Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Discovery channel episode on "America' Stonehenge"

James Gage writes:

In February, on a cold drizzily & snowy day, a camera crew from Discovery Channel interviewed Dennis Stone, Steve Brody, and myself at the America's Stonehenge site. This interview was for a show called "Weird or What." The episode containing the America's Stonehenge segment will air tonight Wednesday May 19 at 8pm EST and again at 11pm on the Discovery Channel. The show was described to us interviewees as a "myth busters" type format with a scientific flair but geared towards the entertainment market. I have no idea exactly how the show's producers have opted to treat the subject matter. The episode description reads "Human sacrifice in New Hampshire?" which is obviously playing to the entertainment aspect. This could prove to be interesting segment if the producers were serious about the "scientific" aspect …

6 comments :

Norman said...

I saw the show, and James's comments were the most balanced. David Brody, a NEARA member, made some comment that the Indians didn't construct large stone structures, such as those at America's Stonehenge. But the Celts did, so, voila! AS is Celtic. I thought we had progressed beyond this viewpoint, but I guess not. To me, the entire episode was a mess of competing viewpoints, with a lot of nonsense thrown in, and at the end, a rather wild eyed archaeologist from a college in Connecticut is interviewed who concludes that America's Stonehenge is no more than a few hundred years old. QED.

pwax said...

Did anyone, eg Brody, make out that they were representing a NEARA point of view? Did they speak for themselved?

Norman said...

Brody was introduced as belonging to NEARA. He didn't say so himself (or so I recall).

pwax said...

I wish NEARA would propose a policy that members not use their membership as some kind of badge of respectability for going out and stating their private points of view, especially when they are at odds with other members of the NEARA community. It is more legitimate to claim a "cloak of NEARA" when trying to protect stonework. That is what we agree on.

If I can rant on a moment: NEARA needs to be publicly perceived as an organization trying to protect stonework, not as an organization representing cookie people who walk around in the woods.

pwax said...

I meant "kooky"

Norman said...

Peter:

When you raise the important issue of NEARA members using their membership as a badge of respectability to express personal viewpoints, I would send this to the organization directly. It is an excellent point.