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PugJesus

PugJesus@kbin.social
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Cripple. History Major. Vaguely left-wing.

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Von Steuben was much-beloved by the troops - in part because he was a big, imposing, proper military fellow who swept in to teach them how to fight a real war at the Continental Army’s darkest hour, and in part because he made a great effort to understand and communicate with the American enlisted men. But also because he, a German fresh from Europe, spoke some French but no English, but very quickly made it a priority to add English profanity to his vocabulary so he could curse in three languages. Soldiery never changes, it seems!

The lively and rough Von Steuben would continue drilling American forces for the rest of the war, writing the first and longest-lasting US military manual, establishing traditions of the US Army, and eventually retiring to a peaceful existence in the new US with his two (ahem) ‘adopted sons’; both officers who he met during the Revolutionary War.

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Far fewer, not systematically; mostly unnaturalized immigrants and those with connections to the Italian government. Many of them were released before the war’s end. But yes.

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Roman standards on sexuality were very weird to modern eyes. A lot of it is tied up in power dynamics, which the Romans were obsessed with.

At the same time, Romans were a very sexual culture, especially in contrast to later Christian European cultures. A large penis was comical - but also was considered a symbol of good luck! So you get things like penis pendants and furniture with legs made to look like dicks. This little bit in particular is a VERY NSFW bell-holder. Brothels would advertise themselves with big ol’ dicks outside, or in the stone streets. Graffiti includes both crudely drawn pornography as well as such gems as “Don’t perform oral sex on women against the city wall like a dog!” and “So-and-so is an excellent dick-sucker”. Wealthy Roman houses are positively covered in pornographic drawings - including ‘emasculating’ sex positions - and the same with vases, mosaics, bas-relief, even coins.

It’s a strange dynamic!

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[cackling in ‘anyone-but-shithead-worshiper’]

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Explanation: Romans, unlike some Greek sources, did not find a small penis to be attractive - but an overly large penis was considered comical and barbaric. I suppose the “I’m perfectly average!” was the real mating call of the Roman man.

Also, going down on a woman was considered emasculating. Nonetheless; it was acknowledged as often happening (and used as an insult), and male prostitutes are recorded advertising their prices for cunnilingus.

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Explanation: Romans, unlike some Greek sources, did not find a small penis to be attractive - but an overly large penis was considered comical and barbaric. I suppose the “I’m perfectly average!” was the real mating call of the Roman man.

Also, going down on a woman was considered emasculating. Nonetheless; it was acknowledged as often happening (and used as an insult), and male prostitutes are recorded advertising their prices for cunnilingus.

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TERF island is at it again, huh?

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Oh yeah, Israel was instrumental in Hamas’s rise and sustainment. It’s just that Hamas would never have gotten the opening if Fatah didn’t become either hilariously or sickeningly corrupt, depending on whether you feel like laughing or crying at the absurdism of the world at the given moment.

And now Israel is trying to genocide Palestinians while blaming their own tool, Hamas. What a fucking shitshow.

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Every source I’ve seen refers to it as a tricycle. I don’t know what the additional two wheels are for, but they aren’t touching the ground in the pic, so I’m inclined to keep the original description.

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