Posted by
Tzimisce on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 1:24:59 PM
How can the film "300" be anti Iranian? I haven't actually seen the movie but from what I'm told it is based on the Battle of Thermopylae, a battle that the Persian Empire won. If anything you'd think that the Iranians would love the movie.
Who were the Spartans of history? They were a people renouned for their violent and militaristic ways. They were a pagan people who tended to favor (unsurprisingly) the god of War. There is also a debate amongst historians over whether these men practiced homosexuality while on the campaign trail.
And the Greeks in general were a series of small states that often refused to work together. It was a pennisula of petty kings and Democracy known for its over reactions to world events. These states were also known for their reliance on paganism and devulges into the occult with such practices as going to Seers and Prophets. But what got the Persians mad was the Greek meddling in Persian politics. Even though all the world condemned the actions of Sparta and Athens and a couple of other rogue states, the Greeks still didn't back down.
Wouldn't all of this line up with an Islamic view of the West (and especially the United States) in the modern day? Decadent, violent, worshipping evil gods, getting involved in dark forces inspired by the Devil, unreasonable, getting involved in places where they shouldn't despite the world telling them they're in the wrong - these seem to be Iran's critique of modern life in the US from where I'm sitting.
And the Persians of this story? The Persians had a sophisticated Empire. They had a better system of government and areas under their management were stable and peaceful. It is believed that the Persians practiced Mithraism which is a proto type of Christianity and Islam. So even before their was a prophet, the Iranians were already moving in the right direction.
And when the uppity Greek States messed with Persia (just like today) the king set out to restore the balance. Xerxes gave the West a chance to back down, but the typical unreasonable Westerners refused. Thus they moved in to pacify the situation. In the end, the Spartans defending Thermopylae all laid dead. Their bodies were ground beneath the heels of the victorious Persian army. A fitting end for the decadent, greedy and chaotic disbelievers.
Now some Iranians in the modern day have complained about the portrayal of both sides in the movie "300". But what do they expect? Of course the United States is going to make a bunch of decadent, immoral Homosexuals look cool and sympathetic. Just like we'll make anyone who stands up for what's right look like filthy animals. This is just in our nature so I don't see the problem Iran has with the movie. This should just be par for the course.