MickeyThe Hitler Channel
The History Channel is often referred to as the "Hitler Channel." Now while I've enjoyed quite a few of their programs on the Space Race, and even laughed myself silly when they run a block of four hours on UFOs, it is true that their primary subject matter happens to be war... and World War II in particular.
Now I can't fault them for their pre-occupation with warfare- it's been said that history is basically just a list of wars. It's also true that WW II was intensely documented, with numerous camera crews on various sides capturing footage that's still as powerful in grainy black-and-white as anything on the news today. Some footage, such as the effects of flamethrowers on people, could even lead one to wish the picture were even less clear...
Hitler in particular seemed obsessed with his own place in history, and had his life filmed in excruciating detail (Eva Braun must have been a very good sport!). Pretty much the only part of Hitler's career asan absolute asswipe Der Fuhrer that hasn't been shown on TV is film of him defecating- and it's only a matter of time before we see World Leaders on the Throne available on VHS and DVD.
To be fair, quite a few of the audience is also entranced with the little Aryan wannabe. A lot of folk (who apparently never watch the news) are mystified by how a society could ever succumb to Hitler's propaganda enough to go along with the Final Solution. If anyone reading is still curious, google "Milgram Obedience Experiment." WARNING: Don't do this just before you have to give a toast at your best friend's wedding, or perform neurosurgery, or anything else where deeply despising the human species would be a detriment.
And so we learned that one charismatic psychopath (who didn't even have access to TV) can warp an entire culture... and maybe we even learn that as much as we aspire to great good, we are all, each of us, just as capable of horrific atrocities. Ignoring one's evil side is the first step to ignoring what it is capable of, and to that extent we should be glad the History Channel is helping us to Never Forget.
Or maybe we look at the neonazi punks still around, and realize that what we mostly learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.
Now I can't fault them for their pre-occupation with warfare- it's been said that history is basically just a list of wars. It's also true that WW II was intensely documented, with numerous camera crews on various sides capturing footage that's still as powerful in grainy black-and-white as anything on the news today. Some footage, such as the effects of flamethrowers on people, could even lead one to wish the picture were even less clear...
Hitler in particular seemed obsessed with his own place in history, and had his life filmed in excruciating detail (Eva Braun must have been a very good sport!). Pretty much the only part of Hitler's career as
To be fair, quite a few of the audience is also entranced with the little Aryan wannabe. A lot of folk (who apparently never watch the news) are mystified by how a society could ever succumb to Hitler's propaganda enough to go along with the Final Solution. If anyone reading is still curious, google "Milgram Obedience Experiment." WARNING: Don't do this just before you have to give a toast at your best friend's wedding, or perform neurosurgery, or anything else where deeply despising the human species would be a detriment.
And so we learned that one charismatic psychopath (who didn't even have access to TV) can warp an entire culture... and maybe we even learn that as much as we aspire to great good, we are all, each of us, just as capable of horrific atrocities. Ignoring one's evil side is the first step to ignoring what it is capable of, and to that extent we should be glad the History Channel is helping us to Never Forget.
Or maybe we look at the neonazi punks still around, and realize that what we mostly learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.
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