Re: Inherently Reflexive Verbs (was: mental masturbation)

Nik Taylor wrote:

> FFlores wrote:
> > The eunuchs are a curious thing to me -- I remember now
> > the eunuchs at the Chinese emperors' court and that I thought
> > "What do they do?".
>
> Well, Eunuchs in the West are men, typically castrated, who are
> entrusted with guarding the king or emperor's harem.  I assume Eunuchs
> in China were the same.
Eunuchs in the East were sometimes the source of major political
decisions.  One eunuch, Wang Mang, actually captured the
Imperial throne sometime during Emperor Augustus' reign in the
West.  9 AD or something. His was the basis of why we label the
dynasties "Former Han" and "Later Han", 'cause he came in between.
The great navigator, Huang Ho, I think it was, was also a eunuch.

Usually, Eastern eunuchs were only able to influence the decision
making process.  They were able to do this, in part, because they
couldn't sire children, and so weren't usually seen as liabilities or
potential dynasty builders.

So, to get back to the point, there are definite precedents for eunuchs
usurping inordinate control over governmental affairs.  If your conculture
features this, it wouldn't strike a modern historian as that strange.


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Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
AIM: Deuterotom ICQ: 4315704
<http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/>
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
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