Of course the horse is a perfect metaphor for the collapse of civilizations. Troy would have stood forever, but they opened the gates and let their enemies inside.
Some versions of the story have the Trojans clearly hearing the dozens of men inside the horse grunting, and their shields and swords and spears and armor clanging and crashing against the echoing interior of the horse. But the Trojans were too far gone in their frenzy to destroy what had made their civilization possible - the impenetrable city gates.
Cassandra tries to warn them, but they just rape and murder her and get on with dismantling their civilization.
The ancient myth still holds such fascination today because it is still so relevant to modern civilizations, as it reflects deeply embedded parts of human nature. Overconfidence. Eagerness to go along with the crowd, the tendency to ignore information that doesn’t fit your preconception, willingness to kill the messenger if necessary, and of course the love of free stuff.
Dark humor is the best humor. Good humor should be disturbing, that’s why it elicits that uncomfortable stuttering that we call a “laugh”.
I learned from a very young age. My dad returned from Vietnam when I was five, with a briefcase attached to a handcuff. “Why does the briefcase have a handcuff?”, I asked.
“Well, son, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you as soon as I finished.”
Scott - it is my go-to phrase in "special situations" but none like your Dad described! I raised my grandkids on it, happier thought right? Your description of what is our current situation is perfection - sadly... Take care!
we had them in Europe before I moved to the US, I refused to go there. If I buy furniture I want to see it before I buy it. I also don't want to have to put it together and pay more than the finished item in the store! At the time, they still advertized that everything was made in Sweden. Later they got caught, most of their stuff comes from Vietnam etc. God knows what a wooden ikea horse would turn up to be LOL (specially if you are not very handy)
I can’t recommend Barbara Tuchman (Pulitzer winning author of The Guns of August) and her book “The March of Folly: from Troy to Vietnam” enough as an in-depth study of why we persist in failure and double down even after the consequences are obvious.
Hi Ryan, I haven't been around he comments section for a while! How was your Thanksgiving? At our house there was much ado about stuffing. I gobble until I wobble, because that's how I casserole. I yam what I yam. We did have a family ruckus because some members don't see pie to pie, otherwise we did let the gourd times roll.
Don't steal away a princess and take her to your city-state situated so it can tax all the trade through the greater region of the Eastern Mediterranean, is the real lesson.
No kidnapping, no war.
Or don't ask "Who's the fairest?" of women in the first place, maybe.
#1 is best. It is a triple-trojan horse, including a false flag signature (the author pretending to be Spanish, but leaving obvious signs that they are not), redirecting attention to other parties with non-English spelling, and using window joinery to literally frame the recipient into a much later time slot. The apparel may be accurate: no logos, worn off, bad matching, washed long long ago, same as we all have. The fancy haircut is a bit suspicious, though.
Of course the horse is a perfect metaphor for the collapse of civilizations. Troy would have stood forever, but they opened the gates and let their enemies inside.
Some versions of the story have the Trojans clearly hearing the dozens of men inside the horse grunting, and their shields and swords and spears and armor clanging and crashing against the echoing interior of the horse. But the Trojans were too far gone in their frenzy to destroy what had made their civilization possible - the impenetrable city gates.
Cassandra tries to warn them, but they just rape and murder her and get on with dismantling their civilization.
The ancient myth still holds such fascination today because it is still so relevant to modern civilizations, as it reflects deeply embedded parts of human nature. Overconfidence. Eagerness to go along with the crowd, the tendency to ignore information that doesn’t fit your preconception, willingness to kill the messenger if necessary, and of course the love of free stuff.
Spot on. Cassandra is a tragic figure. Sick societies hate those who tell the truth.
🙌🏼
Loved them all, but especially the normal conversation one!
If only everyone appreciated dark humor like we did ;)
Dark humor is the best humor. Good humor should be disturbing, that’s why it elicits that uncomfortable stuttering that we call a “laugh”.
I learned from a very young age. My dad returned from Vietnam when I was five, with a briefcase attached to a handcuff. “Why does the briefcase have a handcuff?”, I asked.
“Well, son, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you as soon as I finished.”
“Ok, never mind then”
😂😂
Two key points:
1) we renamed it the “I can’t tell you I’d have to kill you briefcase”
2) decades later I learned it was the briefcase that would hold the coordinates he was supposed to bomb, in or near Vietnam.
Scott - it is my go-to phrase in "special situations" but none like your Dad described! I raised my grandkids on it, happier thought right? Your description of what is our current situation is perfection - sadly... Take care!
Ikea LOLOL
IKEA is the most demoralized store on the planet. I did a whole podcast on it called how to shop at ikea without going insane.
we had them in Europe before I moved to the US, I refused to go there. If I buy furniture I want to see it before I buy it. I also don't want to have to put it together and pay more than the finished item in the store! At the time, they still advertized that everything was made in Sweden. Later they got caught, most of their stuff comes from Vietnam etc. God knows what a wooden ikea horse would turn up to be LOL (specially if you are not very handy)
More like a Particleboard Horse.
I can’t recommend Barbara Tuchman (Pulitzer winning author of The Guns of August) and her book “The March of Folly: from Troy to Vietnam” enough as an in-depth study of why we persist in failure and double down even after the consequences are obvious.
Nailed it!!
Hands down... Trojan Condom! You had me at Memes. 🤣
Serious social and political issues aside, the pants-shitting one hit home for me.
It's a cruel trick of nature that the older you get the faster time goes.
But the real bitch, is that the bowels are the first body system to go....
Hi Ryan, I haven't been around he comments section for a while! How was your Thanksgiving? At our house there was much ado about stuffing. I gobble until I wobble, because that's how I casserole. I yam what I yam. We did have a family ruckus because some members don't see pie to pie, otherwise we did let the gourd times roll.
Don't steal away a princess and take her to your city-state situated so it can tax all the trade through the greater region of the Eastern Mediterranean, is the real lesson.
No kidnapping, no war.
Or don't ask "Who's the fairest?" of women in the first place, maybe.
Favorite Non-Yuri meme: the IKEA Trojan horse.
Favorite Yuri meme: tied between Energy/Climate change and Dems/Made in China Trojan horses.
Also, the lines from Troy...
(Young man - speaking up against all the Boomers): "I think we should burn it.
(Incredulous Boomer): "Burn it? My friends, it's a gift to the Gods!"
(Young man, trying again, pleading for sanity): "Father, burn it."
Trojan Horse arriving to the masses with fanfare.
Thanks, Yuri, I needed this! LMFAO!
I tried to be more intellectual but the fart/shit one made me laugh the most. It will never get dated.
All are great--kinda like the condom one best.
sports teams name their teams Trojans. LOL
As will always be the case for me, Free Speech and Censorship memes are my favorite. You make it so hard to choose.
Also for the record my wife’s response is (I don’t get it), which is equally funny!
Ok ideological subversion guy, you win, I have fallen and I can’t get up!
#1 is best. It is a triple-trojan horse, including a false flag signature (the author pretending to be Spanish, but leaving obvious signs that they are not), redirecting attention to other parties with non-English spelling, and using window joinery to literally frame the recipient into a much later time slot. The apparel may be accurate: no logos, worn off, bad matching, washed long long ago, same as we all have. The fancy haircut is a bit suspicious, though.
:)