http://www.videosift.com/video/Ken-Burns-History-of-Jazz-1-Gumbo-Begginings-to-1917

Just a really well done documentary. I wish they had more time to go into some more detail about certain things, like it would be perfect if this was a series like Ken Burns' "The War".

If anything what it accomplished was to show how all military occupations no matter who's doing them in whatever circumstances are always brutal and horrible. It was concentrating on WW2 but anyone can easily draw comparisons to say Israels occupation of Palestinian territory, or America/Britain's occupation of Iraq and so on and so forth down the list.

I recently watched TV as well, only I was looking at National Geographic, The History Channel and Discovery Channel.

That shit is really vapid when it's supposed to be all about learning something.

Every fucking show is presented like it's a Michael Bay movie with bombastic voice overs, fast needlessly annoying editing, stupid isometric CGI for really inane things and loads of green screening for out of work actors.

And the shows! The bloody shows like OC Chopper and American Chopper which are basically soap opera dramas for men. Why can't they fucking buy shit made by Ken Burns? His civil war series, the Jazz chronology or his work on World War 2? What about David Attenbrough? The Planet Series? King Kong? So many brilliant documentaries from Journey Man Pictures and many other sources. It's not hard. But no we must make everything stupid.

Thank god for Horizon, PBS, MVGroup and all the documentary shows that are made in the UK.

>> ^bamdrew:
"post-literate society"? When were we ever a literate society? And what even is a literate society? Just one that reads? ... because how would that be any different exactly?


Good points, but do you remember that Ken Burns "Civil War" documentary?

Most of the narration was read from letters, and many of those letters were written by average soldiers. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that people write like that any more, in large part because people don't read as much as they used to.

Literacy is reading, and most Americans don't read as much as one book per year.

They read more back in the sixtyies, the fifties, the forties.

This really takes the Ken Burns Effect to a whole new level.

I've also never seen John Hodgman in anything other than TDS. He has a great voice for narration.

Just a coincidence.

In reply to this comment by dystopianfuturetoday:
Gratsi. My PQ is looking pretty empty. Monkey business no doubt.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote

Gratsi. My PQ is looking pretty empty. Monkey business no doubt.

In reply to this comment by kronosposeidon:
*promote

I was going to upvote this, but then I decided to wait for the documentary about this video to come out first. I hear Ken Burns will be making it.

patriotic vote... oh and also for the excessive use of the ken burns effect.

'Banned' only indicates that it is taboo. And taboo is so effin' cool.

I think the Blackstronauts sketch is a wanna-be Chappelle in that its sole intent is to mock historic racial stereotyping. And the sketch is a middling to poor parody of Ken Burns and PBS. Failed comedy can also be somewhat toxic.

The distinction I would make is that Coal Black is BOTH failed comedy and a very intentional and odious celebration of entrenched racism while Blackstronauts, Borat, Chappelle are only samples of failed comedy (at worst).

But we should have a vigorous discussion of videos like Coal Black and ultimately leave it up to the votes.

I liked it except for the ripp off letter in the start. Its from E. H. Rhodes, a Rhode Island Infantry Volunteer from the American Civil War and documented in Ken Burns's work on the subject. Great saber duel though.