History Channel Woo Trends

[LightinDarkness]

Has anyone else noticed a very disturbing trend in the History Channel towards not only embracing woo, but providing NO counterpoints for it? I understand that the History Channel has always had a few woo shows. Its reasonable - conspiracy theories get the ratings. They've had them for years...not even including the recent UFO and Monster Quest shows.

But I seem to be noticing a distinct difference in the formats recently. The skeptics and debunkers are no longer put on the show to offer counterpoints. Or, if they are allowed on, their comments are heavily edited and they are not given a proportionate amount of time as the wooists.

Unfortunately, as the History Channel continues to come up with more ways to fit freemasonry into every show imaginable (I suspect this is a ploy to get Dan Brown viewers due the upcoming book), its becoming more and more absurdly ridiculous. They had a new "special" called "Secrets of the Founding Fathers" - and while I knew this would contain something about freemasonry, they completely amazed me with woo:

Secrets of the Founding Fathers: Freemasonry is responsible for the founding of America, they want to bring about a new Luciferian World Order, the dollar bill and signs in the DC streets show their evil plans.

Reality: Freemasonry had a minor role in the founding of the country. There is no new world order. No mason designs in the streets or dollar bill.

They had Dr. Brent Morris, debunker extraordinaire of anti-masons, but he was given around 8 minutes throughout the whole show. The "masons are bringing the new Satan worshiping world order" guys had 25 minutes or so. This is very different from their older masonic conspiracies shows, which tended to provide a large sum of woo up front and then summarily smack it down with experts and facts for the rest of the show.

Whats really frustrating is that about 70% of this was Freemason conspiracy theory, and the real history of the founding fathers was only slightly touched on. I expected to get 5 minutes of freemasonry history channel woo/debunking and it was more than half, largely ignoring the much, much, much larger influences on the founding fathers. And like I said, its not just the anti-mason woo, it seems to be all flavors that they are doing this with...

[dudalb]

Old news. That History Channel has become a major peddler of Woo has been discussed to death around here.
What is really irritating is that a lot of the woo filled shows have next to nothing to do with History.

[Brainster]

They have done a few good shows; their two 9-11 CT debunking shows were terrific. Unfortunately as you point out, they have been unable to resist the allure of conspiracy theories. History Channel Australia ran Loose Change on September 11, 2007.

[fitzgibbon]

C'mon LID! Scary's sexy! Facts're dull! Where've you been for the last 20 years? :D

[LightinDarkness]

Old news. That History Channel has become a major peddler of Woo has been discussed to death around here.
What is really irritating is that a lot of the woo filled shows have next to nothing to do with History.

I know the History Channel has been a woo peddler for some time, but this is the first time I've noticed where ALL the shows I've seen are minimizing the skeptics. Its gone from annoying to absurd recently, but I'm not a history channel buff so maybe this has been going on longer than I thought.

[LightinDarkness]

C'mon LID! Scary's sexy! Facts're dull! Where've you been for the last 20 years? :D

Where I have been all these years? Worshiping Satanic idols the lodge with you, Fitz :P

You coming to the next Luciferian orgy? We've got some virgins this time, I hear.

I know, I know...conspiracy is sexier than facts, but after seeing the History Channel's latest take on hysterical anti-mason woo I was shocked...

[LightinDarkness]

They have done a few good shows; their two 9-11 CT debunking shows were terrific. Unfortunately as you point out, they have been unable to resist the allure of conspiracy theories. History Channel Australia ran Loose Change on September 11, 2007.

Wow, are you serious? They actually bought and paid for Loose Change and RAN IT full scale and did no debunking?

I thought History Channel US was bad...

[fullflavormenthol]

Cable in general is going this direction, not just in the conspiracy realm but with other forms of woo. Hell, even Cartoon Network has a ghost hunters show now; which they advertise as being a "scientific" investigation, and being "real".

[JoeyDonuts]

Cable in general is going this direction, not just in the conspiracy realm but with other forms of woo. Hell, even Cartoon Network has a ghost hunters show now; which they advertise as being a "scientific" investigation, and being "real".

I saw that promo'd before I saw 'UP' a few weeks ago. My wife was nonplussed with my ranting about that after the show. Seriously, I wanted to stand up and yell "WHAT THE ****!!!" - then I realized I was surrounded by families with kids.

[Quad4_72]

Those ghost hunter shows are the most ridiculous things on television. People in those shows are so full of crap. And yes I had noticed the trend on the History channel as well. It is quite obnoxious. Sadly, woo apparently gets the ratings.

[Praktik]

I know I'd just be frustrated by watching such shows.

So the only time I watch history channel is when its battle reconstructions, or you know, interesting, actual history like medieval europe stuff or what have you

[dudalb]

Those ghost hunter shows are the most ridiculous things on television. People in those shows are so full of crap. And yes I had noticed the trend on the History channel as well. It is quite obnoxious. Sadly, woo apparently gets the ratings.

The ONLY ghost hunters I take seriously:

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_1884048a9d5758a786.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=13448)

[dudalb]

I know I'd just be frustrated by watching such shows.

So the only time I watch history channel is when its battle reconstructions, or you know, interesting, actual history like medieval europe stuff or what have you


I liked History Channel a LOT better back in the days when they were nicknamed "The Hitler Channel".

[LightinDarkness]

I liked History Channel a LOT better back in the days when they were nicknamed "The Hitler Channel".

I still think they retain quite a bit of that. I still stand amazed at how many things they can relate to Hitler. You'll be watching some sort of show on there and out of NO WHERE, BAM, hitler connection!

[fullflavormenthol]

I wonder if someone could start the Godwin Channel where absolutely everything is related back to Hitler at some point.

[Minadin]

I always thought it was funny when they would do a story about the Hebrew exodus from Egypt and their version of an alternative to 'God did it' was that there were advanced extra-terrestrial space aliens providing the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud . . .

[rsaavedra]

When will there be a Critical Thinking Channel?...

[rsaavedra]

What is really irritating is that a lot of the woo filled shows have next to nothing to do with History.

x2

[truethat]

Its ok the Discovery Channel has nothing to do with science. They like Science fiction presented as science with a smattering of real science thrown in for authority.

[Squidgy]

Maybe they don't have enough new material so they are scraping the barrel.

[fitzgibbon]

Oh aye. There's only so much material and I'm pretty sure that Holmes on Homes will show up on History Television in Canada. Programmers can be remarkably flexible in how they justify why a certain program is on their specialty channel.

[Malkuth]

When will there be a Critical Thinking Channel?...


TV is the mortal enemy of critical thinking, turn the bastard thing off and read more books.

[Lucian]

I know I'd just be frustrated by watching such shows.

So the only time I watch history channel is when its battle reconstructions, or you know, interesting, actual history like medieval europe stuff or what have you

But a lot of the "actual history" shows aren't very accurate history.

[Brainster]

When will there be a Critical Thinking Channel?...

People have often said to me that I should do a movie debunking the 9-11 Conspiracy theories. As I pointed out, who would pay money to see a story that says that everything you know is right?

[rsaavedra]

People have often said to me that I should do a movie debunking the 9-11 Conspiracy theories. As I pointed out, who would pay money to see a story that says that everything you know is right?
Don't make a documentary then. Make a fiction movie, somehow within the context of some fanatics making some noise about the 9-11 conspiracy theories while a team goes through the movie debunking their mistakes. The 9-11 consp. debunking could be just background context and canvas for the movie, not the main topic or plot. Slumdog Millionaire comes to mind; the TV show wasn't the main theme at all, it was sort of fundamental background and context, a vehicle to convey the movie, but wasn't the main thing. Twelve Monkeys also comes to mind with the investigation of a conspiracy that was misinterpreting or looking at the wrong clues all along. Just some 2 cents of ideas.

[dropzone]

C'mon LID! Scary's sexy! Facts're dull! Where've you been for the last 20 years? :DTwenty? Shows how young you are. In my case you could make it fifty and not scratch the surface. I mean, look at the Bible or the Odyssey. They are genuinely ancient, but are still ripping yarns. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripping_Yarns)

The History Channel has to make money. The begats of the Bible are NOT good TV. Aliens in the Bible are. I mean, DUH! (which smilie suggests sympathy while still being dismissive? The passive-aggressive smilie. That's the one I'd like to use.)

:D