Castration could bring us better politicians

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Moog
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22 Dec 2011, 3:51 pm

http://www.notechmagazine.com/2011/12/c ... cians.html

Quote:
"The major role of the eunuch in ancient societies was a political one. Eunuchs were the perfect guardians of harems and provided safe companions and secretaries for royal ladies. They could also be entrusted with the very highest offices of state with no fear that they would want to muscle in and start their own dynasties. Less susceptible than other men to corruption and persuasion by sexual means, they were the ideal politicians and civil servants. Their reputations could not be sullied by the accusations of rape, paternity suits and other scandals that so often blight the careers of public figures."

"The first civilization deliberately to select eunuchs as officers of state was the Assyrian Empire, which dominated the Near East during the early first millenium BC. The practice was continued by its successors, including the Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great (559-529 BC) who, according to the Greek writer Xenophon, 'selected eunuchs for every post of personal service to him, from the doorkeepers up'. Eunuchs were becoming powerful in China during the same period. They were especially influential under the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), when some held tremendous power simply because of their looks, and it was normal for emperors to have as many male favorites as the recommended magical number of wives. But most were of the professional variety, trained for a career in government."

"The Roman civil service also employed eunuchs, despite the bans on castration imposed by various emperors. And, although the custom was condemned by the Church, the zenith of 'eunuch power' in the Roman world actually came after it was Christianized, under the Eastern Roman (Byzantyne) Empire, which ruled from Constantinople (Istanbul) between AD 395 and 1453. Thousands of young men entered public service by being castrated, providing the empire with some of its most distinguished state secretaries, generals and even Church leaders."


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WilliamWDelaney
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22 Dec 2011, 5:12 pm

Hmm...

...

... ... ... 8)

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... :twisted:

...the thought of politicians being castrated makes me smile. :)



stgiordanobruno
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22 Dec 2011, 5:26 pm

Make them better an singing soprano like this little snippet of Alessandro Moreschi, the last Castrato voice (even though IMHO he sounds like he is singing in a whole lot of pain) .


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-S3uoeTXg[/youtube]

Maybe the Italians could have made a better politician out of Benito Mussolini if they did the same to him.



Last edited by stgiordanobruno on 24 Dec 2011, 8:59 am, edited 2 times in total.

Chevand
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23 Dec 2011, 1:51 am

That's one measure that can be taken, I guess. But so far as corruption is concerned, that only takes care of a few very specific types of unscrupulous behavior. What about monetary bribes? Still seems like they could be swayed if someone had some cash to spend on buying political fealty.


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visagrunt
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23 Dec 2011, 11:51 am

Too often we fail to distinguish between politics and government.

Politicians are responsible for setting public policy. (That is where the word politics comes from). Government is responsible for carrying out public policy. While some figures in government exercise enormous power, they are always subject to the political will.

So I think you will find that nowhere in history has the role of eunuchs been political--it has always been administrative.


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TallyMan
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23 Dec 2011, 2:17 pm

Just don't suggest the same principle for forum moderators! :lol:


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Wallourdes
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23 Dec 2011, 5:04 pm

TallyMan wrote:
Just don't suggest the same principle for forum moderators! :lol:

:chin:


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stgiordanobruno
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23 Dec 2011, 8:28 pm

Would it have worked with Silvio Berlusconi early on? After all there would be not so much fraternizing with much younger women.
But I don't think castration for instance made Alessandro Moreschi a better singer as there are stacks of mediocre male singers that can sound just as good if they just simply sing falsetto all the way and without all the pain and trouble that Moreschi went through. As for politicians the only difference would speaking in falsetto and there would little of no gain for a whole lot of pain.



NeantHumain
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24 Dec 2011, 1:14 am

Didn't Imperial China have castrated mandarins/eunuchs to serve the emperor? Weren't there still palace intrigues?



VMSmith
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24 Dec 2011, 3:24 am

if only pollies were motivated by sex and not economy.



Moog
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24 Dec 2011, 8:51 am

VMSmith wrote:
if only pollies were motivated by sex and not economy.


Aren't sex and economics linked?


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stgiordanobruno
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24 Dec 2011, 8:55 am

VMSmith wrote:
if only pollies were motivated by sex and not economy.


They wouldn't be sexing up the war effort too much?



scubasteve
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29 Dec 2011, 5:55 am

I didn't need to read all that.

I think they should all be castrated regardless.



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29 Dec 2011, 8:38 pm

scubasteve wrote:
I didn't need to read all that.

I think they should all be castrated regardless.


:lol: that was so blunt. amazing how politicians inspire hatred from everyone. the most hated minority group in society?



auntblabby
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29 Dec 2011, 10:45 pm

denying a male a sexual life in such a brutally final manner, is a ghastly and inhumane thing to do to another sentient being, IMHO. :x



aghogday
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30 Dec 2011, 12:36 am

The new anti-social proposed personality disorder criteria in the DSMV, fits the stereotypical behavior of politicans well.

High testosterone levels have been linked to anti-social personality disorder in both men and woman. That's not too surprising because high testosterone levels are linked with lower levels of empathy and callous behavior, also.

It's pretty obvious that most politicans have high testosterone levels, men and woman.

If male politicians were castrated, should female politicians that appear to have higher levels of testosterone than others, i.e. Sarah Palin, receive some type of testosterone reduction therapy?

What about the news media? Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, come to mind for some reason. :)


The relationship of testosterone and politics makes alot of sense I think.

From a quick glance at the politicans that represent each side, I think it is fairly reasonable to assume that Republicans have higher levels of testosterone, and represent more of a Patriachal constituency than Democrats that represent more of an egalitarian constituency.

As far as social programs go, there is more evidence of a callous attitude toward the needs of others, in the Republican party. Evident in slang used toward the democratic party, with phrases like the party that backs a "nanny state".

And then of course, the comments against Obama, attacking his perceived masculinity, with comments by right wing media hosts, like he was seen "relaxing on the beach smoking Virginia Slims on his vacation."

One recent study in Denmark showed that men born in the 1920's had 14 percent higher levels of testosterone than men born in the 1960's. And, a study from the US, back in 2006, replicates this same general finding showing that 60 year old males in 1988 had a 15 percent higher rate of testosterone than 60 year old males measured in 2003.

And, yet another study indicates that close to 40 percent of men in the US age 45 and older have signs of very low testosterone, below that of what is considered normal for a 70 year old man.

There are various theories of why, but as a whole it appears that entire generations of males in societies in some western developing countries are in effect, getting castrated to a degree.

If this trend continues, in the future, it could mean the end of Republican controlled politics, and a more Egalitarian way of life in the US. The fight against this is intense, but biology could make a difference. :)

Unfortunately though, patriarchy is still a way of life in middle eastern countries, with males maintaining reproductive control, through cultural restraints. The threat of egalitarianism, from western countries, strikes at the chord of reproductive control. That could potentially be one of the underlying issues that eventually leads to world wide conflict. :(