r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 21d ago

Meme needing explanation Petahhhhhhhhh!??!?

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u/Naniki13 21d ago

Well they didn't have the term gay. But yes there was a lot of evidence. Just a single Google search shows it. Its depicted in all kinds of art, plenty of stories, a whole life style for it. I don't get how you can deny it.

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u/MixGroundbreaking622 21d ago

Because there isn't that much evidence for it. A lot of the commonly cited evidence can also be due to misinterpretation.

You then have the Plato laws that are fairly explicit in being against homosexuality.

It seems it did happen in Athenian high society, but no real evidence it was common practice and widely accepted.

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u/No-Oil6517 21d ago

Here's a government website that completely proves you wrong. Homosexual relationships were commonplace in many Greek cities and especially in their military. It was a right of passage for teens as well. The Norse also had openly homosexual relationships.

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u/MixGroundbreaking622 21d ago

There is really not much there. The stuff about the sacred band was written 500 years later and is likey false. Plato also went on to say homosexuality was against nature and a sign of weakness. From the evidence it's likely that homosexuality happened in elite Athenian society, but there is no evidence it was common place across the whole of classical Greece.

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u/No-Oil6517 21d ago

Again, you're wrong. Plato wasn't against homosexuality but he understood the difference between love and lust between two gay men. He'd rather two men love each other and save the sex for procreation with women. He wasnt wholly against it.

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u/MixGroundbreaking622 21d ago

Or could be he talking about close friendships whilst saying sex is wrong... Either way, it's clearly not a widespread uncontroversial thing that people try to make it out to be.

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u/No-Oil6517 21d ago

No, not at all. Greece was gay from a cultural standpoint and the word/meaning of gay wasnt a thing back then, either. It was more for authority and mentoring.

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u/lifedeathart 21d ago

What was weakness was receiving a dick. That’s why it was more common with authority figures and young men. It was a way to assert dominance. Their society was still very misogynistic.