What do you think about the modern preoccupation with character assassination of people from history?

Question

I've just been watching a TV show called "Captain Cook, Obsession and Discovery" which was the biggest load of garbage I've ever seen on the subject. The people who wrote it had chips on their shoulders the size of the Eiffel tower! (And you could hear the self-serving humbug in their voices when the lines were narrated). I don't know who made the program (though I have my suspicions!) but they clearly have a vicious attitude to their chosen enemy, and a huge inferiority complex too.

Answer 1

I disagree, simply.  There is no general preoccupation with denigrating historical figures.  Does it happen?  Yes.  Is it justifiable when it happens -- occasionally but only occasionally.  Is it modern?  No.

When we got Cable channels, they were not covered by something called the Fairness Doctrine.  This has resulted in-- not just a lot of partisan reporting but the suppression of points of view.  I recently saw a discussion of Open Source on CNBC which completely ignored the fact that it was created in the 1980's and relied on what were then standard industry practices.  As the saying goes, my mind is made up.  Don't confuse me with facts.

At the same time the rise of partisan journalism has not completely overwhelmed our culture.  I've seen four documentaries on Robert Frost in recent years which were from subtly different points of view but were generally positive.  Certainly the two where you would have expected it did not even discuss John Berryman's great poem about ambivalence which was written in his memory.  There is lots of respectful material out there.