I am a big fan of those programmes like Time Team, Meet The Ancestors, Time Watch, most of the UKTV history programmes infact. I find them quite fascinating. Most of the time they are done quite sympathetically, and don't try to pass off the ancients as being these barbaric heathens.
I find it really irritating when programmes make out that our ancestors were savages who went around raping and pillaging. They seem to think that the world they lived in then was full of fear and violence. Who are we trying to kid here? This year alone almost THIRTY children have been murdered by OTHER CHILDREN in London!! What the fuck is going on? Our ancestors aren't the savage barbarians! We are!
I agree with you! I feel we, as a Western society, have somehow lost our way totally in many parts of our country , especially inner citiy area....what are we collectively doing to rear children who kill other children?????
ReplyDeleteI alos find it very annoying , in a similar but totally unrelated (!) vein, that archeology usually assumes that our ancestors were dorks...whenever a recreation is done using 20th C technology thay alway seem to expess surprise that the "ancients" actually did it better, more often than not....
Oh, I completely agree. It is always inferred that "we" are so much better than our ancestors. It is similar in some ways of that very colonial attitude of cilivising the natives. Who actually are usually much more civilised than "we" ever were.
ReplyDeleteWhat society is doing to children nowadays is horrific. I am doing my very best to bring up my children in love and compassion, with an understanding of rights and responsibility. (Oh, and moving out of here asap!)