What's with Conspiracies and the History Channel?

[RationalGoblin]

Seriously, I go nearly every day down to my treadmill to exercise, and I switch on the tiny TV near it, and start watching the History Channel.

Now, I love the History Channel, it's full of good, interesting stuff that I never would have heard of before.

But every 9:00, it immediately switches to talking about (boring) conspiracies of the Illuminati, aliens, and so forth.

Why is this? It certainly doesn't sell channel time better then the normal History Channel stuff does, does it?

I just don't understand why the History Channel fills an entire hour EVERY DAY with bland, boring conspiracies.

Can anyone answer this?

[Phase]

There's only one answer that I feel is suitable.

It's a conspiracy.

[Yarram]

Who's up at that ungodly hour anyway? :smallbiggrin:
If you were, you should be at work. See! They're trying to cater for the poor, unemployed conspiracy theorists! :smallamused:

[Crimmy]

Who's up at that ungodly hour anyway? :smallbiggrin:
If you were, you should be at work. See! They're trying to cater for the poor, unemployed conspiracy theorists! :smallamused:

/Thread. Truly

[Dori]

Conspiracies are fun for those who are just generally have nothing to do or are bored with everything around. It's a life saving program to keep them from killing themselves over boredom.:smallbiggrin:

[RationalGoblin]

Who's up at that ungodly hour anyway? :smallbiggrin:
If you were, you should be at work. See! They're trying to cater for the poor, unemployed conspiracy theorists! :smallamused:

Hey. Hey. Hey.

I meant 9:00 at night. I'm at school at 9 in the morning. :smalltongue:

Anyway, this thread's just to vent; I know that conspiracy theories are semi-popular, but come on, can't they think of something ELSE to show?

[Serpentine]

Isn't it only an 9 o'clock at night? :smallconfused: So wouldn't that make it, say, "The History Channel Conspiracy Theory Hour"? As in... only a part of what they show, but just one of their regular programs? :smallconfused:

Hey, how often do they mention von Daniken?

[Mauther]

I've pretty much given up on the main History Channel. All it is conspiracy and supernatural/paranormal, with some reality shows like Pawn Stars thrown in. I pretty much watch the History International or Military channels if I want some history that doesn't include Nostradamus, the Bilderberg Group, or ice truckers.

[TheLogman]

I've noticed this as well.

A number of nights with the History Channel in the background had me counting quite a few mentions of secret government, political conspiracies and supernatural stuff and all sorts of other crazy claims.

And not much history.

[Ostien]

Two words: NAZI GOLD!

Doncha think the History channel has gotten off message, and that message is Nazis? Everything is better with Nazis, how about some Nazi conspiracies?

[742]

i dont know about better, but certainly cooler! maybe im just a big fan of overly dramatic villians. or maybe its the black+red color scheme.

the current conspiracies are also pretty lame and over the top. i havent seen a damn thing on anything thats actually going on. *wraps herself in tinfoil*

no; i dont own a god damn death ray. stop asking. no cape either! i said stop asking!

[GolemsVoice]

Did somevone say Nazie Gold, ja? Oder did I leave my bunker in ze Arctis for nothing? Nein!

[Rawhide]

Are you trying to tell me that an entire TV station invoked Godwin's law en masse?

[Philistine]

Meh, I gave up watching the History Channel some years ago when I noticed that anytime they covered a topic I had prior knowledge of, they got it wrong. Often quite badly wrong. This made it very difficult for me to credit anything they had to say on matters with which I was not familiar.

So let them show all the wacky conspiracy theory garbage they want, IMO, because it's not like they were any good at working with real history.

[arguskos]

Are you trying to tell me that an entire TV station invoked Godwin's law en masse?
Considering they once were nicknamed the Hitler Channel, yeah, probably.

[Rappy]

I've pretty much given up on the main History Channel. All it is conspiracy and supernatural/paranormal, with some reality shows like Pawn Stars thrown in. I pretty much watch the History International or Military channels if I want some history that doesn't include Nostradamus, the Bilderberg Group, or ice truckers.
Apparently you missed the Freemason marathon on HI recently. :smallwink:

But yeah, History Channel has gone down the road of failure. Similarly, Animal Planet has stuff like 'Lost Tapes' and its new slogan of "Animal Planet: Surprisingly Human" foretelling its potential downfall.

[lsfreak]

I saw a show on either Discovery or History, I don't remember which, about some guy finding secrets and stuff. Spelunked into a ruined Nazi base. Mentioned something about a doomdays device that involved igniting the uranium in the earth's core. At that point, I sat in stunned shock for several seconds. There's passing off hype as fact, and then there's just failing science forever. I haven't turned on the TV in more than a year. Nova, Daily Show, and Mythbusters off the internet are fair game, though.

[MCerberus]

History Channel (I won't call it History in the same way my favorite hockey team plays in the KIEL Center damn it) seems to have gotten way too involved in speculative history as of late. There are a few new gems though, like The Universe, which is much better than the Discovery Channel rip.

Much of it seems to be filler to keep people watching while they produce a special. These haven't been going down in quality, unless you consider Life After People to be part of the problem.

America should be interesting and good if they use their usual standards. It's a shame they aren't running a lot of their old series on History International though, I would very much like to catch Russia: Land of the Czars again.

[Asta Kask]

Have they talked about the Reptoids from constellation Draco yet?

[Cobalt]

I used to watch the History Channel all the time, but I stopped about mid-2009 because of how rare it became to actually find something non-freemason/alien visitors on it.

:smallsigh: I miss all those Civil War shows.

...Hm. Now that I think about, HC seems to be going through phases of what they air. Right now it's the 'annoying reality show/world is ending/look out for the freemasons/is that a UFO' phase. I hope it passes. Soon.

[Sleverin]

It used to be that growing up as a young child, you got to watch Nazis doing this, Nazis doing that....cool experiments or wacky stuff America researched back then. Now it's like MONSTER HUNTER DOES BIGFOOT EXIST OMG HE DOESNT BUT LETS WASTE AN HOUR. Very rarely would I come across some wild west sort of thing (which is hard to take seriously since so much from that era we basically draw off of old western movies), or something really cool like how the lottery was created and why it went from being illegal to quite possibly the biggest thing to gamble on evar. However, I've been so pissed off at them about stuff like OMG ALIENS, or OMG MONSTERS, or OMG TRUCKERS that I don't even bother anymore. I mean really, truckers? Come on fellahs, i think we can do a bit better than that.

[ghost_warlock]

Maybe they should do a show about how all those alien abductions you hear about are actually perpetrated by truckers in the employ of the Illuminati.

[742]

Are you trying to tell me that an entire TV station invoked Godwin's law en masse?

for a few years; yeah. wait does it still count if its about the pacific? there was some of that i think.

at least its more sophisticated than the discovery channel, random explosions VS: extra-terrestrial-vampire freemason conspiracies*

*which is ridiculous as everyone knows that mr. van helsing was one of the founding members. still more intellectually stimulating than watching things explode in slow motion.

[CoffeeIncluded]

for a few years; yeah. wait does it still count if its about the pacific? there was some of that i think.

at least its more sophisticated than the discovery channel, random explosions VS: extra-terrestrial-vampire freemason conspiracies*

Hey, don't knock Mythbusters. :smallannoyed:

[Mando Knight]

I used to watch the History Channel all the time, but I stopped about mid-2009 because of how rare it became to actually find something non-freemason/alien visitors on it.

:smallsigh: I miss all those Civil War shows.

...Hm. Now that I think about, HC seems to be going through phases of what they air. Right now it's the 'annoying reality show/world is ending/look out for the freemasons/is that a UFO' phase. I hope it passes. Soon.

They're really into this "alien" phase... right now they're showing some kind of show where they're discussing aerodynamically feasible designs and models recovered from the ancients, and the first... only "reasonable" hypothesis posed is "aliens did it." :smallsigh:

Not "the Egyptians must have had an ancient counterpart to the Wright Brothers," or "human engineers have been ingenious problem solvers for a half-dozen millennia," or even "we must perfect time machines in the future and have some kind of Back to the Future moment," it's "aliens must've done it."

[Graymayre]

If you can, I'd suggest watching the History International Channel instead. It has all the good stuff on the History Channel and none of the crap. Seriously it's amazing. I have Comcast so that's one way to get it, but I'm sure that other subscriptions can give it as well.

[742]

nonono, mythbusters manages to rationalize it whenever they blow **** up and its always in the name of science. i saw an ad for one show and the premise was pretty much "we blow **** up-but we record it with a high speed camera". mythbusters is high concept people-running-around-staging-explosions. thats not an insult, i actually like the show when i can occasionally find it; i lack DVR

[Mauther]

I was flipping through the menu this weekend and I saw two interesting shows listed. One was their new special America (a big budget history of the US) and something about how the states were made (going over the politics and history of state boundaries), both seemed like rational quality programs for a channel about history. I just can't help but wonder what board meetings or the break room are like at the history channel:

Bob: So Chuck, what's up?
Chuck: Just got out of a meeting, got a green light to do that series about advances in engineering through out history and its effect on the worlds greatest empires. Got a top flight narrator and host, some real respected historians, even got collaboration from local groups to get on site hands on demonstrations. Gonna be really great! What about you?
Bob: We're putting a camera crew at a pawn shop, and taping their day to day operation. Kind of a Monster Garage without the engines. Got approval for 20+ episodes.
Chuck: ...(Silence)...
Bob: You okay?
Chuck: Go **** yourself Bob.

[MCerberus]

I was flipping through the menu this weekend and I saw two interesting shows listed. One was their new special America (a big budget history of the US) and something about how the states were made (going over the politics and history of state boundaries), both seemed like rational quality programs for a channel about history. I just can't help but wonder what board meetings or the break room are like at the history channel:

Bob: So Chuck, what's up?
Chuck: Just got out of a meeting, got a green light to do that series about advances in engineering through out history and its effect on the worlds greatest empires. Got a top flight narrator and host, some real respected historians, even got collaboration from local groups to get on site hands on demonstrations. Gonna be really great! What about you?
Bob: We're putting a camera crew at a pawn shop, and taping their day to day operation. Kind of a Monster Garage without the engines. Got approval for 20+ episodes.
Chuck: ...(Silence)...
Bob: You okay?
Chuck: Go **** yourself Bob.

That's slightly better than what The Discovery Channel's doing. It seems like they just take ideas from another channel and dumb it down a peg. Notable sources being the History Channel, National Geographic, Science channel (which is a Discovery variant channel), and itself.

Defending Mythbusters for a moment, they do go through lengths to explain that they actually do science, contact experts, test, test, scale test, test beforehand, and have proper safety protocols in place.

Some of the ripoff shows just seem "EXPLOSION POW POW."

Did anyone catch the first part of America? I forgot to record it and wish to know if it's good.

[Silverraptor]

I don't know wbout this conspiracy talk that you speak of. But the "America: Story of Us" show is really well done. Maybe you should try watching that when you're on the tread instead.

[Mando Knight]

I don't know wbout this conspiracy talk that you speak of. But the "America: Story of Us" show is really well done. Maybe you should try watching that when you're on the tread instead.

You can't choose what the History Channel puts on or when they show their shows. And conspiracy theories and space aliens make up at least 50% of HC's programming now, much like B-movie horror flicks take up more than 50% of Syfy's programming. They don't want to be known for what they're good at anymore. :smallsigh:

[snoopy13a]

Bob: So Chuck, what's up?
Chuck: Just got out of a meeting, got a green light to do that series about advances in engineering through out history and its effect on the worlds greatest empires. Got a top flight narrator and host, some real respected historians, even got collaboration from local groups to get on site hands on demonstrations. Gonna be really great! What about you?
Bob: We're putting a camera crew at a pawn shop, and taping their day to day operation. Kind of a Monster Garage without the engines. Got approval for 20+ episodes.
Chuck: ...(Silence)...
Bob: You okay?
Chuck: Go **** yourself Bob.

Problem is that the History Channel is a business. Apparently, a reality shop at a Pawn Shop is more profitable than a historical documentary tailored for a lay viewer.

My gripe with the History Channel is when they use reenactors in their documentaries. Whenever, I see a cut to them, I think "cheesy movie".

[Silverraptor]

You can't choose what the History Channel puts on or when they show their shows. And conspiracy theories and space aliens make up at least 50% of HC's programming now, much like B-movie horror flicks take up more than 50% of Syfy's programming. They don't want to be known for what they're good at anymore. :smallsigh:

Right, you can't chose what they put on. But if they put that particular show on at 9 every sunday night...:smallamused:

[Dvandemon]

Two words: NAZI GOLD!

Doncha think the History channel has gotten off message, and that message is Nazis? Everything is better with Nazis, how about some Nazi conspiracies?


Are you trying to tell me that an entire TV station invoked Godwin's law en masse?

Yes, yes it did

[DraPrime]

So this is what has happened to the History Channel over the last few years, during which I have not had a TV? Weird. I still fondly recall the days when it was the HOLY SH*T WWII WAS COOL channel.

[RationalGoblin]

They're really into this "alien" phase... right now they're showing some kind of show where they're discussing aerodynamically feasible designs and models recovered from the ancients, and the first... only "reasonable" hypothesis posed is "aliens did it." :smallsigh:

Not "the Egyptians must have had an ancient counterpart to the Wright Brothers," or "human engineers have been ingenious problem solvers for a half-dozen millennia," or even "we must perfect time machines in the future and have some kind of Back to the Future moment," it's "aliens must've done it."

Yeah, they seem to be obsessed with aliens, like they were obsessed with World War II. I suppose it's the demands of the viewers, but still...

And that aerodynamic episode is actually one of the episodes I was complaining about. I mean, your "Egyptian Wright Brothers" or "whoo problem solvers" is perfectly reasonable. Aliens, however? Not so much.


So this is what has happened to the History Channel over the last few years, during which I have not had a TV? Weird. I still fondly recall the days when it was the HOLY SH*T WWII WAS COOL channel.

Heh, I remember the "WWII WAS AWESOME GUYS" stuff. It's where I learned about Krupp Steel, which was pretty cool.

So everyone's saying that History International is much better nowadays then the History Channel itself? Alright then, I'll check it out.

[Rappy]

So everyone's saying that History International is much better nowadays then the History Channel itself? Alright then, I'll check it out.
Yeah, overall, it's better. Be forewarned, though: there are certain times when even it gets a taste of obsession and starts showing History's Mysteries or Dragons: The Subtitle of Which I Forget. There's also the Naked Archaeologist, who I find questionably historical, but that's best left alone due to the forum rules.

[MCerberus]

Yeah, overall, it's better. Be forewarned, though: there are certain times when even it gets a taste of obsession and starts showing History's Mysteries or Dragons: The Subtitle of Which I Forget. There's also the Naked Archaeologist, who I find questionably historical, but that's best left alone due to the forum rules.

Do you mean the one where they trace back the evolution of monster myths or China: The Dragon's Ascent... because I liked them both :smalleek:

[Coplantor]

Seriously, I go nearly every day down to my treadmill to exercise, and I switch on the tiny TV near it, and start watching the History Channel.

Now, I love the History Channel, it's full of good, interesting stuff that I never would have heard of before.

But every 9:00, it immediately switches to talking about (boring) conspiracies of the Illuminati, aliens, and so forth.

Why is this? It certainly doesn't sell channel time better then the normal History Channel stuff does, does it?

I just don't understand why the History Channel fills an entire hour EVERY DAY with bland, boring conspiracies.

Can anyone answer this?


People love to think that someone is ruling their lives and pulling invisible strings, also, they love to think that the end of the world is near.
Lemme see...
Since I was born the world almost ended three times, or maybe four and we are expecting another end of the world two years and 8 months from now aprox.
Yeah, history channel is weird, now is full of conspiracy and end of the world stuff, but at least they changed their previous modus operandi wich was PEOPLE WANTS TO SEE HITLER. I dont know about the USA, but in LA, history channel was all about world war two.

And yeah, it seems to sell better since a lot of people I know who wouldn't watch the history channel even if their lives depended on it now are all like "Oh! have you seen? The masons killed bruce lee because he was secretly a jesuit training super ninja priest!"

[Pyrian]

Since I was born the world almost ended three times, or maybe four and we are expecting another end of the world two years and 8 months from now aprox.Lists are kept here: It's The End Of The World As We Know It ...AGAIN (http://alma-geddon.com/)

[Coplantor]

Lists are kept here: It's The End Of The World As We Know It ...AGAIN (http://alma-geddon.com/)

Oh gosh! I might investigate the site... but it's... it doesnt look good... my eyes hurt!