it is more subtle, not as blatant. I don't think that sexism is something that will really ever go away. It may tip more one way or another--more toward men or women--but it's very difficult to achieve an exact balance in this sort of area.
• Discrimination in the work place based on race/age--This is something that people have been making a conscious effort to change but just like sexism it is definitely still around. As somebody younger I see this against youth all the time. People think we are inexperienced or don't take things seriously because of our age. 
• Homelessness--Homelessness is a large issue in society as well. It affects more people then I think we realize. It's something that a lot of the time I find I don't think about because I'm not in a place where I see it a lot. It's an issue I find I forget about sometimes but it is still big.
• Discrimination based on sexual orientation--this is a huge problem in our society at the moment. It has become a very sensitive topic for most and also a topic of heated discussion. 
• Immigration--This is another big issue in the US that I have heard mentioned many times. Immigrants often come here to start a better life, to get in a better situation. The US is the land of opportunities for many people however we aren't always as welcoming as we should or could be to these people. People here feel as though their jobs are being taken from them when in reality the economy can support this and especially new jobs that come about as these new people come.