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Has the History Channel been dumbed down?

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  • 25-06-2011 10:45pm
    #1
    Computer Sci
    Closed Accounts Posts: 127 ✭✭


    Is it my imagination, or is the History Channel going downhill and dumbing down it's daily television schedule? While I accept that there are still many educational and historically insightful programming on the station, it seems that it is descending into non-historical, and quite frankly - dumbed down rubbish.

    I accept that there are people who may be interested in some of the programmes that are aired on the History Channel these days, but am I alone in thinking that the History Channel is increasingly losing it's edge as an educational facility regarding history, and descending into mindless and non-educational programming?


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    #2
    Grid.
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 68,370 Mod ✭✭✭✭Grid.


    They've changed the name to "The Ax Men, Ice Road Truckers and Pawn Stars Channel":rolleyes:


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    #3
    Chris Hansen
    Registered Users Posts: 418 ✭✭Chris Hansen


    Computer Sci wrote: »
    Is it my imagination, or is the History Channel going downhill and dumbing down it's daily television schedule? While I accept that there are still many educational and historically insightful programming on the station, it seems that it is descending into non-historical, and quite frankly - dumbed down rubbish.

    I accept that there are people who may be interested in some of the programmes that are aired on the History Channel these days, but am I alone in thinking that the History Channel is increasingly losing it's edge as an educational facility regarding history, and descending into mindless and non-educational programming?

    No sure didnt they have 'Niggaboy Darkies That Built America' on a few weeks ago?


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    #4
    PseudoFamous
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    Gridlock wrote: »
    They've changed the name to "The Ax Men, Ice Road Truckers and Pawn Stars Channel":rolleyes:

    I feel the Aliens, Conspiracy theories and Natural Disaster speculation barely get a look in with that title.


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    #5
    Einhard
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭Einhard


    When we first moved on from basic Bog 1 and Bog 2 to Sky, I was delighted to have History Channel. 24/7 of quality historical documantaries I thought to myself. Imagine my supririse then, when I realised that their concept of quality and history consists of the likes of "2012- Are we all Doomed" etc. I was looking at the review of one crappy show the other day, and the premise was along the lines of "Nostrodamus predicted WWI, WWII, and 9/1...did he also predict the current recession?". Seriously. I blame the Americans really.


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    #6
    Pablo Sanchez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    Definitly dumbed down. Perhaps the advertising spend was moving away to the likes of Discovery/Nat Geo who could produce new programming whereas History was limited to........well History!

    They try and get around the misnomer of calling itself the 'History' channel with their new strap line '(History) made every day', implying that watching people go fishing for months on end is historically significant!


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    #7
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    Definitely dumbed down , I rarely watch it anymore.


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    #8
    Fr Tod Umptious
    Registered Users Posts: 15,197 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    Totally agree

    I do not watch it that much but any time I look at the schedule all I see is 'Ax men', 'Pawn Stars' etc.

    It has gone to hell if you ask me.

    Much better stuff on the likes of 'Blighty' or 'Yesterday' these days.


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    #9
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    The History Channel was never that good - even when it purported to do 'history'.


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    #10
    pablomakaveli
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,752 ✭✭✭pablomakaveli


    I think it went downhill after they started the Military channel because a lot of shows they had on History were usually military related shows and they seemed to be lacking in other shows.

    It was around that time they started filling their schedule with the alien and conspiracy theories type shows which kind of proved without the military stuff they had little else.

    Then after a while the likes of Ice Road Truckers and Axmen came along. The only one of these new shows i like is Pawn Stars and thats because they do have some interesting historical items on it. But a lot of the new shows are garbage. I remember they had a show called Sliced that basically had some guy cutting things like trucks and slot machines in half. I also really hate that show Pickers. Another crap premise for a show and the two guys in it are irritating.

    It's a shame really though because the History channel used to be one of my favourites.


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    #11
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    Personally I cant get enough of endless dramatized docu-dramas about the rise of the Nazis...

    :mad:

    Wait till you get the Biography Channel - its 24/7 movie star bio's... un-fcuking-believable.

    The "food network" is another one that seems to exist on about four of five programs about junk food that it shows over and over and over and over and over...


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    #12
    Reekwind
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,126 ✭✭✭Reekwind


    InTheTrees wrote: »
    Personally I cant get enough of endless dramatized docu-dramas about the rise of the Nazis...
    What do you expect from the Hitler History Channel? ;)


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    #13
    hokeypokey
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭hokeypokey


    The did a decent drama called the "Kennedy's" recently.

    A decent drama, but not history...


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    #14
    marble pie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭marble pie


    It reminds me of how when I first started living in America I went to the main (not local) library branch in one of the biggest cities in the the country and tried to pick up some archaeology books. Many titles were based around topics like how the pyramids were built by aliens, the search for Atlantis and rubbish like that. I would say less than 40% of the books covered pure science-based archaeology. The rest was pseudo-historical, religious nonsense that sells pretty well over there. It comes as no surprise then to see the History Channel or Discovery having a similar line-up of subjects.

    I guess it can all be summed by the fact that the Discovery Channel would rather show us Bear Grylls jumping out of a helicopter rather than have Ray Mears give us the cultural context to the survival methods he uses!


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    #15
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    marble pie wrote: »
    It reminds me of how when I first started living in America I went to the main (not local) library branch in one of the biggest cities in the the country and tried to pick up some archaeology books. Many titles were based around topics like how the pyramids were built by aliens, the search for Atlantis and rubbish like that. I would say less than 40% of the books covered pure science-based archaeology. The rest was pseudo-historical, religious nonsense that sells pretty well over there. It comes as no surprise then to see the History Channel or Discovery having a similar line-up of subjects.

    Well lets not confuse historiography with what's available in public libraries - some of the best work on Irish history in the twentieth century has been done by American academics: Emmit Larkin and Lawrence McCaffrey to name two. Larkin's work on the nineteenth century Catholic Church in Ireland is beyond compare.


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    #16
    marble pie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭marble pie


    MarchDub wrote: »
    Well lets not confuse historiography with what's available in public libraries - some of the best work on Irish history in the twentieth century has been done by American academics: Emmit Larkin and Lawrence McCaffrey to name two. Larkin's work on the nineteenth century Catholic Church in Ireland is beyond compare.

    I was specifically talking about 'public' libraries since they represent quite well the public's reading habits and interests more than university libraries. Public libraries are a better comparison to those channels of course; the same process of dumbing down history is at play in both these situations.

    Obviously, I could never criticise the quality of the library in the University of Pennsylvania when it comes to archaeology!!


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    #17
    MarchDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭MarchDub


    hokeypokey wrote: »
    The did a decent drama called the "Kennedy's" recently.

    A decent drama, but not history...

    I didn't see it but read that it was controversial and that the History Channel in the US refused to show it - is this the same documentary? You have to love the term 'historical fiction'! :eek:

    http://blog.syracuse.com/entertainment/2011/01/history_channel_wont_air_contr.html


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    #18
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    I think whats sad is the compulsion that the producers of these new breed of documentaries have to add as many bells and whistles as they can to their programmes.

    The dramatizations are just awful. Honestly I'd rather watch a talking head than some horribly acted little vignette.


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    #19
    hokeypokey
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭hokeypokey


    MarchDub wrote: »
    I didn't see it but read that it was controversial and that the History Channel in the US refused to show it - is this the same documentary? You have to love the term 'historical fiction'! :eek:

    http://blog.syracuse.com/entertainment/2011/01/history_channel_wont_air_contr.html

    It was actually commissioned by the History Channel as far as I know.


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    #20
    premierlass
    Registered Users Posts: 156 ✭✭premierlass


    I think of RTE2's output at the weekend as "Nazi Saturdays" given their tendency to show what seems like every documentary on WW2 that the History Channel ever made (and that's a lot). My mother was watching something about Josef Mengele this afternoon.

    Didn't they also commission that documentary purporting to show that Ireland was harbouring Nazis?


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    #21
    280special
    Registered Users Posts: 386 ✭✭280special


    premierlass wrote: »

    Didn't they also commission that documentary purporting to show that Ireland was harbouring Nazis?

    Is that the Cathal O'Shannon programme of a few years ago?


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    #22
    premierlass
    Registered Users Posts: 156 ✭✭premierlass


    280special wrote: »
    Is that the Cathal O'Shannon programme of a few years ago?

    That's the one. 'Ireland's Nazis', I think it was called.


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    #23
    hokeypokey
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭hokeypokey


    premierlass wrote: »
    That's the one. 'Ireland's Nazis', I think it was called.

    The publisher Folens was one of the Nazis who came.


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    #24
    pablomakaveli
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,752 ✭✭✭pablomakaveli


    I'm sure the Irelands Nazis oe was shown by RTE a year or two before they had it on the History Channel.


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    #25
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    Something in the news today. reminded me of this, which has not yet been aired this side of the Atlantic.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_Mummies

    I've seen all ten episodes, hanging on out of morbid curiosity and a wonder if the horror could go on. The worst, ever. Not only is it fake, its screamingly obvious that its fake. "Jersey Shore" levels of Egyptology, blatantly scripted "discoveries", crises and drama. Of course you might be left wondering how something so artificial could have allowed its participants to look o so bad, but thats about it.


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