Ken Burns' World War II (liberal columnist attacks political correctness at PBS)

Creators Syndicate ^ | May 10, 2007 | Susan Estrich

[Clintonfatigued]

All I can say is that it's a good thing it's Ken Burns. If the micromanagers and pseudo-censors representing the politically correct Congressional Hispanic Caucus were taking on a lesser filmmaker, who knows what would happen? At least it's relatively easy for PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, to stand behind the best documentary artist in America. In this climate, the second-best might not fare so well.

The current controversy centers around Ken Burns' forthcoming film, "The War," which focuses on how the people of four American towns were affected by World War II. Famous historians everywhere have supported the project. Burns, who has created epic "poems" about everything from sports to the Civil War, seems poised once again to capture the country's imagination in a seven-part series.

Of course, I haven't seen it yet. But neither have the people protesting that PBS shouldn't support Burns or air his series because, from those four towns, none of the people who go to war are Hispanic.

I kid you not.

It's not that he says anything bad about Hispanics. No racist slurs, ugly comments, derogatory references. But how dare Burns pick his own towns and his own people without making sure everyone was represented? Who does he think he is, the storyteller or something?

They've even formed a committee to demand that Burns redo the film, which took him six years to make and is now completely done. "Defend the Honor Campaign" it's called, and its only purpose seems to be to attack a guy who went so far as to offer to add additional material at the end of the movie to include Hispanics — as if this were an encyclopedia and not a movie.

That's right. Burns could have justifiably told these folks where to go and what to do

[listenhillary]

Different Susan Estrich?

[dfwgator]

Burns, who has created epic "poems" about everything from sports to the Civil War

And of course his documentary on the Negro Space Program

[Finny]

Man, you need to have a drink or get laid or something. So what if enemies co-opted music for propaganda? Those enemies were people incapable of producing it originally, and that's what counts. The American people had the spirit, the optimism, and the intrinsic love of freedom to write great, upbeat, inspiring, youthful music. Such musicians are yet here today (ever heard of Russ Ferrante? Probably not, few have, but he's one) and when the going gets tough -- guess what? That music will play a vital part, regardless of Eyeore pessimists who aren't happy unless they're miserably wringing their hands over something.

The human spirit is pretty tough, my friend. Tougher than a million Michael Moores and Jane Fondas, who fool a lot fewer than we think. And when push comes to shove and it's time to Get Stuff Done, the Moore-and-Fonda lovers will be useless and they and everyone else will KNOW IT. When it's all done, to get someone to admit that they were indeed a Moore-Fonda fan will be as easy as finding a 40s-era German citizen who admits to being a Nazi.

[Finny]

Don’t even get me STARTED on BET! The most racist concept ever. It just ticks me off thinking about it.

[wtc911]

I was bouncer-doorman-bartender in one of the very last NYC after-hours jazz joints (early seventies). It was in the basement of a brownstone on West 52nd Street, down the block from Jimmy Ryan’s. The whole block is now corporate HQ sky-scrapers. Nearly everyone who was someone showed up at one time or another, including Miles, Mingus, Satterwhite, Dizzy, even Benny Goodman....all this close and never before three a.m.

[Dead Dog]

Exactly, Ken Burns will not be hurting for production funding.

[Finny]

Jazz fusion is the reason that jazz has lost it’s popularity. It’s repetitive and boring and can’t keep people’s interest because a lot of musicians go on and on like a Grateful Dead, an endless, purposeless jam session.

Oh, REALLY? Been confusing The Rippingtons and Kenny G with fusion again?? Try listening to Chick Corea Electric Band, Steps Ahead, Robben Ford with the Yellowjackets, Miles Davis (Yes, Miles Davis), Steps Ahead, Peter Erskine, the Brecker Bros., Branford Marsalis (Wynton's little brother), and SO MANY MORE.

Pal, I used to be a morning drive jazz DJ and I have WATCHED as old fart straight-ahead "purists" like you killed and alienated vast amoutns of wonderful music to gratify your own vanity!!!

Oh, and not coincidentally, killed off a pretty good percentage of the audience while you were at it. Smooth move, Ex-Lax.

Virtually every jazz station in America is in trouble and it OBVIOUSLY isn't because those stations are playing jazz fusion. It's because those stations stubbornly insist on, before 9 a.m. in the morning, for pete's sake, playing frenetic straight-ahead trading-fours and drum solos stuff that sounds the same as it did 50 years ago. People like you, Burns, and Marsalis have made it so the only other option is that gawd-awful "smooth jazz" crap which is even worse that what you wrongly describe in your post as "jazzy fusion." My contempt for mindsets like yours is personal, deep, and justified.

You and people like you who conveniently FORGET that the Great Louis Armstrong, who regarded Dixieland as the only "real" jazz, felt exactly the same way about straight-ahead and be-bop jazz as you do about fusion -- have done more to hurt jazz than anyone. Jazz isn't about Old Boy Network egos, it's about exciting music.

[Finny]

Wow!!! You lucky guy!! I got to see Miles live at least three times, including what I believe was his last concert. As for Benny Goodman ... *swoon*

[discostu]

Burns should hire Carlos Mencia, right at the end of the last episode Carlos can come on camera and say “oh yeah, in case you were wondering beaners fought the Nazis too”. But it’s got to be Mencia because nobody else can get away with using “beaners”.

[caver]

Well, that’s your opinion, but my comments still stand. Jazz fusion is in the same boat as all the other new music released today. It’s crap with probably one song worth it from a whole album.

And by the way, the “jazzy fusion” were your words, not mine.

[Badeye]

I own Ken Burn’s magnificent series on the Civil War, and I’m eagerly awaiting this one about ‘The War’. The fact some are so trivial they want to apply PC to it isn’t surprising, just sad.

[Tallguy]

I always liked, “Mister, you got a lot of bark on you.”

[wtc911]

Woman to Sheriff at the robbery...

What are you doing here?

Going bad, Jess.

[SunkenCiv]

What if PBS Staged a 'War' and Nobody Came?
by Lisa de Moraes
The Washington Post
Sunday, January 14, 2007

Desperate TV critics threw themselves at the feet of PBS suits and begged them not to debut Ken Burns' new 14-hour documentary "The War" during so-called Premiere Week -- when most of the series on the commercial broadcast networks would make their debuts -- because it was sure to get buried in the avalanche... Critics specifically warned that if "The War" debuted on Sept. 16, as planned, editors would not let them write about it as extensively as if it debuted one week earlier or later -- nor would they be allowed to put the project, on which Burns has worked five years, on the covers of their weekly TV supplements... Kerger and John Boland, PBS's chief content officer, listened patiently to the critics, and then Boland said "nuts to you" as nicely as he knew how. "We believe this will be the most important program on television in September," Boland said. It's like they live in Brigadoon or something, these PBS people. Have they heard of "Grey's Anatomy"? PBS, Boland said, smiling patiently as if explaining something to a much-loved but slow child, "cannot go into hibernation" just because it's Premiere Week.

[Berosus]

Well, it could be worse. At least the critics aren’t asking Ken Burns to show the gay contribution to the war effort.

[SunkenCiv]

I think most of the gay effort was in the Nazi inner circle, so showing it would be derogatory to gays.

I’m sure there’s some balance in Burns’ special to the Nazi Holocaust and the Japanese torture and execution of POWs — such as the internment of Asian-Americans and an interview with Bill O”Reilly who then talks about how US troops massacred Germans at Malmedy. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

just a little appropriate bttt.

Battleship USS Washington firing her main battery at the Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima off Guadalcanal on November 14-15, 1942 (Official U.S. Navy photograph). Contributed by Mike Green and Glenn Winter (from the 1941-1946 U.S.S. Washington cruise book). [Chuck Hawks]

---

Autumn, 1942: It came down to one Marine, and one ship (Vin Suprynowicz) -- "Washington was now the only intact ship left in the force," Lippman writes. "In fact, at that moment Washington was the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet. She was the only barrier between (Admiral) Kondo's ships and Guadalcanal. If this one ship did not stop 14 Japanese ships right then and there, America might lose the war. ... Commander Ayrault, Washington's executive officer, clambered down ladders, ran to Bart Stoodley's damage-control post, and ordered Stoodley to cut loose life rafts. That saved a lot of lives. But the men in the water had some fight left in them. One was heard to scream, 'Get after them, Washington!'" ...Sacrificing their ships by maneuvering into the path of torpedoes intended for the Washington, the captains of the American destroyers had given China Lee one final chance. The Washington was fast, undamaged, and bristling with 16-inch guns. And, thanks to Lt. Hunter's course change, she was also now invisible to the enemy. Blinded by the smoke and flames, the Japanese battleship Kirishima turned on her searchlights, illuminating the helpless South Dakota, and opened fire. Finally, standing out in the darkness, Lee and Davis could positively identify an enemy target. The Washington's main batteries opened fire at 12 midnight precisely. Her new SG radar fire control system worked perfectly. Between midnight and 12:07 a.m., Nov. 14, the "last ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet" stunned the battleship Kirishima with 75, 16-inch shells. For those aboard the Kirishima, it rained steel. In seven minutes, the Japanese battleship was reduced to a funeral pyre. She went down at 3:25 a.m., the first enemy sunk by an American battleship since the Spanish-American War. Stunned, the remaining Japanese ships withdrew. Within days, Yamamoto and his staff reviewed their mounting losses and recommended the unthinkable to the emperor -- withdrawal from Guadalcanal.

And stay out!

[Mr. Jeeves]

I think it's avant garde, chromatic ugliness masquerading as innovation that has killed jazz. When people hear Chick Corea or Pat Metheny, they instantly like it. But many purists insist neither one is "real jazz".

It's like that old Apple commercial with two guys comparing the relative technical merits of the Mac and the PC, and at the end one guy blurts out: "Well, that's not really a fair comparison. People like using the Mac." ;)

[dfwgator]

I loved Burns' Documentary on the 'The Old Negro Space Program'

[Badeye]

ROTFL! Thats cold, bro...I like it!