You can't please all of the people all of the time

[amari_z]

So, I went to see the 300 this afternoon. I wanted to like it, I really did. I had tried to check my historical sensibilities at the door and suspended my disbelief, and, especially given the mood I've been in lately, I was all too eager to watch some ass kicking--but you know what? I actually left the theater despising it.

Oh, the visuals were neat, the male bodies nicely sculpted, the fight scenes interestingly staged, but, seriously? Every racist stereotype, every homophobic prejudice taken and run with. It pushed all the wrong buttons, pandered to prejudice, and I'm actually appalled.

(And don't tell me that this is based on reality. Xerxes was likely as white skinned as Leonidas, who, by the way, was one of two kings. Sparta was not a democracy in any modern sense of the word but a society built on slave labor. Historically, Spartans were known as lacking in art, culture, learning and philosophy--and placing no value on such things. So, white men fighting for liberty, rationality, freedom, democracy, civilization, etc. against ethnically monstrous hordes of cowardly exotics enslaved to a false god. Yeah. Sounds just a little familiar.)

I know a lot of people enjoyed this movie, and I really wanted to, but just no fucking way. I can't turn off my brain to that extent. And in the world we unfortunately live in today, I can't write this off as just harmless stupidity in the name of "entertainment."

If you disagree or think I'm overreacting, I'm, despite my vehemence, happy to discuss. So, what did you think?

Comments

[amari-z.livejournal.com]

I'm writing this quickly, because I really need to work, so I hope it makes some sense.

For contemporary art especially, I don't really believe in the concept of art having value purely just because it is art. For very old art, where the context is long gone, and so it is possible to view it without it stirring any kind of propaganda/imagery that the original consumers would had understood--not a problem. But where contemporary "art" does things I find offensive, that art looses me. I don't believe art can be viewed as intrinsically "good" or having "value" or whatever simply because it's "art". Because it is often so very (and so insidiously) powerful, there is a responsibility that exits there (just as we are all responsible for what we do or say) and artists shouldn't be excused from the content of what they portray just because of their creative/technical/imaginative skills. (Just to be clear, though, I'm not advocating for censorship of any kind.)

What in the end disturbs me most is not whether the creators were bigots/racists/ignorants-who-had internalized-racism or whatever they are. They are what they are. Nor is it really about ME. I know what I think and I know (I think) to what degree I have to check my own internalized racism. It's about the fact that especially in mass art/entertainment, images are powerful, insidious things that we all subconsciously internalize. I doubt that the average viewer is going to pick up that, hey, wait, historically, Xerxes and all of his army shouldn't be black/dark. They are just going to be left with an image that once more associates dark skin with evil. And I can't brush that off in the name of art or just fun entertainment.

I don't have any problem with escapism and fantasy at all--I went to the movie for that purpose. Which was one of the reasons I was so pissed to realize that this wasn't going to be escapist for me at all.

And, knowing you don't like to debate, don't feel compelled to answer if you don't want to--although, I would, of course, welcome, and be very interested in hearing, your pov, and have appreciated you engaging me here.

[amari-z.livejournal.com]

Oh, and forgot to say that I haven't seen Sin City. I've been meaning to, but given this one--not sure any more.

[sasha-b.livejournal.com]

I think that's it for my turn at the debate wheel.

:p