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History buffs...The life of Nero

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Pisces
Posts: 905 - Karma: 13
So yeah, I have this paper due tomorrow where I have to read Suetonius' account of "The Life of Nero". I have to rewrite his life like I am his propagandist, so I have to make Nero look like a good guy. I just don't know how to do this. He was an asshole, and I feel like I'm going to have a hard time putting a spin on all of the murders he committed and such. Anyone have any idea what I can write? So far all I have is that he cared a lot about the Roman empire while he was the emperor. He provided the empire with a lot of entertainment and things to do, along with promoting physical competitions similar to todays olympics. I'll stretch that stuff out, but I can;t really think of a way to make murder look good. Anyone know much about Nero? 
Oct 1 2009 7:19PM
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Delphi
Posts: 3748 - Karma: 36
the best way to propagandize any state-sponsored murder is to play the victims off as enemies to the state. Portray them as a danger to society and to the safety and success  of Rome. Roman Emperors did this shit all the time, especially in times of Civil War. The shit that went down between Caesar and Pompey is a perfect example of this. Turn your enemy into the metaphorical "other" and it makes it easier to hate them, and to justify killing someone, especially when it is a fellow Roman. That is one of the basic themes of warfare. Remove the element of humanity and people won't question going to war. Why do you think Americans had such a terrible idea of the German "Hun" during WWI and WWII. To a certain extent, stereotypes were true, but you need to unite a population and justify going to war. There is no better way to do this than by demonizing an enemy.
Oct 1 2009 7:25PM
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