Azathoth

As part of the best of 2002 series on the Discovery channel,I was startled to see a documentry on everybody's favorite prognosticator,Nostradamus.

Far from being a balanced look at the issue,the entire show was nothing more than a televised version of the new age nonsense littering the shelves of many book stores.The only person that discussed the issue,was the author of some book on the Nostradamus prophecies,who,of course did nothing but support the assertions given by the documentary.

The program was,basically,an audio visual presentation consisting of news and other stock footage spliced together with an authoritative sounding narrator going over the reason why each particular Nostradamus prophecy was accurate.

Most amusing was the Kennedy assasination,which they couldn't actually fit into the quatrain given,so they were forced to rely on the second gunman conspiracy theory to "prove" Nostradamus had been correct.Yeah,they actually used one crackpot theory to support another.

I simply cannot believe that this garbage is peddled as fact.Especially the assertions of world war three being just around the corner,using a variety of convoluted explinations as to why today's events support it.I noticed the doomsaying has been updated to include Bin Laden as one of the figures talked about in the prophecies.I believe it was previously Saddam Hussien,or Khadafi before that,when the Nostradamus believers back then,were trying to prove the end of the world was right around the corner,in their time period.

I have found,at that time,the believers of this were adamant that the prophecies discussed a world war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Of course,since that particular idea is now impossible,they've moved to another interpretation,just as assured as before that they are right.

While I,personally,think that every doomsayer prophet (or religious nutjob promoting the same thing) should be locked up in a mental institution,as long as they remain on the fringes of society,preying on the gullible,they are of little consequence.

However,I do condemn the Discovery channel's airing of such an incredible piece of nonscientific trash.As a history piece,it could have been made less than ten minutes long,without losing any information given.The rest of the "documentry" composed of Nostradamus prophecies,and the one sided reasons why they were correct.

I am very dissapointed in the Discovery channel right now.

The Admiral

I seem to remember a show that fits that description but it was a long time ago. It was narrated by Orson Wells, I think. Was this a repeat of that show?

The Admiral

Alludium Fozdex

You're thinking of The Man Who Saw Tomorrow. Orson Welles gave us a real bullshit story, but I have always thought it was a well-made bullshit story...

Azathoth

No,I did some searching,and it's called Nostradamus:Behind the Prophecies.I would have never watched it,but a family member turned to it,and was enthralled.I spent the whole show explaining about how Nostradamus prophecies only make sense after believers manage to squeeze an event that's already happened into the quatrains.

The "Nostradamus expert" was someone named John Hogue.He's written several books,from what I've found.Of course,he has a website.

lugotorix

Unfortunately, they seem to have a predilection for crackpots, like Graham "Lets-see-what-bizarre-theory-I-can-pull-outta-me-arse' Hancock.

Occasionally, they do redeem themselves, though. Earlier this year during primetime, they showed a more recent documentary titled Nostradamus: A Skeptical Inquiry that gave airtime to both sides of the issue. It was fairly balanced, with a slight edge (I thought) to the skeptical side.

I just did a search on their website (www.discoverychannel.com), which shows that they're going to air it again on January 9th, if you're interested.

lugotorix

Azathoth

I did see that when I checked out the listings.It's good that they're putting on a skeptical program,but I would have preferred if the two had have been shown next to each other,or preferrably that they would have shown just the skeptical one.

It annoys me,because I know that there are people who get most of their scientific information from Discovery.Showing programmes like this on that channel,legitimizes their content in the eyes of the viewer.

Vicar Philip

I was too after watching part of their "Jesus: The Complete Story" last week.

It's almost like reading an issue of the National Enquirer. True story here, false one here. Cute animal picture here, false story here.

How can the programmers of the channel sleep at night? Talk about factual whiplash.

Answerer

I bet the next time they will be showing the life of Mohammad.

Late_Cretaceous

"Yeah,they actually used one crackpot theory to support another. "

Yeah, that was really funny. I have often wondered why a 17th century seer would be so focused on contermporary american history. Why would the assignation of a foreign head of state (of a country that did not yet exist), warrent so much attention in the first place.


quote:
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Originally posted by Azathoth
I am very dissapointed in the Discovery channel right now.
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Maybe the Discovery Channel is going down the same "Dumb-it-down" path that THe Learning Channel took a few years ago (we used to call TLC "The Conspiracy Channel".

seesaw

I feel the same way. The Discovery Channel IMO has become pretty boring. I have found my self watching more of TechTv, and National Geographic Channel.