Ken Burns Says Current Times 'Equal' to Civil War, Depression and World War II

[TheProle]

Historian and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns said that the present day is one of the worst times in American history.

Burns made the remark while on the “SmartLess” podcast, hosted by Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, comparing current events with the Civil War, the Depression, and World War II.

“It’s really serious. There are three great crises before this: the Civil War, the Depression, and World War II. This is equal to it,” he said on Monday’s episode when asked about the direction the United States was headed.

The documentarian went on to quote comments made by Abraham Lincoln during a January 1838 speech to a group in Springfield, Illinois:

From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide.

https://www.mediaite.com/podcasts/one-of-the-worst-times-ever-in-american-history-ken-burns-says-current-times-equal-to-civil-war/

[elleng]

1. 'if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher.'

[marble falls]

2. Think of it: "The Civil War, Depression and World War II Years: A Long Time Going - ...

... Another Very Long and Dreary Documentary by Ken Burns".

[NewHendoLib]

3. I adore his long and dreary documentaries!

[marble falls]

4. I truly enjoy 75% of any of them. He plays that sad music just a bit much. The Roosevelts ...

... went almost as long as the Roosevelts themselves did.

[NewHendoLib]

6. well there it is - I listen to a lot of sad music (because I'm such a happy person!)

Going to try the Mohammed Ali one tonight - we loved Country Music, Jazz might have been our favorite, Viet Nam and WW 2 were pretty incredible. Civil War and Baseball are the two I've not gotten all the way through - very long, repetitious in parts

[William Seger]

14. All My Favorite Songs

[roamer65]

5. The 2020's have an eerie similarity to the 1850's.

Comparable disunity and rancor.

[Skittles]

7. not even close

sorry, maybe for the workers on the Covid front lines but for most folk, no

[Red Mountain]

8. Agreed

Mr Burns wants to be the story a little too much.

We aren't anywhere near any of those things.

[zipplewrath]

10. Close to the Civil war

It is a serious division in the country driven by the imbalance created by the formation of states to defend slavery. It created imbalances in the federal government that exist to this day. It's why today 50% of the senate is controlled by 30% of the population. It's why Alabama, that often elects senators by ratios of 45 /55 has 7 GOP congressmen and 1 democrat. It's why there is an effort to change the EC to be based upon the popular vote. And I fear it will not be settled without more violence. I say more because it has been going on since the assassinations of the civil rights movement, through assassinations of abortion doctors, to the assassinations of people in black churches, the Charlottesville riots, and the violence of Jan 6th, and really to some extent the killing of black people by the police.

[Missn-Hitch]

19. Hear, hear!!

I find the lack of urgency on these matters quite disturbing, especially on DU.

Baby steppin' to fascism.

[BannonsLiver]

21. Let's call it what it is.

It’s arrogance by people who think they’re more intelligent than Ken Burns. No one in this thread fits that bill, from what I’ve observed.

[thesquanderer]

13. I'm not so sure. Existential threats. It's not a matter of how most folks feel...

...but rather about whether the United States as we know it will survive. Over-stated? Maybe. But people tend to think threats are not so serious, until they are. The current Republican party, and their fringe supporters who are more than just a fringe, are a danger to our political stability.

[paleotn]

16. Agreed. Hyperbole? I hope so.

We have our problems, but Burns is way off the mark.

[Tumbulu]

17. For those of us who are intelligent living in red areas, this is spot on

I really do not believe that urban people get the danger the nation is in.

If you lived where all the food, fiber and meat was produced, you might have a better understanding of how much power this very small group has and how their decision to destroy the national government has been a long long game.

They have already racked up so many casualties ( excess and unnecessary gun deaths, and now Covid deaths after the vaccine roll out) and they have only begun.

Sorry to be so pessimistic, but they have been ignored and trivialized at our peril.

I think that it is too late, actually. I really hope that I am wrong. I frequently am, so there is that.

[Skittles]

22. I live in as red an area as you can imagine

I was also raised by a Depression survivor and a WWII survivor.

[Tumbulu]

23. As was I, and every time I go off my farm I go into panic mode.

And I am not the only one experiencing this.

The entire pandemic those flaunting the rules and norms have grown and become more belligerent. At least around my parts. For me the terror began with Trump’s “election” which I predicted when Brexit passed.

This celebration of the decimation of norms and enjoyment of the pain that they cause us, even when it costs them their lives is a very big thing.

I am really glad that you don’t think it is as bad as I think it is.

Maybe you are just wiser than me- I hope so. Because I really feel ground under by the destruction of our union and the loss of so many lives, which is really only beginning. As there will be more pandemics, as Climate Change releases more biological disasters along with the weather events.

[Skittles]

24. America is stronger than Donald Fucking Trump and his fucked-up cult

people are SICK of them, and sick of being told we have to "understand" them - we DO understand them, all too well, which is why they DISGUST us

[thesquanderer]

25. Except his cult is at least 20 million people strong.

that's from https://news.wttw.com/2021/08/09/millions-americans-support-use-force-restore-trump-white-house-report

and even outside that fanatical cult, if the election were held today, trump would beat biden in the popular vote.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-beats-joe-biden-2024-election-poll-1626328

okay, really more of a "too close to call," despite the provocative headline. But still...

[Skittles]

28. they are vastly outnumbered

I absolutely do not believe Trump could ever win the popular vote, and he needed Russia to help him get what he got.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

9. And we may lose this one n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Yes those issues went underground and here they are again

[yaesu]

12. I would say the depression was a lot worse, maybe equal to WWII as far as crises goes. nt

[NNadir]

15. Well, maybe a future documentarian can feature and old white racist "expert" talking about...

...how much fun it would be to wave Nathan Bedford Forrest's sword over his head.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

18. Ummmmmm, no. Not even close, yur losin it Ken, have another drink on me

[BannonsLiver]

20. America is a hot mess

And it’s not going to get any better anytime soon. I wasn’t alive during the Great Depression or WW2 so there are nuances that exist in the moment I can’t understand. Conversely, assuming there is a culture/society in the future, they might look upon our times as either the good old days, or barbaric.

Anyway I like Ken Burns and don’t think he’s an asshole for throwing that out there, even if I’m inclined to disagree.

[Mr. Sparkle]

26. Those were real crisis,today's imaginary one is manufactured by a corrupt right wing fake news media

which the Democrats ignore at the pearl. imho , its one of the major problems in society

[fescuerescue]

27. He's good at documentaries of the past

Not so much on the news.

[Oneironaut]

29. Trumpism is an existential threat to this country.

It lives on in the Republican Party, even if Trump has left. There is an open Fascist movement in the US that is trying to delegitimize our elections and install a dictator. I’d consider that pretty serious!

We’re just one election cycle from losing our rights forever. Suppose Republicans decide to pack the Supreme Court with 20 Fascists, or, pull what they did in 2024, but more successfully?

The problem, imo, is growing wealth inequality mixed with racism. We cannot survive if elections must be won at any cost, including cheating.