War Over "The War" (Ken Burns)

The American spectator ^ | 7/18/07 | Iain Murray & Ivan Osorio

[Valin]

When Ken Burns releases a documentary, America watches. This is partly because of his uniquely compelling style, but also partly because his stories are those of America itself: the Civil War, jazz, baseball.

But now some ethnic activists and politicians are decrying Burns's latest project on World War II, The War, as not reflective of America -- and are seeking to impose that judgment. If they get their way, there may be more such spats on the horizon.

Why the ruckus?

Burns's narrative technique relies heavily on individual accounts and The War is no exception. He aims to tell the story of how World War II affected the people of four towns -- Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; and Luverne, Minnesota. Interviews with survivors from those towns are integral to the story and, naturally, the survivors are few in number today.

This is where the politics comes in. Among those survivors are African-Americans and, because of the very special circumstances involved, Japanese-Americans who were unjustly interned. But there are no Hispanics, which has led outraged Latino advocacy groups to pressure Burns to include Hispanics in his documentary.

[WarEagle]

Burns is now like a music act whose producers found a “sound” that it could sell, and now replicate that song a dozen times

BeeGees, anyone?

He shoulda quit after "Civil War". He will never do better than that.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I thought it was interesting reading an anecdote in 1 of those WWII series (books! not TV!) from a while back.

It wrote about how even women were lining up to sign up for jobs/military, and amongst them in some town’s line was an Indian (ahem, that was pre-PC; “Native American”) woman in full native dress.

[Valin]

Nothing wrong with diversity aka a fact, we are a mutt nation. The trouble comes when diversity becomes Diversity aka a value.
I await the day when I see a protest by lefthanded albino bi-sexual dwarf’s.

[Valin]

“The Civil War” boring? Ok, if you say so.

[Badeye]

My wife and I loved the Burns series on the Civil War, to the point of buying it.

[Dionysius]

I join Rebel in decrying Burn’ worth as a historian, not as a film maker. His works are so excessively PC that their historical value is diminished.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes. They’re all boring. His whole tone is boring - music, monotone narration, everything. Even “Baseball” is presented in a depressing, boring light (forgetting the race-baiting).

I don’t see how anyone thinks this guy is “rivetting”.

Someone years ago fantasized about him covering my horse-racing. I pleaded, dear God, no. It would be soooo boring, and covered with references to how black jockeys were slaves and then “sold out” for whites. I can hear the race-calls now - there would be no Dave Johnson/Trevor Denman excitement about it. It would be zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[the OlLine Rebel]

You’re so un-PC. They’re not “dwarfs”!

[AnnGora]

Live by the PC sword, Die by the PC sword...

[STONEWALLS]

thanks Tijeris Slim....that parody was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while...Im sure it’s already been labeled as “racist” by the PC gods

[weegee]

I wonder if he’s going to go on at length about the Communist led anti-war movement that opposed war against Nazi Germany until Adolph Hitler betrayed Stalin.

Or is that politically incorrect to point out that even then American Communists led the so-called anti-war movement?

[Louiemanno]

Speaking about Ken Burns parodies check this one out:
Speaking about Ken Burns parodies check this one out: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v2510423SWH5D9p

[Pelham]

I think he should announce his next documentary will be about the Spanish-American War to insure plenty of hispanic participation.

...or the Mexican-American War... which will give some the problem of which side to choose.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

about 20% of the first episode was about how terrible the Japanese and Japanese Americans were treated. There was about 30 seconds about the Japanese interring US civilians in the Philippines with very few details.

Before the showing, our local PBS affiliate showed its own locally produced documentary about how badly the Japanese Americans, Latinos and Blacks were treated during the war with a little about how important dancing was and the contributions of women to war time industry were.

All good balanced PBS stuff.

[ozzymandus]

I was anxious to watch it until all the carping started from the usual suspects. Not enough hispanics, not enough blacks, yadda,yadda,yadda. PBS goes PC again.

[truthguy]

You should have expected it in a Ken Burns documentary. Everything he does is infused with PC Politics!

[ozzymandus]

I watched a little of it, and found it PC, maudlin, and boring. I was amused by the black man who said the US Army didn’t deserve somebody as wonderful as him. He should have spent the war(and a few years after) on the rockpile.