I thought this might entertain some of you. From Issue 15 of Brave GNU World, URL:http://www.gnu.org/brave-gnu-world/issue-15.en.html:

"""This part was originally triggered by an advertisement of the German "Wirtschaftswoche" (translates to "Business Week") that spread big posters all over the city of Hamburg, Germany stating "Every Generation has its role models." The background picture shows stone busts of Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte and Bill Gates. If it weren't for Bill Gates I would have considered this ad to be a bad joke; but as this is the "Business Week" and Bill Gates is the richest man on earth, I must assume they are being serious.

What does it say to declare these people role models? Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were might-ridden conquerors and egomaniacs whose wars caused suffering for hundreds of thousands of people - even if their own population might have seen a slight advantage for a short amount of time. At some point both of them lost contact with reality and deemed themselves almighty. Caeser declared himself dictator and was murdered whereas Napoleon bit off more than he could chew and was exiled. Had there been more space on this picture I guess Attila and Ghengis Khan would also fit into this row pretty well. All of these persons are very much historical and they certainly changed the face of the world. But role models?"""