Addendum to previous post
Mar. 11th, 2007 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
uberreinigerApparently I was misguided in my praise of 300. Apparently it is not a feel-good movie with a timeless message of courage. Apparently it is a piece of racist, anti-Islamic propaganda generated by the Military Industrial Complex to build up public support for an invasion of Iran.
Why? Because in the movie heroic beautiful white men with good family values battle hordes of dark-skinned bad guys who are depicted as decadent, subhuman C.H.U.D.'s.
Seriously, this shit is all over the internet. There are even Muslim groups petitioning to have the film banned. To which I say to all of it "WHAT THE FUCK!?"
I'm sick of this every time a movie comes out. I'm sure all of you are too so if you want to skip the rest of this entry (assuming you're even still reading,) that's fine. It's mostly for me to get my mad out.
Anyway, yeah. Uh-huh, Frank Miller totally set out with a comic book he wrote pre-9/11 that was inspired by a technicolor Spartan movie he saw as a child to promote an invasion of Iran in 2007.
300, as previously stated is not a historical retelling nor does it aspire to be. But they do get some historical things right. Greeks were lighter skinned than Persians in general. Xerxes forces did include vassal troops from many conquered nations, many of whom were quite dark-skinned. So yes, a bunch of pretty white boys DID beat up on a bunch of dark-skinned barbarians. IT HAPPENED. DEAL WITH IT. As for decadence, yes the historical Xerxes was a decadent man. In fact, in the years following the Greco-Persian war he allowed his empire to deteriorate because he was spending all his time involved in the soap operas of his harem. Look it up. I ain't yer damn Wikipedia.
As for the subhuman C.H.U.D.'s, while they remain completely non-historical it is worth pointing out that they are depicted in the film as neither black nor white, just this sickly mottled grey kind of color.
Now, for the Iranian invasion agenda. Umm... considering how the U.S. is all about invading other countries these days using our Most Powerful Military on Earth don't you think that a movie in which a handful of scrappy upstarts thwart the invasion of the then-Most Powerful Military on Earth kind of sends the wrong message? Next, let it be stated that Persia is NOT Iran. The fact that they occupied the same real-estate means nothing. That would be like interpreting a film made about the destruction of the United States as being about the destruction of the Cherokee Indian tribe.
How come nobody got mad like this over The Lord of the Rings? It was the same thing. You had beautiful, handsome, porcelain-skinned elves and hobbits beating the tar out of snarling, cannibalistic black-skinned orcs! Come to think of it, Elrond's citadel of elven purity would have really been spruced up with some nice WWII-style propaganda posters. You know, ones depicting screaming elf maidens being ravished by leering orcish brutes with stern elvish text warning the reader "DON'T LET IT HAPPEN HERE! (buy war bonds.)" Then for the next DVD release of The Return of the King we could digitally alter the scene where Sam and Frodo sneak the orcish mess hall so that the orcs' filthy meals are replaced with fried chicken and watermelon.
Whoa. I think I might have went too far there. I guess I shouldn't even mention the idea of having the scene in Felloweship where the Uruk-hai leader is spawned altered so that when he emerges from his muddy cocoon he looks around and asks "Whera all da elf women at?" Wait. Blast! I just did!
Why? Because in the movie heroic beautiful white men with good family values battle hordes of dark-skinned bad guys who are depicted as decadent, subhuman C.H.U.D.'s.
Seriously, this shit is all over the internet. There are even Muslim groups petitioning to have the film banned. To which I say to all of it "WHAT THE FUCK!?"
I'm sick of this every time a movie comes out. I'm sure all of you are too so if you want to skip the rest of this entry (assuming you're even still reading,) that's fine. It's mostly for me to get my mad out.
Anyway, yeah. Uh-huh, Frank Miller totally set out with a comic book he wrote pre-9/11 that was inspired by a technicolor Spartan movie he saw as a child to promote an invasion of Iran in 2007.
300, as previously stated is not a historical retelling nor does it aspire to be. But they do get some historical things right. Greeks were lighter skinned than Persians in general. Xerxes forces did include vassal troops from many conquered nations, many of whom were quite dark-skinned. So yes, a bunch of pretty white boys DID beat up on a bunch of dark-skinned barbarians. IT HAPPENED. DEAL WITH IT. As for decadence, yes the historical Xerxes was a decadent man. In fact, in the years following the Greco-Persian war he allowed his empire to deteriorate because he was spending all his time involved in the soap operas of his harem. Look it up. I ain't yer damn Wikipedia.
As for the subhuman C.H.U.D.'s, while they remain completely non-historical it is worth pointing out that they are depicted in the film as neither black nor white, just this sickly mottled grey kind of color.
Now, for the Iranian invasion agenda. Umm... considering how the U.S. is all about invading other countries these days using our Most Powerful Military on Earth don't you think that a movie in which a handful of scrappy upstarts thwart the invasion of the then-Most Powerful Military on Earth kind of sends the wrong message? Next, let it be stated that Persia is NOT Iran. The fact that they occupied the same real-estate means nothing. That would be like interpreting a film made about the destruction of the United States as being about the destruction of the Cherokee Indian tribe.
How come nobody got mad like this over The Lord of the Rings? It was the same thing. You had beautiful, handsome, porcelain-skinned elves and hobbits beating the tar out of snarling, cannibalistic black-skinned orcs! Come to think of it, Elrond's citadel of elven purity would have really been spruced up with some nice WWII-style propaganda posters. You know, ones depicting screaming elf maidens being ravished by leering orcish brutes with stern elvish text warning the reader "DON'T LET IT HAPPEN HERE! (buy war bonds.)" Then for the next DVD release of The Return of the King we could digitally alter the scene where Sam and Frodo sneak the orcish mess hall so that the orcs' filthy meals are replaced with fried chicken and watermelon.
Whoa. I think I might have went too far there. I guess I shouldn't even mention the idea of having the scene in Felloweship where the Uruk-hai leader is spawned altered so that when he emerges from his muddy cocoon he looks around and asks "Whera all da elf women at?" Wait. Blast! I just did!
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-11 08:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-11 09:50 pm (UTC)one
and another
I personally think often people see what they're looking for in these things, no more and no less.