[quote=“plunderbunnie”]
P.s. As a University student trapped in her room for weeks studying for exams (and writing overdue papers), this is one of the best conversations I’ve had in a while. Although, that fact makes me want to cry.
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Haha, same here! I am doing some essay on the importance of enchantment in relation to Jung and Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale The fisherman and his soul…
It’s great to come on here and just chat about these sort of things! 
triple posting and double posting tisk tisk…
[quote=“plunderbunnie”]
Referring to any single human being as evil is ridiculous.
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I agree…
[quote=“plunderbunnie”]
You need people to speak out about these things to keep them in check, and keep some norms and guidelines for a society.
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Often those norms and guidelines and cultural/ religious aspects start holding us back from progressing… ( the new sins - genetic engineering ) People probably shouldn’t be offended by something as silly as 300… People take this too far and speak out about anything… it leads to people being obsessed with preserving the values they have inherited ( and ultimately the flaws ) This leads to a grotesquely narrow world view… personally ive never taken to any values related to ones direct geography… im beginning to think cultures have been built up purely as a way of keeping people at ease and helping people deal with there physical state of being… people accept them and live it out… this might be a lack of character or weakness… but on the other hand i feel cultures should be preserved because they have developed distinct views… i wouldnt like a future where they disappear… this is really off topic sorry…
I kinda understand Crazy Kenneth’s sentiment… since ive read alot of fan wanking about certain anime…
[quote]"What I’m trying to do is express that some people of Persian background find it offensive and have valid reasons. Thus “intellectualizing” the movie without being “assholes”.[/quote]
absolutely. i can see what you mean. it’s valid for them to be upset about the movie. but I think what they are really upset about is the stereotypes BEHIND all that, which sadly many people have. imo it’s not a movie’s duty to be sensitive, expose stereotypes, etc. a filmmaker should be able to do whatever he wants.
[quote=“plunderbunnie”]
@ Kenneth
I’d just like to add without sounding like a jerk (I don’t mean this in any sort of rude way), but it does seem a bit silly to tear down people who are fanatical about reading into films, but be the polar opposite and be fanatical about never reading into them, and simply seeing them as a entertainment. Either way is a bit much. I understand it was a rant (trust me, I’m the Queen of rants) but why can’t everyone just accept that people enjoy things for different reasons that are natural to their personalities?
I understand what you are saying about these pretentious critics, but you seem to have forced yourself in the opposite wall in some sort of movie-lover self defense. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. I know it’s annoying to hear people go on about ridiculous ideas on movies to basically boost their film-geek self esteem, but it doesn’t mean that everyone reading into movies is doing this. I enjoy movies mostly to read into layers of emotion and subtle gestures. That captures my attention more then some straight up action sequence. It’s my NATURAL enjoyment of movies. My perception of what makes a good movie is not altered by what I think people expect me to enjoy. Isn’t that all we should do anyway? If you enjoy pure entertainment, thats great. But please don’t look down on people who honestly enjoy movies as art. There is a lot to be seen in movies, and some people enjoy looking into that. If you don’t, then you don’t. Hopefully all of the stupid pretentious kids straight out of art school can fall into a volcano or something.
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im all for interpretaing movies and thinking about them, it’s not that all movies are soley made for entertainment and even if, they can contain more layers. only problem is when people overanalyse and read stuff into movies that only they they can probably see. The thing is, if you are at university and let’s say you study psychology, you’re gonna see a lot of stuff in movies from a psychological viewpoint, when you are trying to analyse them. and that’s fine, as long as you don’t overdo it and are open do different perceptions. Very often critics and intellectuals use a filmhistorical and political viewpoint, which is fine as long as they don’t start bullshitting like in the examples I have mentioned in my original post.
[quote=“Thousand Eyes”]
Often those norms and guidelines and cultural/ religious aspects start holding us back from progressing… ( the new sins - genetic engineering ) People probably shouldn’t be offended by something as silly as 300…
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It’s not about stopping progression. Often people complaining about things like this are in favor of progression. Progression past racist stereotypes and acceptance into society without fear. I understand what you mean, and it’s a valid point, but I feel that that relates more to traditional culture in a place like North America. Not to stereotype TO much, but I see those asking for acceptance as newer ideas, then conservative people trying to do away with abortion. It’s really general, I’m just saying in this instance I see a push forward, not back.
As far as being offended by 300, I’m not. But I’m not Persian and have never been called an offensive term based on my ethnicity. Many people of Arab backgrounds in North America have a hard time, especially in the last few years. To some people of Arab descent, this isn’t an isolated occurrence. It’s a shitty fact of life they face all the time, so it’s almost like getting to an end of a fuse, while we view it as a singular movie.
[quote]absolutely. i can see what you mean. it’s valid for them to be upset about the movie. but I think what they are really upset about is the stereotypes BEHIND all that, which sadly many people have. imo it’s not a movie’s duty to be sensitive, expose stereotypes, etc. a filmmaker should be able to do whatever he wants.[/quote]
Thats exactly what I was saying. It’s not about THIS movie, it’s a chain of insensitive or racist issues. This is another knot on the rope sort of thing. Also, like I said before, I don’t think movies should be censored, I’m just supporting peoples rights to complain when they are found offensive. Censorship = Dangerous.
[quote]The thing is, if you are at university and let’s say you study psychology, you’re gonna see a lot of stuff in movies from a psychological viewpoint, when you are trying to analyse them. and that’s fine, as long as you don’t overdo it and are open do different perceptions.[/quote]
Ok, I misunderstood you. I understand and agree 100%.
I met this guy who was obsessed with music. He compared all these movies to songs, which was fine. But then he started going on about how this movie was based on some song. He didn’t actually know if it was, but he had a “feeling” and would argue to the death that the director did it on purpose, despite not even knowing who the director was or looking into it at all. It was embarrassing for everyone involved.