Watching Disaster Documentaries
Sep. 29th, 2004 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dotintheskyTwo days ago, Jennifer (one of the Sissys) and I watched a documentary on the Black Death. It focused on the first time it appeared in Europe, in 1348, and the effects it had in all of the countries it went through. It had been a long time since I'd learned something new from television. For example, I had no idea that the first time the Black Death appeared it was transmitted by human contact. I remember our Biology teacher in High School (who was also my homeroom teacher and loved to patrol the school to catch smokers) teaching us that the Black Death was transmitted by rats.
But, then the documentary mentioned how the Black Death was "like other Medieaval plagues, such as the Bubonic plague." This has confused me because I just found a website that says the Bubonic plague was just one of three types of the Black Death (the most common one.) So, while Jennifer and I sat there, thinking to ourselves we were learning something, we were actually being misinformed. I bet the production company responsible for that documentary hired a temp to do the research.
Then yesterday, Jennifer and I watched a documentary on two modern tragedies: The Hindenburg's destruction in 1937 and the Challenger's explosion in 1986.
The images and retelling of the Hindenburg's collapse were impressive. In a way, the Hindenburg's crash in New Jersey was the first type of "9/11" tragedy: sabotage, expectators, live transmition of the event (the first time a disaster had been played on the radio as it unfolded.) Everything caught on camera aswell for posterity.
I missed much of the Challenger's story because I was busy in the kitchen making veggie burgers for everyone. Later, while eating, Jennifer and Kevin told me that they remembered the Challenger's explosion so well because it was televised to Canadian schools. They remembered sitting in their classrooms, watching its take off (the Challenger had a teacher who was supposed to give classes from space on day 4), then seeing the explosion.
But, then the documentary mentioned how the Black Death was "like other Medieaval plagues, such as the Bubonic plague." This has confused me because I just found a website that says the Bubonic plague was just one of three types of the Black Death (the most common one.) So, while Jennifer and I sat there, thinking to ourselves we were learning something, we were actually being misinformed. I bet the production company responsible for that documentary hired a temp to do the research.
Then yesterday, Jennifer and I watched a documentary on two modern tragedies: The Hindenburg's destruction in 1937 and the Challenger's explosion in 1986.
The images and retelling of the Hindenburg's collapse were impressive. In a way, the Hindenburg's crash in New Jersey was the first type of "9/11" tragedy: sabotage, expectators, live transmition of the event (the first time a disaster had been played on the radio as it unfolded.) Everything caught on camera aswell for posterity.
I missed much of the Challenger's story because I was busy in the kitchen making veggie burgers for everyone. Later, while eating, Jennifer and Kevin told me that they remembered the Challenger's explosion so well because it was televised to Canadian schools. They remembered sitting in their classrooms, watching its take off (the Challenger had a teacher who was supposed to give classes from space on day 4), then seeing the explosion.
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on 2004-09-30 06:13 am (UTC)*coughcoughweirdocoughcough*