Aaron Banks Vs. Mary Beard

[sp1814]

Leave EU co-founder and UKIP donor Aaron Banks has challenged Mary Beard on the reasons behind the fall of the Roman Empire (immigration apparently).

http://metro.co.uk/2016/12/06/ukip-donor-mansplains-roman-history-to-professor-mary-beard-6303665/

Who's opinion do you think carries more weight here?

By the way, a big bravo to Mr Banks for standing his ground against Ms Beard....I look forward to him tweeting Delia Smith, to critique her flapjacks.

[jno]

I love Mary Beard, so it's a no-brainer for me. And it's given JK Rowling something to giggle at, and that's good too.

[ichkeria]

Aaron Banks is an anagram of AnsoarBank
Well, that's how he spells it ...
Until now, that was the most interesting thing about him
I do admire his campaign tho to highlight dubious big money sponsors of political parties ...

[ichkeria]

We really should stop listening to the experts I must agree.
Who needs books when we have twitter

[jourdain2]

divebuddy - I was taught, many, many years ago, that another main cause of the collapse of the Roman Empire was that it had grown too large and could not secure its borders. Hence the invasions.

Much as I admire Ms Beard (and I do, v. much, as an Historian and a woman) I think that Aaron will best her on this.

[Jackdaw33]

What on earth does the word 'mansplaining' mean?

[jourdain2]

Thanks db...... Jack - I haven't a clue either!

[sp1814]

When I was taught about it at school (and that was so ago, the fall of the Roman Empire was relatively recent history), my understanding was a combination of some of the points that Banks has raised - but more importantly the Roman army couldn't get enough recruits, Christianity taking hold, the treatment of the Goths*, military over-expansion and massive overspending.

It sounds to me that Banks might be cherry-picking and over-simplifying the causes.





*Not Siouxsie & The Banshees or The Cure. They came way later...

[sp1814]

Jackdaw33

Mansplaining is a term for when blokes patronisingly explain stuff to women.

[ichkeria]

They were doomed when they adopted Christianity.
All that turning the other cheek, and the guilt about the lions ...

[jourdain2]

Thank you sp - sure jackdaw is glad to be enlightened too. :)

[jno]

wasn't there something about lead poisoning from drainpipes? I'm amazed a scholar like Mary Beard doesn't know this.

[mikey4444]

Well, Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Cambridge and Banks is.......well....isn't !

[mikey4444]

As understand it, the main reason that the Roman Empire fell, was that it was trying to fight on too many fronts at the same time, a lesson that Hitler learn too late in the 1940's.

[sp1814]

I'm just glad that it's now the fault of immigrants. Up until this week, the reason that kept cropping up was homosexuality (no kidding!)

[sp1814]

Thanks divebuddy...I knew it was someone with skirts, just chose the wrong lot.