[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Today's Rain



Maybe I'm feeling grouchy this AM, but the NY Times story on the PBS series
on Rome rubbed me the wrong way.

New York Times 7/17/01
Roman Empire goes modern on PBS
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-AP-on-TV-Roman-Empire.html?searchpv=
aponline

One of the producers said something like "I stumbled upon the writings of
Pliny the Elder", as if the work was buried in a tomb somewhere and nobody
but one elderly gentelman scholar had ever seen it.  I for one read some of
it in Latin classes, and I imagine it's one of the mainstays of introductory
Ancient History 101 at many major universities.

I guess I'm objecting to the level of historical ignorance in this country,
as expressed by this producer, or at least the AP reporter who wrote the
story.  They always seem so surprised by things they discover, and the other
comment that "this could be a radio talk show of today" sounds unbelievably
trite (never mind that they misspelled "Juvenal" as "Juvenile").

I always feel these articles on history turn into an "oh how cute, look at
the weenie historians" moment for these reporters who obviously can't be
bothered to research their subject for more than five minutes.

Anyway, that's my rant for today.

DS
______________________________________
Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
David Taylor Archives
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
155 Community Drive
Great Neck, NY 11021
mailto:dsokolow@nshs.edu

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>