Prohibition on PBS....

[Norse]

We started watching last night and have the rest Tivo'd. It is fascinating but Ken Burns has a great way of making history come to life and leave you riveted. We found ourselves going "huh" and "wow, really?" frequently last night learning all sorts of things we had no idea about. And I was almost a history major.

[FlyingScot]

They got most of their Anti-Saloon league photos and information from right here in my home town. We were positively giddy when Ken Burns came to town!!

[Brandi]

They got most of their Anti-Saloon league photos and information from right here in my home town. We were positively giddy when Ken Burns came to town!!

What town? How cool was that?

[FlyingScot]

What town? How cool was that?

Good old Westerville, Ohio which was the headquarters for the ASL. We even got a post office before we were even considered a village because of the amount of mail sent to and from. Unfortunately we were only mentioned once...ONCE in the entire program and even then all they said was that their propaganda was printed in Westerville. Bummer.

[OakLeaf]

Just watched the first episode. Not that I've studied the period at all, but between what little they taught us in elementary school, what I've read about the history of feminism, and of course representations in popular culture, this was by far the most positive portrayal of the temperance movement I've ever seen. Interesting ... and probably just another example of how history is written by the winners.

[Catrin]

Just watched the first episode. Not that I've studied the period at all, but between what little they taught us in elementary school, what I've read about the history of feminism, and of course representations in popular culture, this was by far the most positive portrayal of the temperance movement I've ever seen. Interesting ... and probably just another example of how history is written by the winners.

Yep, it is interesting and your comment about history being written by the winners is very well put. Regardless of how much a scholar or historian strives to be "impartial" and present things just as they happened, we are all a product of our times and culture and we have filters related to that. I think many of us don't realize how deep those filters go in our psyche.

All of that being said, Ken Burns always does a great job! I missed the chance to watch the first episode the other night, perhaps I can catch the next episodes.

A unrelated example of filters. I was really struck by this last winter when I had a chance to watch a Charlie Chan mystery on some late night show when I couldn't sleep and still had cable. As a child I loved those shows, I was under 10 years old and hadn't seen one since. Watching one of those as a 51 year old woman was quite a shock, I couldn't finish watching it - it was just full of racial and gender slurs. I certainly didn't remember any of THAT!

[Brandi]

We started watching last night and have the rest Tivo'd. It is fascinating but Ken Burns has a great way of making history come to life and leave you riveted. We found ourselves going "huh" and "wow, really?" frequently last night learning all sorts of things we had no idea about. And I was almost a history major.

Exactly! I thought i knew about it, not even close!

[Possegal]

I'll have to try and catch this. My mother's father put food on the table smuggling booze across the border to the states during Prohibition. When we were kids and asked Mum what he's profession was, she usually just said "rum runner".

[Dogmama]

+1 - and I don't watch a lot of TV. The mom of my dog says that in NC there are still people brewing their own in stills.