I’m so tired of the “Spartan man = emotionless brute” stereotype they gave him. SHOW HIM doubting before killing enemies. Show the moments where he feels pity for the men forced into war, for the lives that will never return home. Show him trying to avoid war peacefully, only for Paris to ruin it, because consequences have never been his concern. Yes, Menelaus is still a MAN whose honor has been shattered. Yes, he wants revenge. But what about the moments where he questions the gods? Where he wonders why this is his fate, why he is the one who has to endure this, after welcoming the Trojan prince into his home with hospitality, only to have his kingdom violated and his wife kidnapped. And how Zeus still favors the son of Troy.

And Helen, I am begging to them to stop romanticizing her Abduction. Stop turning her into this brainless, superficial pretty blonde. LET HER BE ANGRY. Let her snap back at Aphrodite. Let her rage at being treated like a toy for the goddess’s favorite pretty human boy. Let her scream at Paris for his cowardice, his selfishness, his refusal to take responsibility while others die for his choices. Show the guilt that was never hers slowly consuming her through years of cruelty and a war fought in her name, one she never asked for, because of men. Stop reducing her to "Paris's forbidden love", she was a mother, taken away from her HOME and daughter. Show her telling Aphrodite that if she loves Paris so much, she should sleep with him instead.

However sometimes, I will cover it up as a precaution. Today, that choice was validated.

I had done my shirt up to the top before getting a taxi with friends who had joked about me being cold - it's like 28+ celcius (82+ Fahrenheit) - and I'd laughed it off.

Anyway, there's three of us in the taxi, I'm in the front with driver, and he starts talking about how the "Jews killed JFK". There's a beat of silence as the three of us process what we've just heard and then he says, "I guess I should say The Zionists" with a chuckle.

I go into damage control mode as there's 15 minutes left of this journey and I Do Not want to be having this conversation.

And then he starts talking about how everyone thinks the president runs America but actually it's Israel and they're in control of everything. And like the three of us are fighting for our lives to chance the conversation topic for the final few minutes of the drive.

Anyway, we get to our destination and he drives off and I basically turn to the others as I unbutton the top of my shirt and am like, "that is why I cover up. You never know who you're gonna get a taxi with."

Talking to young teen boys (who are very online but not yet self aware enough to know to hide their opinions) I see the consequences of the subtly antisemitic rhetoric that’s been propagating in our society. In the past year, someone did the nazi salute to me, jokes about Israel as an illegitimate state, conversion attempts, holocaust denial, and so much more, just for me mentioning that I’m Jewish. Many of my friends have had “free Palestine” shouted at them simply for walking down the street with a yarmulke. A thirteen-year-old boy I know had to hide from a group of screaming boys chasing him screaming “free Palestine”.

You’re hearing the gripes of “antisemitism” and casting them away, assuming they are a bludgeon against all legitimate criticism of the state of Israel. And there are genuine critiques of the way the country treats Arabs. But think about if the ideas you’re spreading have a historical root in stereotypes and violence against Jews. Think about who you’re platforming, and whether their motivations include the destruction of the 8 million Jews in Israel (which is a genocidal motivation btw), or a better life for all people in Israel and Palestine. STOP PLATFORMING AND PROMOTING ANTISEMITISM! Unlike most in my community I’ve talked to, I refuse to believe that you are doing this on purpose. You are not responsible for the actions of others, but you are responsible for the ideas that come out of your mouth and what you post.

And insanely tall people come in two categories: If they're merely tall, and not large, they're just skittish fragile giraffes. The most dangerous thing they can do to you is stand up too fast, faint because their blood pressure dropped, and hit you on the way down like a felled tree.

Ophydia