the mistory channel

I have been meaning to blog about this topic for a long time now, so it's good that I get this off my chest. The History Channel isn't a bad channel, by any means, as far as TV channels go. It often has some very interesting, educational programs on it. However, I do have a beef with it.

The History Channel will often give quite a bit of credence to nonsense. Spiritual nonsense, that is. It will broadcast the opinions of any UFO-ologist, ghost-believing "medium", or even a Nostradamian without so much as a word from a skeptic of these beliefs! Crazed conspiracy theorists with way too much time on their hands run rampant with no adult supervision whatsoever!

Then, it aired the 9-11 conspiracy theories show. I was expecting more of the same: a few half-baked theories about how Bush orchestrated 9-11 (and, let's be honest, Bush can just barely orchestrate putting on his own tie) to scare people into his wars. And, that's exactly what the show was... except, it had something the other shows did not, skeptics!

Yes, finally, the History Channel aired the believers' opinions alongside the opinions of smart people with opposing views. And, wouldn't ya know it, the skeptics' opinions appeared much more intelligent. Amazing!

But then, I thought about it. Virtually the only time they air the skeptics' opinions was when the skeptics sided with the government's official story, as well as the majority opinion. I can't help but think that this is just another example of how the media is nothing but the government's pawn.

The History Channel should make their 9-11 show their own, personal standard on how to tell the truth about conspiracy theories. But, they should not keep that standard pent up in a corner of their closet, only to be used when it is convenient. They should use it all the time, for all cases.