ok, so i think ken burns is a genius. i love watching his docu's. after 6 years of work, his wwii documentary was finished. it is based on stories from 4 towns in the u.s.
no latino's were included.
the latino community raised hell and asked that burns ammend his docu.
he has agreed to add stories every hour, but said the docu is done and it took 6 years, he won't remake it...that doing so, to fit his vision would be too time consuming.

now my view.

stop complaining!!! he and pbs agreed to give stories every hour. hawaiians weren't included and they had a lot of contributions (and losses), but hawaiians aren't b*tching. native americans were instrumental in breaking codes. they aren't included in the docu either, and they aren't complaining. give it a rest already. i have always been an open-minded person, but i am finding myself developing prejudices. it's not enough that medi-cal sends me things i need to read--in spanish, not english!! i can't listen to a song here in fresno on the top 40 charts without it busting into spanish halfway through. perhaps i have become overly sensitive living here in fresno, but i don't cram my hawaiian background, language, food, music, etc down other peoples throats, so why must spanish be crammed down mine. yet here in fresno, that is exactly how it is.
the u.s. is a diverse country. yet individual heritages pride divides us rather than uniting us. instead of people allowing an artist their freedom of vision, suddenly it becomes a racial battleground...and creates segregation. how you ask? by FORCING someone to include a race, others get turned off, and develope prejudices. prejudice divides us. cultures do need to be represented, but not by being forced.
i have seen ken burns' other documentaries, and they are damned good...because he is an artist with a vision...it isn't his intention to ignore races, but give me a damned break...not every culture in every town in the u.s. can be represented.
if someone told me to change a picture i took of my kids because the picture didn't include an asian, african, latino, etc friend in it...i tell that person where to go, how to get there, and would even help escort them if need be!!!

what is your view? let's have a good debate, but no attacks. this is about getting opinions, and perhaps getting people to understand...one way or another.

oh...did i mention that from descriptions of the docu that have been released, women aren't featured either...hmmm, perhaps i should demand a redo of the docu to feature the sisterhood.

yeah, maybe i'm just bitter. lauren has been holding out on the chocolates.

I have gotten a bit tired... okay, ALOT tired of nobody can do ANYTHING w/out someone having a problem w/it and protesting. Is this the only thing we know how to do as a society is carp, complain and try to tear down any action someone makes?

Jen, if I could play Devil's Advocate for a sec here...

Have you ever been told you couldn't drink from the same water fountain, because you were white? Perhaps you were told you had to attend a different school, or were banned from serving your country, or...etc. No you weren't. Now, while many of these things no longer happen here (out in the open, anyway) the people to whom this occurred haven't quite forgotten. Nor, I'd venture to guess, havethey quite forgiven.

Now here's my point. While maybe in this particular instance no harm nor foul was intended, I'm guessing that to those making the charges, this is yet another case of exclusion. Does it make them right? Perhaps, or perhaps not. But to understand someone's protest,I would think, one need to first understand the driving psyche behind it.

Just my two cents...

oh, and here..have some dark chocolate macadamia cookies.. :o)

i understand peoples sensitivities...i think what bugs me is that in every other art form these days there is no lacking of cultural influences. turn on music it has some cultural influence. watch a movie, read a book, even watch a commercial on tv. there is not a lacking of cultures. ken burns is an artist, his vision was to make a docu based on 4 towns. he didn't mean to exclude any particular race. his work used 6 years of his life, and now no one give a darn, and instead are demanding it be changed. THAT is what bugs me about this. if my creative vision that took 6 years of my life to make was being forced to be changed, i'd probably sacrifice it on the alter of f**k you and not let anyone see it. no artist should be forced to cater to anyone. and for me, i was looking forward to this new docu, but probably won't watch now just because it has so much baggage with it now...rather than an artist and his creative vision.

We in America have got the bitchin down to a pat answer. We can not please everyone If some of these people were so disgusted, then why don't they get a sponsor and make their own film. I don't agree with the old racist remarks either. Times change and those who live in the old times are destined to remain bitter and unhappy. No one makes them watch the PBS show or listen to Imus even if he went too far.

amen ted!!!
hate to say it, but i have heard worse things in rap songs than what imus said...and yes, they should make their own danged documentary. america has become overly sensitive. i mean beyond all this, we have people freaking out over superbowl sunday's, spanking your kids, and an assortment of other non-politically correct things that a decade ago no one cared about, because it wasn't an issue to please every darn citizen here...24/7