Revisionist, "what-if" history

Thread Starter

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
Anybody else here watching "For All Mankind"? It's a "what-if?" history. Apparently those are popular lately. I think it may only be available on Apple TV.

I grew up during the space race so I got sucked into the period props, the high-quality production and such. I've always been an avid fan of all things space related.

But then the story started getting in the way. SPOILER ALERT: The first affront is the premise of the series: The Russians beat America to the moon and continue to lead at least half way through the first season (as far as I've gone). I turned off the first episode half-way through when I realized it was going to be total BS. I came back later on the strength of favorable reviews. What the hell, I figured, maybe it'll be fun after the BS factor wears off.

Then the woke stuff starts up. Werner von Braun is disgraced by his past Nazi associations. The Russians put a woman on the moon, so Deke Slayton is coerced into developing a team of female astronauts, one of which goes to the moon on Apollo 15. Gay characters start coming out of the woodwork.

It's watchable if you turn your brain off. But I find this all more than a little offensive. It's all a big lie. The space race was run by real people participating in and shaping real events. Real people working, dying, triumphing. To present an intentionally inaccurate account just seems wrong, a crime against humanity.
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
For a real hoot watch Iron Sky and on NetFlix now is its sequel Iron Sky: The Coming Race! Nazis hiding on the moon and plotting world domination. I met Werner as a kid in high school in Athens TN when he was on a lecture tour. Thought he was a nice man but hey I was just an impressed kid at the time and didn't really have anything other than a brief meeting, a friendly handshake, and him answerings a few kid's questions to go on. He and his brethren settled in Huntsville AL at the Redstone Arsenal working on the missiles. For All Mankind is available on Amazon as a $3 rental.
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
Woe the "woke"... I suppose reality is not good enough for them...

1963, first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova...

What if we just lived in the present!?
 

jgessling

Joined Jul 31, 2009
82
There’s a whole genre of science fiction known as “alternative history”. I have enjoyed several of those books. Like Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire series that involves a chunk of 1950’s West Virginia transported back to 17th century Germany. I enjoyed it. It definitely requires some “Suspension of disbelief” but I’m fine with that.

Another series I really enjoyed was by Jodi Taylor. It involves a college in England who’s History department got a time machine and had all kinds of adventures. Lot’s of fun. Much different take on time travel than the usual. Think about who was at the checkout desk In the library in Alexandria when the fire started. (48 BC).
 

Thread Starter

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
It definitely requires some “Suspension of disbelief” but I’m fine with that.
I think that's the problem I have with FAM. It's mostly realistic and, having lived through that time, it feels right. And then wham, they pull out some woke ideal they wish might have happened but didn't, and it's jarring. If it was absurd all the way around I think I would suspend disbelief and be fine with it.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Anybody else here watching "For All Mankind"? It's a "what-if?" history. Apparently those are popular lately. I think it may only be available on Apple TV.
I don't have Apple TV or watch the series your talking about. But you don't have to watch that or even go back to the time it seems to reference to see or even experience "Revisinonist, what if history". We're living through it today, every day. It started with 11/3/20 and then to 1/6/21 and is continuing now. A minority of the USA believe something that isn't true.
 
I also started watching FAM.
I was also turned off for the exact same reasons you mentioned.
After a few episodes, I stopped watching.
It is sad because initially the plot and production showed a lot of promise.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
The quality of television has been suffering lately I think as woke crap is being force fed to us. I think people are scared to complain about it but you can see it in the trends. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. How is a girly nickelodeon tween show from 2007 the #3 most currently watched show in America? Is there really nothing better to watch? Guess not, Proof is in the pudding.
20210212_005258.jpg
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
There has always been a bit of "current events" in situation comedies but now it seems to go far beyond that to hammering home points that they want "to happen". As if they are trying to win hearts and minds to their cause celebre and bring about their new world order as they see it through their rose-colored glasses. Which I why I rarely watch TV and stick to streaming content that I enjoy instead of being subjected to the constant barrage of Hollyweird's current cause celebre.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Like that socialism ever works.
A better answer after thinking on this would have been - Another of the revisionist ideas were living through. The "socialist" thing didn't come from the side that won, it was/is a completely made up talking point of those who lost.
 
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