122010 Historycolumn
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Its sad but true: Theres no history in History
Its true. You really cant go back home.
I visited an old friend Sunday morning and I shouldnt have, for it was gone.
It had disappeared. Vanished. It was nowhere to be found.
No Honest Abe.
No World War I.
No Pearl Harbor.
No documentary on Jefferson.
Nothing on any U.S. President.
No programming on Native American culture.
No examination of any critical period in Americas past be it war, civil rights or early exploration.
No history, and certainly nothing on the Great Depression, which my students are currently studying this week. There was absolutely, positively NO history.
Instead, if one turned into the History.com last Sunday night, you were treated to this in prime time:
From 8-9 p.m., Pawn Stars, or how to hustle pieces of Americana;
From 9-10 p.m., Ax Men, or how tobacco-spitting, hard-cussing, hard-working, poorly-educated timber men go about cutting down trees with modern equipment over and over and over and over and over (yawn) and;
From 10-11 p.m., Halo vs. Velociraptor, or how loveable gear heads take modern versions of Henry Fords mass-produced invention and enhance them – just like your local mechanic (OK, Ill admit Im just guessing after skimming a promo since I wont waste a second learning more about it. But if my judgment is close, then maybe you and your mechanic can model your own reality show after it. Just contact Clear Picture).
Wow. So the History.com executives are puzzled and dont understand why I dont want to spend $600 or so dollars to sign on long term with History?
Its pretty simple. My version of history doesnt resemble their version of history. No way, nowhere close, to be exact. The fact of the matter is I dont watch it any more.
Its clear that todays History.com execs have no idea what history – REAL history –is, and last Sundays programming proved that. If one arose at 7 a.m. and wanted to watch history – ANY history – you were instead treated to an Ax Man marathon.
Anyone care to join me in group-projectile vomiting?
When social studies teachers and principals urge their students to watch History.com, I wonder if they have watched History.com in ages. Long-gone are the days when The History Channel was all about history – real history, the history of our forefathers, our nation and the world.
Thats gone. Now it seems, History.com is gravitating to – well, Im not sure what it views as history. Where is the history in Ax Men? Or the history in another of its prime-time favorites, Ice Road Truckers, a series featuring hard-cussing and hard-driving and definitely non-historic truck drivers?
Again, principals and fellow teachers want our kids watching this? What are they expecting them to learn, other than tats are cool and cussing could be contributing to global warming? Where, oh educators, is the HISTORY?
Its obvious: History.com has abandoned its mission statement for a mish-mash of reality nonsense. There are glimmers of history when History.com diverts from its reality programming to prepare WWII in HD (which I havent watched, but Im hoping from the title it does concern events from WWII), but where, I ask, is the history in titles like Stan Lees Superhumans or Swamp People (Swamp People? SWAMP PEOPLE, for Gods sake!!??). And a spinoff of Ice Road Truckers to IRTs Deadliest Road?
Please.
There was once a time when The History Channel excelled at its mission. Its U.S. Presidents and Ten Days That Changed America series were but two off the top of my head that not only highlighted exceptional reporting but also were exceptionally entertaining. That, I found, was generally the case with the majority of its work.
But once THC became History.com, that type of programming vanished for vacant, brain-dead pap. That was re-enforced Sunday morning and it was obvious: You cant return home.
Ive said good-bye, History.com. I no longer know thee. What I do know is this: Im awfully happy I saved $600 by not supporting what History.com calls history.
