War Is Stupid

Some visiting family rented Troy tonight. It's still playing. I just finished watching the first day of assault by the Greeks on the city. I am not squeamish about violence in movies per se, but for some reason my disbelief refused to be suspended and thoughts of current imperial aggression in that general part of the world would not leave my mind. Stupid and disgusting and evil: Bought or bullied or brainwashed ordinary men running around brandishing their physical proxy penises (swords and spears in Troy, guns and bombs in Iraq and Palestine today) because digusting and evil powerful men want to augment their metaphorical proxy penises ("honour", reputation, power, land, oil). No, I'm not blaming the occupied for resisting, nor am I losing sight of the structures and systems causing and caused by all the penis waving, but none of that makes it all any less depressing and stupid.

And apparently those in Washington in charge of brandishing penises for the advancement of neoliberal capitalism via racist and imperalist adventures have now decided to get more Iraqis killing each other as their next contribution to making the world a better place.

And the fact that according to Hollywood once you go back in history past a certain point everyone talks with badly done ruling-class English accents is pretty stupid too.