Leonidas: "We Should Not Condone Immoral Acts"
Looks like General Pace has stepped in it, by saying that "homosexual acts between individuals" (as opposed to homosexual acts between groups?) are immoral, and that that is the reason the military should exclude gays. Gay and lesbian activists are arguing that Pace's personal views of morality are not a legitimate basis for government policy. But if that's true, then what can the legitimate basis for Don't Ask Don't Tell, be?
I disagree with that policy, of course. And I don't want to post on it, so to speak. I wanted to make a connection to the number one movie in the country, 300. Saw it on Sunday, with some friends. I suspect that I enjoyed it less than just about anyone in the theater. It's greatest flaw--it's hyper-militarism. As I am becoming increasingly anti-militaristic, as the hyper-militarism of our own society comes into sharper and sharper focus (for me). So I reacted very strongly to the movie's celebration of the Spartans' violent warrior ethic. (Btw, I hope Paul sees the movie so he can give us an expert commentary on how silly the movie is.)
But as many others have pointed out, this movie's over-the-top celebration of male beauty makes it, well, pretty gay. Even while the movie's characters express homophobic sentiments, as when Leonidas, the Spartan king, refers disparagingly to the "boy lovers" of Athens.
It seems like our hyper-militaristic leaders, like Pace, share more than their bellicosity with Leonidas. (I doubt Pace has six-pack abs.) Also, remember that Leonidas is famous for getting his men slaughtered.
posted by Number Three @ 7:03 AM
2 Comments:
I'm not sure if I'lll go see it in the theater -- I usually get depressed when I see films on classical topics; they seem always to be either campy or drawn to appeal to the sci-fi or military crowd.
As for Leonidas, of course the first thing that is misleading is the title 300, if the movie gives the impression that it was only 300 Spartans who held the pass at Thermopylae for 2 days. That was the number of Spartans (according to Herodotus), but there were also a significant number of other allies, including Phocians, Boiotians and Helots. Also, if they claim or leave the impression that this stand is what saved Greece from the Persians, well that's just plain wrong. The delay was important, but not decisive. The decisive battle was naval at Salamis, although even after that Mardonius kept his troops in Greece for a few more years to be slowly ground down by a home grown insurgency.
BTW. In 1994 a Regular Member of the American School of Classical Studies gave a field report on the Battle of Thermopylae to his fellow grad students and profs atop Kolonos Hill -- the site of Leonidas' last stand. It's a great battle site to visit. His photos are now on line at KSL library -- see here for instance (or search the word Thermopylae).
Via HuffPo, it appears the Iranians are concerned that 300 is meant as a jingoistic call to arms against Iran (i.e. home of the ancient Persians). I wouldn't be surprised.
One tidbit from this link that does not bode well for the film -- it was adapted from a freakin' comic book. Which means it's cartoonish. That reminds me. The other people that Classics films inevitably aim at are comic book freaks. Where's my Prozac?
For the modern Leonidas Monument, which sits right next to the National Road at Thermopylae (as does Kolonos Hill), see this photo.
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