Deb, Don't worry about your "hitting a nerve." Your message brought out several positive messages in return. And I believe that in general we were all saying the same basic thing. vee ----- Original Message ----- From: <DebCA@comcast.net> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 12:27 PM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] Ashamed American History > Wow - ashamed - proud. Powerful words. > > In some ways - wish I had just said "saddened"! Maybe it wouldn't have > "hit a nerve" out there. > > Certainly we all know about the classic stories of 6 people all at the > same place - at the same time - telling about "the whatever" afterwards - > and voila - you have "six different events"! LOL "We" then listen - sort > and sift - trying to get a bit closer to what really may have happened. > That's fine - and normal - and what I'd call "human experience". > > So also with my comments on history. Ironically, the main point of > sending the post to begin with was re: the local SWAIN connection! But - > given the power of the series, I "went on" about the "context" and my own > reactions. I wanted to point out the power of the documentary "genre" for > story telling - to include multiple points of experience - with both the > "big context" and the "personal letters/diaries". My "to the side" > personal experience was that we aren't "told" many of the things that > happened. But, that too, is a matter of history. It depends on how many > individuals decide to take the time/effort to write their particular > collection of facts - their interpretation - then put it out there for the > rest of us. > > Shoot - stories are only "out there" and told if folks like "us" write > them - about our families & ourselves. > > So - sorry if I stirred anything up out here. I do think Ken Burns is a > master at the documentary genre - from "The West" to his work on baseball > to many, many more. Just wanted to share. :( > > Deb > > > > Looks like I hit > >