Chariot Racing and The Donald's Hair

Nero

A knowledgeable friend attributes the following quote to George Orwell and his book 1984 about a (then) future dystopian society of thought police and oppression.

The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears.
It was their final, most essential command.

The Party referred to is not the  Republican Party. Although, you are forgiven if you think so after the recent impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate,

No, the Party is a future ruling group imagined by George Orwell in the late 1949s for his book 1984. They ruled the future with thought police that demanded total subservience..

So what's with the coin?  It is almost 2,000 years old, hand stamped in silver by a Roman moneyer with an image of Emperor Nero sporting his favorite hairstyle, combed up and forward in the front in the distinctive fashion of Rome's charioteers.

Trump

Nero was wild about chariot races and games. So much so, that he even drove a ten horse chariot in the Olympic Games much to the dismay of his advisors. His charioteer haircut bothered his advisors and members of the Senate. It was not fitting for the  ruling emperor, or at least they said when he was not listening. 

Of  course, Nero did not  care what his advisors or the Senate thought. Nero ruled without the restraint of an independent Senate, He was absolute emperor and wielded power confidently and sometimes ruthlessly.

While most historians question whether Nero ordered the burning of Rome in 64  AD, others believe the massive fire that consumed Rome and killed many was a deliberate act of an emperor who wanted to make Rome great again by clearing the way for his own building projects. He was said to have sung The Sack of Illium in stage costume and played his lyre as he watched Rome burn.

After Rome's destruction, Nero made Christians the scapegoat and ordered the persecution of its members as punishment. Tradition holds that Christ's disciple Peter was among those caught up in Nero's persecution. In Peter's case, the belief is that he was crucified hanging upside down on a cross.

We cannot know the full picture of Nero's life with any certainty. The records are too old and incomplete to know everything about him. But the coin he authorized does give us one concrete glimpse of man.

And, it raises a question. We know why Nero wore his hair combed up and out, but why does Trump?

The first photo and all text are copyright Clinton Richardson. If you like these posts, please tell your friends about the Venture Moola blog at Readjanus.com.

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