Wikipedia locked "Battle of Thermopylae"

[question everything]

that is presented in the movie "300." New users cannot edit it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae

And, by the way, this battle, of course, was memorialized by the "Go tell the Spartans" epigram.

Back in 1978 we saw a movie by that name, describing the early years of the Vietnam war. One of the best movies about the war, even though it just came and left.

[ArbustoBuster]

1. I've found Wikipedia to be pretty much useless, unfortunately.

A humorist named Jerry Holkins (of the comic strip Penny Arcade) said that Wikipedia is the quantum encyclopedia - it's in a constant state of both correct and not-correct, depending on when I as the reader check a specific article. Holkins actually was a lot more, um, profane than that. But I'm getting the gist of it across. :)

It's also overrun with racist whackjobs changing articles on African-Americans to "prove" that whites are somehow superior, right-wing shills altering articles on their favorite issues, and plain old ten-year-olds changing articles to read "Billy in seventh grade is a wiener."

[question everything]

3. And, of course, politicians who want to appear flawless

Still, for just checking facts it is a good place to start.

I did not remember the details of the story but with all the noise about the movie "300" wanted to revisit an old history lesson.

[papau]

2. I love wiki - best place for random correct facts on anything - but the "correction"

process does mean one must smell test what you read - but that is true of any data source.

[KittyWampus]

4. hasn't someone started a newer version of Wikipedia w/more stringent controls on editing?

[Tesha]

7. Citizendium

http://www.citizendium.com/

[bryant69]

5. Wikipedia is great for finding out about Comic Books

or Video Games; getting caught up on the basics.

But history? Probably not so much.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[rman]

11. Wiki shows the battle over the writing of history

That by itself is interesting.
To get anywhere near the truth about controversial topics on wiki, one needs to also read the "talk" pages and check outside sources.

[gatorboy]

6. Eh? What exactly are people trying to change? n/t

[question everything]

9. I suspect adding that a movie was recently made

and then add commentaries about it..

[Swede]

8. There's always Conservapedia-an encyclopedia you can trust.

:puke:

[slampoet]

10. I can see why they locked the entry

I walked into a showing of 300 and stayed for only 40 minutes before I walked out.


I was able to find 41 factual errors in only 40 minutes of the film!!!!


I realize that this movie is based on a Graphic Novel but I can't understand why GREEKS aren't pissed off at this movie.


Some of these errors were also very destructive to the US war effort.

How in the world are our young commanders going to win in Iraq if this movie feeds them bullshit about the tactics used in even this most basic of battles?

[Bridget Burke]

12. Great satire! Many reviewers have been reading far too much into this movie.

"Some of these errors were also very destructive to the US war effort. How in the world are our young commanders going to win in Iraq..."

One hopes that our "young commanders" get their history education elsewhere. For example, here's the History Department at West Point.

www.dean.usma.edu/departments/history/web03/military_division/html/index.htm

Check out the Atlases!

[JackRiddler]

13. Prediction: Greeks are gonna loooove this flick.

You're right, but except for the historians who will retch, Greeks will totally eat up "300" thanks to its nationalist appeal. They're suckers just like you and me (a Greek) and everyone else. What they didn't like was that nasty "Alexander," which suggested the hero may have been (shudder) a Homer-sexual.