Okay, NEED HELP! (Molon Labe related)

[GigaBuist]

Yeah, I probably should have been honest... but my parent's already think I'm a survivalist psycho because I'm into guns, and they think this is an anti-government militia board.

Have 'em hang around me for a couple of days. They'll think you're a tree-hugging politically correct liberal within a week.

They think "Molon Labe" is offensive? I wore a shirt around Saturday telling a California Senator they can "go screw" themselves using a rather harsh four letter word. You would not BELEIVE the number of heads that turns. I got one "nice shirt" and a high-five from some random stranger.

 

[tiberius]

I love the phrase Molon Labe and the story behind it. Problem I have is trying to explain its meaning succinctly without the listener's eyes glazing over in boredom.

I will first tell them that it is a gun rights slogan before I give them any history lesson though. It puts it in perspective why one would wear this slogan. Most people have heard the “…cold dead hands…†reference and Molwn Labe means exactly the same thing from a RKBA perspective.

As far as the history part, I like to keep it simple. Most of my friends and relatives know of my interest in Greek and Roman civilization, so I can explain it to them pretty easily. For others I find the Alamo correlation to be very effective. Living in TX, everyone seems to understand the significance of the stand at the Alamo. On a much smaller historical scale, the stand at the Alamo served the same basic purpose as the stand at Thermopylae…..small group gives their lives while taking great numbers of the enemy with them in order to give the main body time to prepare for the ultimate battle – San Jacinto for the Texans, Salamis for the Greeks. Then I mention that without the defeat of the Persians, Western culture never would have happened............people seem to get it.

Of course the actual sentence Molwn Labe is more directly related to the battle of Gonzales, but that’s another story.

I highly recommend David Pressfield’s “Gates of Fireâ€. It is a fictionalized account of the battle of Thermopylae. Good story, good writing and easy to digest history lesson in regards to flavor of Spartan life.

 

[general]

Thefumegator:
Here is a little reading on the subject..
THE PASS OF THERMOPYLÆ
And another thread on the subject - where I got the link.
Molon what?
Also - there was a History Channel show about the Spartans that had quite a bit of info on this. Just can't remember what the name of the show was - 'cause I only saw the last half. Anyone?
ps - I tell people one of two things...
Either:
It means: Monkey Trainer (then I say "See, I'm always working.")
Or:
It means: "I'm single!"
No - seriously - If it is someone who really wants to know or a friend, I'll give 'em the short version.

Persians- Very big army
Spartans - Very small army
Pass @ Thermopylæ
Persians: Throw down your arms!
Leonidas: ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΈ !
Awful bloody battle lasting a week
All Spartans perished
Persians got their axx handed to them.
Some of the many morals of the story..
Never give up. Have the courage of your convictions. Be strong, be brave even against overwhelming odds. To be virtuous is to be victorious, no matter the cost or outcome. No-one will trample you unless and until they have trampled me. Together, with determination, anything is possible. No determined force can ever be defeated, slaughtered out of existence maybe, but defeated, no.
I get a lot of messages out of the story.
What do you get? Please let us know after you read up on it.

 

[DigMe]

Tell them it means "I'm a conspiracy-theorist-militia-survivalist nutjob" in greek.

brad cook

 

[Matthew Courtney]

Molon Labe is the educated man's way of saying "out of my cold dead hand".

 

[Drjones]

They already think I'm a conspiracy-theorist-militia-survivalist nutjob, so what can I appease them with that won't get me chewed out?

May I be completely frank?

Grow a pair.

In today's world, strict belief in the Constitution AS WRITTEN and the Founding Fathers will get you branded a right-wing fringe lunatic, nazi, and worse.

Stand up for what you believe in.