Silly Little Country

300

I have not seen '300' but I have sure read a lot about it. I am blessed that I was not born a Spartan, and I suspect also blessed at not being born into the Persian Empire.
Of all I have read on '300' this review from Jack Kelly seems to me the most sensible and balanced.

I'd contest this assertion from him:

Christianity is a religion which preaches (and often practices) turning the other cheek. But the Christianization of Europe got its jump start at the Milvian bridge, and was preserved from Islamic conquest at Tours, Lepanto and Vienna.

Well, I would not contest what he says, but the broader context. Christianity did spread through the Roman Empire as an oppressed religion, and surely that was its jump start, and so far as I understand without major violence. This is entirely unlike Islam. And note why the Christian 'empire' in the end had the battles listed in his quotation.

His closing paragraph makes a lot of sense as well:

It is the soldier, not the priest, who protects freedom of religion; the soldier, not the journalist, who protects freedom of speech. History teaches that a society that does not value its warriors will be destroyed by a society that does.

It's not a lesson I like, but it is much like Orwell's great reminder of what keeps us civilized as well:

Those who "abjure" violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.

(I was going to cite the 'rough men' quotation I have often seen, but apparently that is not from Orwell! Man, the Web is great.)

(h/t Craig Newmark.)

posted by Alan Adamson @ 8:48 AM