"What America really thinks about history." Topic

The History (sic) Channel has a new show on: Join or Die with Craig Ferguson.

Tonight's episode includes an actress, a comedian and an actual history professor trying to determine the world's worst tyrant.

It contains such great lines as: "Let's leave Bloody Mary on the list since how many opportunities existed for women to become mass murders." And "If only Hitler had had a good Jewish mother to give him confidence there would have been no Holocaust."

Hitler made the list but Stalin didn't since it obvious Stalin was much more evil than Hitler.

Sadly the people that watch this tripe vote.

Weep for our future.

Does Craig Ferguson count as American yet? He just got his citizenship…

Steve Allen did this better-he had actors playing the Historical Figures from different periods talking to each other.

Drunk History is much better. If you've never seen it you must.

Skippy,I watched those when they were first on,enjoyed them,for the most part. Got a little ridiculous with "Emily Dickinson Meets Attila the Hun".

Hunnic Etiquette works with merchants and Diplomatic Personages. They had allies and did business. No reason they wouldn't converse. She would write a scathing opinion of him and he would burn her city to the ground. "There's no reason not to be civil."-King Leonidas, 300 film.:)

I tried to watch one episode. I gave up in less than five minutes.

Pretty lame overall.

Remember when the History PChannel portrayed Hannibal as being black? Ummmmm….. OK

Join Or Die With Craig Ferguson

Given the choice, I'd rather die. Oh, and without Craig Ferguson.

I stopped watching the so-called 'History Channel' (PC Hysterical Channel is a better term for their programming) about a decade or more ago. You have to have cojones the size of church bells to produce some of the shows they produce and do it with a straight face to call yourselves the 'History' channel. What type of history are they promoting anyway – unsubstantiated, bash anything associated with glorifying Western culture, constantly beating the anti-Hitler, anti-Nazi drum until everyone agrees the Nazis were scum (wasn't that idea decided a long time ago?), promoting ideologically-based, politically correct infused theory that masquerades as 'history' drum?

Frankly, the 'History' channel has about as much to do with history, as cars have to do with dinosaurs.

Finally, could someone please explain the current American media fascination with uppity British gits? Craig Ferguson (he's Scottish, so not really a Brit git), John Oliver, Richard Quest, and Piers Morgan are just a few who come to mind. Didn't we fight a revolution to get away from these idiots? Yet, they keep on telling me that 'America' must change and our 'history' is racist, sexist, etc. Oh yeah, like Britain's history is not filled with wars, massacres, and various other infractions of the current politically correct love of diversity and multiculturalism.

All you guys have hit it on the head concerning the History Channel. The channel has become pathetic and more so the name too especially when they Directv just dropped the second History channel (271). The only close thing to history now is on the "American Heroes Channel".

The business w/Ferguson is also pathetic. Didn't like his night show, nor this one. Just a complete embarrassment. I have to solely rely on Youtube for my History fix.

P.

Relatively few programs on history present either a complete or a balanced view, they do exist but they are rare.

Having said that, you don't find that much different in books – most historians have a bias and use sources to support their view, often ignoring other sources.

Swampking – Scotland is part of Britain mate so CF is a Brit. You probably got most of them because some twonk in the states was prepared to pay them to do it and British media wouldn't pay as much. To be honest, I've only actually heard of one of the names listed – maybe you need to change the TV you watch.

Most history written before WW2 IS sexist and racist (where such aspects have a bearing on the subject), it doesn't necessarily make it bad history. Historical writing always represents a window on its own time as well as the time being studied. Stop reading modern historians, read stuff from the Edwardian era before WW1 – some of that can be very interesting to contrast with today's books.

" Didn't we fight a revolution to get away from these idiots?" Paybacks a b***h :) and no we don't want them back. As for the crpy revisoinest hysterical history being spurted out today… ;/\

He's come a long way from Bing Hitler….

youtu.be/Mp5SfUbjWew

Complaining about the History Channel programming is like moaning about SCIFI showing WWE wrestling.
Here's a rough genealogy:
In the beginning, the "All Hitler all the time" channel was A&E, the Arts and Entertainment channel.
A&E begat the History Channel.
History Channel begat H2 and the Military Channel.
The Military Channel begat the Military History Channel, and changed its name to The American Heroes channel. Or something like that.
The History channel has "evolved", but has not yet got around to changing its name.

And whining that people will believe what they are seeing here is a bit disingenuous. People have always believed the wrong "facts" about history. How many people still believe that the clever Yankees hid behind trees while the stupid British marched in lines?

Harmless programming, because it doesn't really matter. People vote for far more compelling reasons than the fake history they think they know.
If they believe the "wrong" facts, who is harmed?

America is blessedly ignorant of history. Cursed is the nation who thinks they know and fiercely believe their "facts". See Ireland, The Balkans, Shiite and Sunni Muslims…

. Cursed is the nation who thinks they know and fiercely believe their "facts".

Well THAT pretty much covers everyone.

Gee,Winston,I always believe what I see here!

Topic: "What America really thinks about history."

Swampking: Your comments epitomise the the premise to this question.

This merely points out that what you think and what you know are actually two different topics.

One other thing….
At what time in its history was the History Channel ever "accurate"?

Please explain why the "Hitler Channel" has "Swamp People?"

I saw that at the doctor's office recently. I was amazed at the stupidity of these people fishing out gators (something I could see Smokey Roan doing, ugh). Is all of southern Louisiana inbred? Why is the History Channel produces this stuff? Who watches it?

My god, I probably lost several IQ points being near that garbage. I'm still amazed what sells on TV. No wonder the rest of the world thinks America is a bunch of Jerry Springer reject extras from what we produce on TV…

Calm yourself,Blake. Here,watch a few Japanese game shows.

youtu.be/J0KaAaSxlaM

Schlockenberg Now I see why we won WW2. Also Hitler admired the Japs.

Sure,what the heck.

Not so crazy,but somehow subtly creepy:

youtu.be/QMmG9TrYyAE

And:

youtu.be/JSyhDbV9wHo

And current favorite :

youtu.be/5AzTY9U9uNw

I am an unabashed Craig Ferguson fan. He should have been the replacement for Letterman on "Late Night". Not that I have anything against Colbert, except that he over does the color blue and he is the polar opposite of Letterman.

I like "Join or Die". I wish it was an hour long and it was on later. Hitler? Stalin? What, not long enough?

By the way, I do vote. Often.

Oh yeah, the History Channel has very little about history on it. One bright spot is "Vikings" I love that show.

For history on TV I prefer; The Military History Channel, PBS, CSPAN American History Weekends, the Smithsonian Channel and some of what The American Heroes Channel offers.

YouTube link

The History Channel and Join Or Die have something in common; neither really relates to history. People are forgetting that Join or Die's main premise is that it's a comedy slant on a discussion panel. If you watch it for serious history then you're really missing the point of the show. The History Channel realized that it needed advertisers to survive but the advertisers would only pay if there was viewership in demographics that spent money and since "history geeks" are few and generally not a high spending demographic they had to go where the money was to survive. It's a downside to a free market TV market.

If you think the history channel is bad, try learning something on The Learning Channel.

If you want to really know what the parlous state of Americans historical knowledge is, just hang around a group of re-enactors and listen to the public questions.

Asked of a pair of UNION re-enactors at a battlefield "Are you guys the redcoats?"

Asked of a group sitting around a campfire. "Is that a real fire? I didn't know they piped the gas out this far."

Asked of group of French and Indian War Re-enactors. "Why don't you guys use real bullets?"

I used to say that Americans view of history is this.

God created the Heaven and the Earth in six days.
On the Seventh he rested.
Tuesday morning after the three day weekend, Elvis Died.
Shortly thereafter "I" was born.
History is at an end. "I" am the culmination of it all."

Of course the best story I have is my one from a short term as an instructor getting my PhD.

I was in an undergraduate class for people wanting to get a history major and one of the girls said "I don't blame the Japanese for attacking us at Pearl Harbor. After all, we destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

Private matter has the cause right. Nevertheless I do have to say that now and then, often in the most unlikely places, some real history does seep through.