History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY!
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Mister Fandango
Fleet Captain
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
My biggest problem about the show is the same problem I have with shows like Mythbusters. The basic theory for everything is "well, if a handful of guys today couldn't do what these ancient peoples did after a couple hours of half-assed effort and no real driving force to get the job done properly, well, IT HAD TO BE ALIENS, OMFG!!!"
For comedy value, the crazy ass Greek guy with the fucked up hair's pronunciation of "technology" never fails to make me laugh. I don't even know how to replicate it in text.
My biggest problem about the show is the same problem I have with shows like Mythbusters. The basic theory for everything is "well, if a handful of guys today couldn't do what these ancient peoples did after a couple hours of half-assed effort and no real driving force to get the job done properly, well, IT HAD TO BE ALIENS, OMFG!!!"
For comedy value, the crazy ass Greek guy with the fucked up hair's pronunciation of "technology" never fails to make me laugh. I don't even know how to replicate it in text.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
Exactly. Most movies and TV shows are garbage because the audience demands garbage.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
Demands? No. Accepts and is entertained by? You got it. It is called the lowest common denominator for a reason.
Demands? No. Accepts and is entertained by? You got it. It is called the lowest common denominator for a reason.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
The Mythbusters would never say anything like that. Usually they've been pretty good at assessing the veracity of claims of ancient technology, and they've often verified those claims or at least determined them to be plausible. And they've been known to go back and retest things to get more accurate data. So please don't lump them together with the idiots who'd say things like that.
The Mythbusters would never say anything like that. Usually they've been pretty good at assessing the veracity of claims of ancient technology, and they've often verified those claims or at least determined them to be plausible. And they've been known to go back and retest things to get more accurate data. So please don't lump them together with the idiots who'd say things like that.
Mister Fandango
Fleet Captain
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
Seriously. A bunch of kids, several of which weren't even in their teens, was enough for them to ''prove'' it was completely impossible. Not that I'm saying that it was possible or that was the only thing they tried, it's just a shining example of the half-assed crap they pull far too often. It's downright embarrassing and every bit as asinine as what the clowns on this show say every single episode.
The idea of trial and error, dedication, discipline, and the shedding of blood, sweat, and tears in pursuit of getting the job done right are all things that are completely alien to MythBusters.
Despite your stoic defense, they do do that very thing, and they do it often. The most notable example I can think of off the top of my head is the Archimedes death ray. "Well, we got a bunch of kids to stand here with some crap mirrors we handed them, and golly gosh gee, after a couple hours (if that) of trying, they just couldn't do it. MYTH BUSTED!!!!!!!!"
Seriously. A bunch of kids, several of which weren't even in their teens, was enough for them to ''prove'' it was completely impossible. Not that I'm saying that it was possible or that was the only thing they tried, it's just a shining example of the half-assed crap they pull far too often. It's downright embarrassing and every bit as asinine as what the clowns on this show say every single episode.
The idea of trial and error, dedication, discipline, and the shedding of blood, sweat, and tears in pursuit of getting the job done right are all things that are completely alien to MythBusters.
A
Amaris
Guest
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
In their defense, they're just not needed like they were even a decade ago. Now, go back to when Hurricane Andrew was pounding the coastline, the internet was still way too new for most people, and they got their information from local stations, and the Weather Channel.
Nowadays, I don't need the Weather Channel. I have dozens of local sources, the internet, or access via my phone, right now, in a split instant. With all of that, a dedicated weather channel doesn't have a chance.
In their defense, they're just not needed like they were even a decade ago. Now, go back to when Hurricane Andrew was pounding the coastline, the internet was still way too new for most people, and they got their information from local stations, and the Weather Channel.
Nowadays, I don't need the Weather Channel. I have dozens of local sources, the internet, or access via my phone, right now, in a split instant. With all of that, a dedicated weather channel doesn't have a chance.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
I remember being in grad history classes 10-15 years ago and hearing everyone complain bitterly about the HC being "All Hitler All the Time" and about how it never showed enough variety. Now that seems like a golden age by comparison to what they show now. I'm always kinda shocked when I tune by and there's actual history on... most of that is on H2 now, like no more music on MTV/VH1... maybe we need a Skiffy2 to actually get any sf on!
I remember being in grad history classes 10-15 years ago and hearing everyone complain bitterly about the HC being "All Hitler All the Time" and about how it never showed enough variety. Now that seems like a golden age by comparison to what they show now. I'm always kinda shocked when I tune by and there's actual history on... most of that is on H2 now, like no more music on MTV/VH1... maybe we need a Skiffy2 to actually get any sf on!
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
^^ If you look at History Channel On Demand, the history shows are listed under "Specials."
^^ If you look at History Channel On Demand, the history shows are listed under "Specials."
They seem more demanding to me these days.
Drago-Kazov
Fleet Captain
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
I would personally prefer a modell based on donatons that the Realnews has. With the internet the people who want to watch stupid stuff will watch stupid stuff, no amount of PBS funding can change that.
http://therealnews.com/t2/
Anyways anybody else would be in favor of documentaries about different conflicts like Iran vs Iraq or other conflicts with those cool animations and maps. I mean how long are they going to milk WW2?
I would personally prefer a modell based on donatons that the Realnews has. With the internet the people who want to watch stupid stuff will watch stupid stuff, no amount of PBS funding can change that.
http://therealnews.com/t2/
Anyways anybody else would be in favor of documentaries about different conflicts like Iran vs Iraq or other conflicts with those cool animations and maps. I mean how long are they going to milk WW2?
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
And then they revisited it twice more to double-check their findings. That's what you're overlooking. They're always willing to revisit a conclusion and change their minds.
Look, I concede their methodology has gotten a bit sloppier in recent years. But one thing they would never do is say "aliens did it." That's getting it completely backward. If anything, the Mythbusters err on the side of skepticism, not credulity. They don't start out believing something is true and then twist the facts to support it, the way those ancient-astronaut specials do. They go into the testing with an open mind and base their conclusion on the test results. Yes, they're often too quick to accept their experimental results without further testing or corroboration, but that's a completely different type of error in judgment from "aliens built the pyramids." They are on the side of science; they just aren't always as conscientious about it as they should be. Specials about ancient astronauts or vast conspiracies or the other X-Filesy stuff that gets passed off as educational cable these days are anti-science, and the Mythbusters loathe that kind of thinking. Go back and watch how scornful Adam and Jamie were toward perpetual motion and faked-Moon-landing conspiracy theories, and how much glee they took in exposing what a bunch of idiocy they were.
And then they revisited it twice more to double-check their findings. That's what you're overlooking. They're always willing to revisit a conclusion and change their minds.
Look, I concede their methodology has gotten a bit sloppier in recent years. But one thing they would never do is say "aliens did it." That's getting it completely backward. If anything, the Mythbusters err on the side of skepticism, not credulity. They don't start out believing something is true and then twist the facts to support it, the way those ancient-astronaut specials do. They go into the testing with an open mind and base their conclusion on the test results. Yes, they're often too quick to accept their experimental results without further testing or corroboration, but that's a completely different type of error in judgment from "aliens built the pyramids." They are on the side of science; they just aren't always as conscientious about it as they should be. Specials about ancient astronauts or vast conspiracies or the other X-Filesy stuff that gets passed off as educational cable these days are anti-science, and the Mythbusters loathe that kind of thinking. Go back and watch how scornful Adam and Jamie were toward perpetual motion and faked-Moon-landing conspiracy theories, and how much glee they took in exposing what a bunch of idiocy they were.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
TeK.nawlogee
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
Hey, I used a part of that intro in class once. We were talking about "The Aeneid" and I asked that, basically this was Aeneas leading a "ragtag fugitive fleet..." and they founded Rome. ONE person in the class laughed. The professor said, "That's another reference, isn't it?" She knew by then that I liked to throw them in when they fit. I was the 40yo woman geek in a class of 19-20yo's!
Hey, I used a part of that intro in class once. We were talking about "The Aeneid" and I asked that, basically this was Aeneas leading a "ragtag fugitive fleet..." and they founded Rome. ONE person in the class laughed. The professor said, "That's another reference, isn't it?" She knew by then that I liked to throw them in when they fit. I was the 40yo woman geek in a class of 19-20yo's!
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
Using the "We only show what people want to watch" argument, it amazes me that cable isn't 24/7 warm oil bikini model wrestling.
Using the "We only show what people want to watch" argument, it amazes me that cable isn't 24/7 warm oil bikini model wrestling.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
^
Bikinis? That's an unusually chaste idea.
Although in all seriousness, Starz exists, and HBO includes sex and swearing in almost every show like it's the cable channel's watermark.
But realistically, who turns to TV for historical documentaries anymore? Even ignoring the written word (and quite frankly that's automatically preferable for any pre-Lumiere brothers history) I can usually get better documentaries through stores or online. You're not got going to find something as good as Fog of War as TV programming anytime, ever.
^
Bikinis? That's an unusually chaste idea.
Although in all seriousness, Starz exists, and HBO includes sex and swearing in almost every show like it's the cable channel's watermark.
That's basically it. How many people are buying the DVDs of the pseudohistorical shows or declaring them their favourite things on TV? All a network TV show needs to survive is just enough people watching and entertained for whatever reason. How much they're entertained by it and the level of their engagement will vary.
But realistically, who turns to TV for historical documentaries anymore? Even ignoring the written word (and quite frankly that's automatically preferable for any pre-Lumiere brothers history) I can usually get better documentaries through stores or online. You're not got going to find something as good as Fog of War as TV programming anytime, ever.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
That's what the internet's for.
That's what the internet's for.
Re: History Channel needs an intervention...Ancient Aliens...SERIOUSLY
That's because a very large percentage of the TV audience consists of women, not to mention parents. Not to mention the strongly religious, etc. etc. There's more than one taste to be catered to.
That's because a very large percentage of the TV audience consists of women, not to mention parents. Not to mention the strongly religious, etc. etc. There's more than one taste to be catered to.
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