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We're just showing off (media.piefed.world)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/whitepeopletwitter@sh.itjust.works
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[–] 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I think how it's depicted is pretty suspicious. If a modern politician like Trump claimed something like that would you believe him?

"Pheidippides was a tremendous runner, really the greatest messenger in the history of messengers. When the Persians (very bad people) were attacking, the generals went to him and said, "We need a runner." He didn't complain. He ran, he fought, he ran again.

He ran all the way to Athens to deliver the good news. He sprinted the whole way, arrived, and shouted, "We won!" (truly a beautiful message). And because he gave it his absolute all, he was totally drained and he tragically collapsed and died. Very sad, but a perfect ending for a hero. Nobody ran better than Pheidippides."

Is that very believable to you? Or does it ring of nationalistic propaganda?

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  • [–] 0 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Normally in propaganda the hero doesn't fall over dead from human limitations.

    It's far more believable than: Philip the demigod was so tuff he could run for two days straight and not break a sweat.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 months ago

    Heroic sacrifice is a very common trope in propaganda.....Also, I wouldn't claim him to be the overall hero of the battle of marathon. That would prob be Miltiades, Themistocles, or Aristides.

    The popularization of the tale of someone running matarathon wasn't popularized until Plutarch wrote about it nearly 500 years later and he named the runner "Eucles, although also possible Thersippus of Eroeada", then around 100 years later Lucian of Samosata gave the same story but names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).

    Philip the demigod was so tuff he could run for two days straight and not break a sweat.

    And there is a difference between mythology and history.

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