http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/
– What is Predictive Programming?
– Alan Watt – Predictive Programming; Theory and Practice
– Vyzygoth Interviews Phillip and Paul Collins – Invoking the Beyond (Predictive Programming)
The Spartans are fighting an aggressive and overwhelming Persian invader headed by the self-appointed “God-King” Xerxes.
It is instantly clear that the sympathy in the movie lies with the Spartans, who are glorified while the Persians are demonised.
The perspective of the movie lies overwhelmingly with the Spartans who, in the movie, declare to be great proponents of social virtues such as freedom, justice, liberty, law and order, reason, and emphatically: hope.
The Persians on the other hand are depicted as mostly faceless, hideous, deformed and barbaric beings headed by a callous and megalomaniacal tyrant.
The identification of the Persians with present day Iran requires not a terribly big stretch of imagination, if only for reasons of geographical coincidence. That the Spartans represent present day USA is not terribly hard to see judging from the laundry list of virtues attributed to the Spartans and which, courtesy of the hypnotic influence of the mass media, are today propagandized to belong to the US as well. The identification of Sparta with the US is further confirmed by the Spartans’ battle-cry: HUA, which is US military jargon for heard, understood and acknowledged.
In short, the ‘noble’ Spartans are, with ‘honor and valour’, fighting for freedom, justice and all the rest of it, while confronting a ‘hideous’ and ‘subhuman’ foreign invader and oppressor.
Now that we’ve established the parallels between Sparta with the US and Persia with Iran, let’s look at the predictive programming elements.
- Leonidas, representing Sparta, is fighting a glorious battle for freedom, justice and all the rest of it. By the identification of Sparta with the US, the US is hinted at having the moral upper hand in fighting the ‘enemy’.
- Persia is demonized, with the bulk of their soldiers being ugly, hideous hardly human looking creatures, or with faces shrouded. This technique serves to minimize the Persians’ (thus, Iranians’) human character: the Persians/Iranians are seemingly all monstrous barely human hostile beings who but deserve to be slain as beasts.
- Contrastingly, the Spartans are brave, noble and handsome soldiers, “hard and strong”, who know neither surrender nor retreat. This technique seems to serve to embolden the morale of US troops fighting off ‘the enemy’, that being Iran. The media-doctrine of creating of “noble” martyrs through brainwashing never changes. 😀
- Although the 300 ultimately are defeated and destroyed, they are posthumously glorified as martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting nobly and honorably for their country. Could this be interpreted as a recruitment drive for fresh US troops perhaps?
- After King Leonidas’s demise his Queen then vows to avenge her husband. And so she does. Perhaps a parallel may occur with a newly elected president Hillary Clinton after a US contingent has been destroyed in the middle east by supposedly Iranian forces?
My other analyses (oldest first, newest last):
Children of Men (2006)
300 (2006)
28 Weeks Later (2007)
Soylent Green (1973)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
The Kingdom (2007)
The Invasion (2007)
Shoot em Up (2007)
John Rambo (2008 )
I, Robot (2004)
Cloverfield (2008 )
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Starship Troopers 3 – Marauder (2008 )
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008 )
Code 46 (2003)
Equilibrium (2003)
Gattaca (1997)
Minority Report (2002)
V for Vendetta (2005)
Things to Come (1936)
Swordfish (2001)
Independence Day (1996)
Death Race (2008 )
Bee Movie (2007)
The Happening (2008 )
Cyborg Girl – Boku no kanojo wa saib�gu (2008 )
Transformers (2007)
Survivors (2008 ) – BBC TV Series – Part 1of6
Survivors (2008 ) – BBC TV Series – Part 2of6
Survivors (2008 ) – BBC TV Series – Part 3of6
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 )
I Am Legend (2007)
Robocop (1987) – Promoting the Militarization of Police
Dark Knight (2008) – Excusing the Rude & Stoic Strongman Crime Fighter
A Phil-for-an-ill Blog 
This movie also encourages the idea of eugenics. The Spartans (USA) kill the weak and deformed at birth, supporting the idea of a thoroughbred race “supermen” being the ideal society, and the only one capable of achieving great power and fame. The notion is furthered by suggesting that the betrayer of Sparda was a “defective” person and thus unfit to carry Sparta’s shield. Yet Leonidas shows mercy to him after the betrayal and further glorifies Sparta’s “virtue” in the eyes of the viewer. This gives the impression that a Nazi-like society of war and eugenics is actually merciful and virtuous. This is perfect for conditioning young minds for what is planned for their future. In essence this movie is about dying for so-called freedom through military service, and employs the popular misnomer “Freedom is not free” as a foundation for it’s propaganda of war and eugenics.
Comment by Luke — April 26, 2009 @ 1:51 pm |
Very perceptive again. 🙂 Indeed the movie can also be regarded as a billboard for eugenics, where the enemies of the ‘noble’ or ‘fit’ man are subhumans or inferior humans worthy of death. It is of note however, that the leader of the Persians, Xerxes, is the exception to that rule since he is rather like the Spartans in that he is good, strong and authoritative looking.
Comment by Phil — April 26, 2009 @ 8:03 pm |
The conditions under which ‘the 300’ move out maybe a comparison to real life. Whereby congress and parliament won’t support a war officially (since they’re thought to be corrupt, debased and igorant) and they head out to fight an illegal war. After getting wiped out through sacrifice the actual war can finally start as seen at the end of the movie. I’m pretty sure that this is a tried and named military tactic.
Comment by Caesar — August 7, 2010 @ 10:10 am |
This is quite dumb. Sparta is not the USA. The movie is closer to the actual history of what happened than the symbolism you are suggesting.
The 300 were real people (heroes) who died in order to protect their country while fighting bravely a huge army of real invaders.
Don’t insult their memory & don’t compare them to your corrupt country.
Comment by Alien Overlord — December 18, 2020 @ 3:39 pm |
Interesting…
Comment by PhilipJonkers'Mother'sFucker .|. — December 18, 2020 @ 3:54 pm |