Louise! The History Channel has a program on pushing the "Bible Code"

[Skidmore]

as a means to solve world problems and to guide political decisionmaking. Who is pushing this stuff and all the apacolyptic and military programming they are airing? This program is suggesting that the "code" indicates that Saddam's WMD are hidden in Bekah, and that it predicted his rise, capture, humiliation, and execution. And...oh yes, the WTC attack is predicted as "setting off a world war" that brings about the "end of days."

[Warpy]

1. The regular History Channel is worthless

It's either war or religious horsecrap. History International is a little better and does have informative programming now and then.

[lxlxlxl]

2. The history channel is anything but...

Seriously, THC really fluffy and trivial. I personally have not looked for any statements from people that run that channel, but you know they are just running it as an entertainment show. It really is crap. Especially the Armageddon stuff, which I thought it would die off after NYE 1999, but its still going strong. Why people think these ideas are not pernicious culturally or politically is beyond me.

War on Armaggedon dammit...! to the barricades =)

[bryant69]

4. Would a network that was dedicated to more insightful history be successful?

Or does War, Crime, and Religion sell?

As a historian I wish I could say I think a more balanced history network would be popular; but I'm not sure.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. It was , sort off, when it first started

but since the Bush took over in particular, THC has become alternatively the Nazi Channel, the Crime Channel and the Armageddon Channel

There is an agenda... and it is not that of the American Historical Association

Hell, their best program was The Universe, a great ASTRONOMY show.

Their agenda is propaganda... right wing propaganda, and rewriting history... ah yes, THC, where history becomes a lie.

[RoseMead]

16. lol I still refer to it as the Hitler Channel. n/t

[QueenOfCalifornia]

3. ACK!

I have noticed the trite bullshit spewing from the History Channel for some time. I hate it.

I became pretty hostile toward the channel when they started airing The Naked Archeologist --- http://www.visiontv.ca/NakedArchaeologist/index2.htm

A show that proves the Bible is correct! It is correct I tell ya! (not)

Sloppy crap history is what the show is. With titles and bells and whistles.

[Skidmore]

7. I saw an episode of that program and that guy is disgusting.

He works from the assumption that the Bible is always correct and you just need to moosh the bits and pieces of information to fit the text. Never mind that no one really knows and that throughout history many people have "printed the legend" (I'm a fan of Mr. Wuhl) to fit the political agendas of their times.

[tularetom]

5. Some of the Modern Marvels and the old Wild West Tech stuff is good

You have to be selective. I just ignore the biblical and apocalyptic bullshit and watch the informative stuff.

If they're pushing an agenda (and they could be) it doesn't show up in the technical shows.

We get History International and it does a lot better at the straight history reporting.

[Night_Nurse]

6. Who "owns" the History Channel?

A&E Television Networks (AETN) a joint venture of The Hearst Corporation, Disney-ABC Television Group and NBC Universal...

http://www.aetn.com/about.html

[sui generis]

8. well my free will tells me

that I don't have the slightest bit of interest in capricious pissy deities. Or their followers.

Might does not make right, and even if I believed I had an immortal soul I would stand against any deity that would punish curiosity in the garden of eden and punish even questioning authority, condones turning people into salt for looking back and playing thousands of years of petty games of faith while showing up in cheese sandwich molds and underpass vulvas and copping out to "free will" while letting humanity slaughter itself over and over.

Sorry, I just can't stand this petty mercurial yaweh/allah/almighty guy. I really do have a sense of morality, and some of that shit is just plain immoral.

If there is some "great plan" out there, I have to ask with no humility whatsoever to please just send me to hell; I do not want to be associated with that kind of "goodness". Please DO NOT even think of wafting me away with the wapture.

So, clearly I am talking about the literalist view of religion, not the philosophical humanist view. But then, what is a prophecy but adherence to the literal? If it turns out to be literal, then I stand against it because it's evil.

[Maat]

9. I'm glad you brought this up ...

I homeschool (through a charter school, so Beloved Daughter and I work with a credentialed teacher). I've gotten literally a ton of good DVDs to show my daughter from Netflix (I've bought some). They've come from PBS and National Geographic. So, I thought I could find many good things on the History Channel and The Science Channel. Nope; there weren't any stories on the American Revolution, or the Water Cycle, or on ancient civilizations. I took a look at what they had on - for a few days - and there were either military shows, ghost shows, or shows on creationism. In the Good Old Days, we could have sued them for false labeling or something!

We were able to watch the three discs of "Evolution," a PBS film, through Netflix.

[xxqqqzme]

10. more than a few years back

there was some good programming on Pharaonic Egypt. But when they started the non-stop military crap - that stereotyped Marine in the commercials, they lost me.

[Maat]

20. Exactly (n/t)!

[Skidmore]

11. I think that they are trying to promote global war.

I went out for a little bit to pick up a prescription and when I left they were beginning a program on alien abductions. I came back about 10 minutes ago and now they are doing a program on the price of oil and looming shortages. The narrator is very melodramatic in his presentation and their is nothing in the material to reflect alternative solutions beyond conflict and civil unrest.

[Maat]

21. Exactly (n/t)!

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. They did produce a series on the American Revolution which is

pretty good

But mostly it is fluff

[eShirl]

12. The History Channel is to History as the Sci-Fi Channel is to Science Fiction

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Actually the Sci Fi channel has more sci fi than the THC has actual, honest to

goodness, history

Though it is great for UFO references when working my aliens into actual timelines in a sci fi universe

:-)

[eShirl]

17. Sci-Fi may have improved since we dropped our pay TV

a friend tells me the new Battlestar Galactica is very good

I remain skeptical

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. BSG is almost only the only TV we watch, outside KO and the Daily Show

it is a very well done series... and truly does not belong side to side with the cheeky series I grew up with

[ET Awful]

19. Hell, the Sci Fi channel has more history than the history channel :P

Maybe they should just change names :)

[FVZA_Colonel]

22. Watch show "Countdown to Armageddon" featuring scam artist Benny Hinn and Ted-fucking-Haggard.

That'll really throw you for a loop.