A-LISTS fruit fly by angelica osborne
THE REAL BAND OF BROTHERS
A QUICK HISTORY LESSON FOR SUPPORTERS OF
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL “Of course, this means supporters of DADT are in a
panic, trying to rally support. The reasons vary, but it usually comes down to “our safety”. I think these guys still picture Klinger from the TV show M*A*S*H in a boa & long gloves scurrying about in a tizzy as the “real men” do the grit work.”
When the nation’s top two defense officials called for an end to the 16-year-old “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” law in February, a major step was made toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time. Of course, this means supporters of DADT are in a panic, trying to rally support. The reasons vary, but it usually comes down to “our safety”. I think these guys still picture Klinger from the TV show M*A*S*H in a boa & long gloves scurrying about in a tizzy as the “real men” do the grit work. Well, I would like to reintroduce them to a lil’ piece of history.... Let’s go back to 378 B.C. when the Greek army was considered the most powerful in the world. One of Greece’s finest groups of warriors was The Sacred Band of Thebes. They were
a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 age-structured male couples, which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th Century B.C. It was organized by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 B.C. and played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra. Plutarch records that the Sacred Band was made up of male couples, the rationale being that lovers could fight more fiercely and cohesively than strangers with no ardent bonds. According to Plutarch’s Life of Pelopidas, the inspiration for the Band’s formation came from Plato’s Symposium, wherein the character Phaedrus remarks, “And if there were only some way of contriving that a state or an army should be made up of lovers and their loves, they would be the very best governors of their own city, abstaining from all dishonour and emulating one another in honour; and when fighting at each other’s side, although a mere handful, they would overcome the world. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger?” The Sacred Band under Pelopidas fought the Spartans at Tegyra in 375 B.C., defeating
an army that was at least three times its size. It was also responsible for the victory at Leuctra in 371 B.C., called by Pausanias “the most decisive battle ever fought by Greeks
FEEDBACK?
fruitfly@ragemonthly.com or
blog@ragemonthly.com 28 RAGE monthly | SEPTEMBER 2010
against Greeks”. Leuctra established Theban independence from Spartan rule and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Theban power. In about 300 B.C., the town of Thebes erected a giant stone lion on a pedestal at the burial site of the Sacred Band. This was restored in the 20th Century and still stands today. Another example of ancient homo-warriors is the samurai. In the warrior class, it
was customary for a boy in the wakashūdō to undergo training in the martial arts by apprenticing to an adult man. The man was permitted, if the boy agreed, to take the boy as his lover until he came of age. This relationship, often formalized in a “brother- hood contract,” was expected to be exclusive, with both partners swearing to take no other male lovers. In addition, both parties were expected to be loyal until death, and to assist the other both in feudal duties and in honor-driven obligations such as duels and vendettas. Although sex was expected to end when the boy came of marrying age, the relationship would—ideally—develop into a life-long friendship. In Japan, also sex was not viewed in terms of morality, but rather in terms of pleasure, social position and social responsibility. While modern attitudes to homosexuality have changed, this is frequently true even today. Like the premodern West, before so many religions dirtied the word, SEX acts were what was seen as being either homosexual or heterosexual, not the people participating in the acts. Not unlike ancient Greece, in Japan “the love of women was regarded as disgrace- ful and a sign of weakness, whereas the love of men was virile and honourable.” So, the next time you hear someone giving their support to DADT, tell them the stories of the Greek and Japanese warriors, and ask them if it describes a group of soldiers they would want protecting their homeland. Sound like a bunch of pansies frolicking on the battlefield? Hardly. Sounds like men you would trust with your life. Maybe one day soon we will catch up with the progressive thought of the 4th Century.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92