Dear History Channel:

[Brigid]

This is Labor Day weekend. How about some programming about labor history? Blair Mountain, WV; Honea Path, SC; Homestead, PA; Ludlow, CO -- these are just off the top of my head. The possibilities are endless, and would make for an absolutely riveting series for next Labor Day. I know you can do it -- I've seen you do it. So how about it?

[Logical]

1. Any more it will be about aliens or ghosts or some fucking reality shit. nt

[Staph]

2. It used to be

the all-Nazi channel -- all World War II all the time.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. We called it The Hitler Channel or The Hirohito Channel.

Monday and Tuesday they're running a mini-series about Houdini, starring Adrien Brody.

I watched the videos at the history channel website. The way he has a receding hairline, and wild hair over his ears, he sort of looks like Vladimir Horowitz, famous pianist.

[louis-t]

4. Can't wait until I don't have to see Houdini commercials anymore.

[Brigid]

7. I've seen them too.

Sounds interesting, but on Labor Day weekend, I want labor history. People need to know this stuff. The History Channel touches on it once in a while, like their stunning account of the Battle of Blair Mountain in a doc about Appalachia, and another about Henry Frick and the Homestead strike in "The Men Who Built America". They've just never done a program that focuses on it.

[Doctor_J]

32. Looking forward to the mini-series though

Bonnie & Clyde turned out to be less than great, hoping this will be better.

[hifiguy]

5. I remember when the History Channel did history.

WWII was at least history. But I remember when TLC used to run James Burke's marvelous shows regularly too.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

18. TLC should renamed TTC

Trailer trash channel.

[Warpy]

25. Or TFS

The Freak Show

I think A&E took The Trailer Trash channel already.

[Historic NY]

27. Yes...instead of rednecks and alligators.

[cilla4progress]

8. I know.

The local civic gathering place in our RED region is having a celebration of the MILITARY, like it's Memorial or Veteran's Day...not LABOR DAY!

Sheesh!

[Warpy]

9. Even "Black Blizzard," one of the best things they've done,

would be appropriate since it covered the plight of people who grew the country's food.

TPTB don't want people learning the history of their own class, haven't you noticed? They'd rather air marathons of that stupid "aliens" guy and bible shit.

[Brigid]

10. Their Bible shite is just that: Shite.

My NIV Study Bible, Bible Handbook, Bible Commentary, and Bible Dictionary give me much more. And don't even get me started on the "hair guy"! He's only good for a laugh when I need one.

[Warpy]

12. Exactly, it's all hogwash produced by morons for morons

and I'm totally sick of it.

I'm delighted at least one believer agrees with me, since I always note how it must offend most people who take the time and trouble to read the book they're twisting.

[SamKnause]

15. Black Blizzard was excellent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[awoke_in_2003]

11. The corporations that run this country...

do not want to see labor painted in a good light. They have spent 40 years trying to kill it, and are almost there.

[Drale]

13. They have a thing about the True History of the Hillbilly

and there is whole part about labor history and such.

[Brigid]

14. Yep, "Hillbilly: The Real Story."

The first time I ever heard of the story of Blair Mountain. I was stunned, and angry that I had never heard it before. Believe it or not, my history instructor this summer had never heard of it.

[niyad]

16. add the ilgwu to that list (triangle, anyone?)

[Brigid]

19. Yep. Like I said . . .

The possibilities are endless.

[catbyte]

17. Sadly, they're too busy airing alien abduction shows. BTW, who will the first bagger be

this year to praise "business owners" & "entrepreneurs", completely ignoring workers like the last few years? Morans.

[rickyhall]

20. I like Hell On Wheels

[calimary]

21. That is a FABULOUS idea!!!

Wow - they could have a series that ran on Labor Day, or throughout Labor Day Weekend. And the bumpers could all be quotes from various authors and labor leaders like Upton Sinclair, Ralph Chaplin, John Steinbeck, Cesar Chavez, Walter Reuther, FDR, and more. Hell, even quotes from Henry Ford, regarding the idea he promoted that involved paying his employees enough so that they could afford to buy the stuff he had them manufacturing.

TERRIFIC idea!

[Brigid]

22. And more great ideas!

[hifiguy]

31. Love the idea

They could spend two hours on Cesar Chavez alone.

[valerief]

23. Well, it's not like it's a People's History channel. The big 6 media giant History channel.

They'll tell us everything they feel we need to know. Nothing useful.

[Chisox08]

24. It's going to be Pawn Stars all day

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

26. Are there any documented incidents regarding labor unions and ufos?

If so, you should contact the creative development department at the History Channel. Maybe Jimmy Hoffa was last seen boarding a ufo?

[kentauros]

28. I thought I'd help you out

by suggesting some typically liberal TV channels that would likely have shows about Labor on Labor Day.

No such luck.

First, I went to LinkTV, and it's all of the same global programming they have on every non-holiday day of the week.

Second in line, FSTV, or FreeSpeechTV. Well, other than Democracy Now! maybe doing something on their show that day, there was nothing in the programming schedule about Labor.

Third, I thought maybe I'll find something on the new channel, the one that used to be the Documentary Channel, and has now been re-branded as Pivot TV, which is supposed to be about making a difference in the world, much like Labor did and still does. Okay, they don't have their normal programming as they seem to have decided instead to air a marathon showing of Veronica Mars all day.


So, none of the cable/satellite channels have anything special scheduled for Labor Day that has anything to do with Labor. Figures. I guess I'll have to try PBS. The channel that has Frontline and Nova and other fine series like that, they should have something special scheduled for Monday, right?

Nope.


Maybe the thing to do is to get some of your friends together at a coffee shop and have a lively discussion about the issues around Labor and what that day means to us all. Someone may get educated about what you know, including people at surrounding tables

[Tanuki]

29. John Sayles' movie "Matewan," or Barbara Kopple's documentaries

"American Dream" and "Harlan County, USA" would be great choices as well.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

30. I find your post fascinating and deserving of a thread of its own

Are there any great films about the union movement? I went to see Sylvester Stallone's offering F.I.S.T. in 1978 written and directed by the great Joe Eszerhaus and Norman Jewison but was disappointed that it turned into an expose of the mob connections within unions. I suppose How Green Was My Valley and Native Land could be mentioned, but not much else comes to mind.