I will not attempt to say that the U.S. is not facing hard times as that would be just as absurd as trying to suggest that Attila the Hun was no major problem for Valentinian. I mean only to suggest that there is a brighter side. For instance, mostly old fashioned conservatives, point to the recent flood of illegal immigrants (or even legal ones to a lesser extent I suppose) and compare it with the barbarian invasions of late Rome. These barbarians had their good qualities, in fact they had some Rome would have done well to emulate, but they nonetheless were problematic. They wanted the protection of living within Roman borders but did not give their true allegiance to Rome and were always rather hostile toward the empire that had given them sanctuary. This is, in some ways, very similar to what is going on now in the United States with people breaking the law to get here and then holding protests because of how unfair the immigration laws are. I tend to be of the viewpoint that we should learn the lesson and put a stop to this but there is a brighter side. Consider that as chaotic and decadent as we are told late imperial Rome was all of those barbarian tribes still came to Rome for safety and even tried to adopt some Roman styles themselves. In our own case it is somewhat similar. As much as America is ridiculed around the world and as much citizens and non-citizens alike whine and complain about America this still seems to be the country everyone wants to come to, it is still the land people will risk their lives to enter and the one that remains relatively secure, stable and prosperous.
Roman militarism is often pointed to with some complaining that we are, like late Rome, too militaristic and others pointing to the Roman example and saying that we have become too weak and luxury minded, caring more about comfort than honor and glory. Both have an element of truth. Ancient Rome was somewhat militaristic, after all, it was the crack Roman legions that kept the empire safe and secure and allowed it to prosper. Late Rome had lost much of its martial pride though. Many of the legions had to be filled out with barbarian mercenaries (just like the US uses private contractors today) and some legionnaires wussed out of even wearing their armor because it was too heavy! This reminds me of the moans that went up when the US Army stopped letting soldiers use YouTube while not too many decades back American soldiers felt lucky just to get a hot meal. We have lowered recruiting standards and it does often seem that the efforts to recruit new soldiers appeal more to self interest than patriotism and national honor. Most recruiting commercials don't talk about battle or defending your country but rather emphasize the free college benefits, the on-the-job training and experience you gain for civilian life and so on. It makes one think of Rome indeed and not in a positive way. However, consider that even during the final days of the empire the Roman legions were still strong enough to have defeated almost any single enemy they faced. They might have been over-whelmed but they were still the best, most disciplined troops in the world of the time with extremely skillful commanders like Flavius Aetius and Stilicho. In the same way, our military may be badly stretched but America still has the most advanced, experienced, heavily armed, highly trained and best equipped military in the world. We may have a hard time being everywhere at once but the fact is there is no one in the world who could take on the U.S. armed forces in a head-to-head fight.
Finally, we come to Roman decadence. To some extent I think this has been overblown as a major cause of the Roman downfall. After all, Caligula was probably the most sadistic and depraved man ever to bear the title of Caesar and he was only the third Roman emperor. It is true though that Rome in its latter days had become more decadent, more self-absorbed and certainly very hedonistic. In many ways the United States is much the same. We can look around and see degenerate behavior everywhere; we see hedonism running rampant and debasement being accepted as the norm. However, we must also remember that even declining Rome had great saints and had become widely and legally Christian in the latter period of her history. Similarly, as bad as morals are in America they are worse almost everywhere else. Even in our current condition the United States is widely considered the most religious and particularly the most Christian country in the world. While not as influential culturally as in the past Christianity is still alive and well in America whereas it is all but dead in Europe. Also, just as the Romans faced off against the barbarians who had alot of good qualities the Romans lacked; we too face an enemy in the Muslims who have a level of devotion and the courage of their convictions much of the west has lost. However, just as the brutal pagan religion of the barbarians was nothing the Romans wanted or needed that does not mean Islam is superior to Christianity any more than the paganism of Carthage (with its human sacrifices) was superior to the paganism of old Rome. It is not a question of the religion itself as much as the level of devotion among its members. One of the reasons Islamic radicals have made America their primary target is because we are at the same time so sinful and so religious; much like ancient Rome was.
In short, I say that whether it be good times or bad, calling me a Roman is no insult. Rome, to the very last, was a beacon of light in a dark world, a burning fire of civilization in a sea of barbarism and had a greatness that every primitive tribal band wanted to have. There are plenty of worse examples to follow than that of Eternal Rome.
