h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"The Friends of Margate Museum is proud to present an exhibition documenting the Whitsun weekend riots in 1964."

What makes an old riot something to commemorate? Will we be doing the same in 2058 to fondly remember this year's riots?


http://www.visitthanet.co.uk/thedms.aspx?dms=13&feature=1005&GroupId=1&venue=3160157&easi=true

Mods and Rockers are looked at with rose-tinted nostalgia, I doubt that'll happen with the people involved in this years' riots.

Basically it's the culture that spawned the riots people have fond memories of rather than the riots themselves.

It was the only reason to visit Margate - a good punch-up.

>>
Basically it's the culture that spawned the riots people have fond memories of rather than the riots themselves

Yet the exhibition is definitely about the riots; they've even got on display a piece of the court from which the sentences were handed out!

To be fair, it'll probably be more of a memorial than a commemoration. i.e. "Lest we forget"...

To be honest, violence from the past is to some extent the stock in trade of museums the world over - be it bronze age skulls with big holes thwacked in them, or photos of police bovver gangs during the miner's strike in the 80s.

The thing that makes this one (slightly, but not *that*) unusual is just the localised, obscure riots they pick. But then the "Friends of Margate Museum" probably is one of the more obscure examples of such an institution, after all.

*small reality check*

As a retired broadcaster (as performer, writer, director
and sometimes producer) I can assure you that much (perhaps
too much) depends on availability of content. The more any
event has been recorded the more likely the event will be
turned into a documentary.

Video content determines what is featured.
How many times have we seen the Hindenburg disaster
or Hitler clicking his heels at Versailles? How about
that guy with feathers taped to his arms jumping off
a bridge into the river? Or Kennedy's limo in Texas?

If there are compelling photos or interesting footage
of any event it will be remembered (celebrated?) by future
video content producers.

There are a few seconds of ancient B&W footage of police on
horseback charging into picket lines of striking workers in
Winnipeg Canada in 1916 that seem to crop up in almost every
political or historical documentary made in this country.

This is because it is very dramatic and animated. And because
writers and directors and producers are usually left leaning
liberals and mixers who relish in every opportunity to stick
it to the man.

Historical importance or moral significance are far down the
list of motivations for what will be our official History in
these days of the video archive.


~jwf~

Not sure that's true for museum exhibitions to the same extent. They don't tend to rely that heavily on video content.

Your point is well taken.

Video reaches a wider audience of course
and its damaging influence on truth is
proportionately greater. Even museums
use video/theatre these days.
But let's trust in the honest and methodical
keepers of history to record and preserve
the truth in balance and perspective.

~jwf~

jwf: you can add pseudo_docu_dramas - history by Hollywood etc.

Nowadays you can play around with photographic images e.g. a
photograph of Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana on a boat was digitally
altered to bring them much closer together suggestive of a more
intimate moment - it was then plastered over the tabloids. I think
it was the Daily Mirror that was the lead on that one and had to
"fess" up after complaints from the royal household.

Some of my favourite Hollywood efforts use the
'pirate' motive to depict the rise of Empire (and
the swashbuckling Romantic hero) in the Caribbean.

Some of the better ones mix events from Elizabethan
adventures thru to the Restoration period with all
that confusion of "good guys / bad guys" depending
on letters of marque from both royal and republican
leaders. Renegade Captains 'falsely imprisoned' for
piracy who escape (or are pardoned if they will risk
dangerous missions into the Spanish Main) and become
heroes of the Romantic novel variety. Drake, Hawkins,
Raleigh, Blood, Morgan, Kidd, etc

The truth of Caribbean development and the nature of
piracy and the expansion of empire is a much nastier
and complex story. But that didn't stop pop culture
from creating the stereotypical pirate of the Capt
Jack Sparrow ilk.

Fortunately literacy and record keeping was well
established by the beginning of the 17th century and
we can still delve into the Truth as written by dozens
of chroniclers and diarists.

~jwf~