Anyone watching Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States…..

[Little Star]

or read the companion book?

I’m watching it on demand, haven’t read the book.

But boy, I’m enjoying this and learning a lot too! I’m up to episode #4. It’s sooo well worth the watch!

http://www.sho.com/sho/oliver-stones-untold-history-of-the-united-states/season/1/episode/1#/index

http://www.amazon.com/The-Untold-History-United-States/dp/1451613512

[still_one]

1. I won't watch anything from stones version of history

[Little Star]

2. Personally, I really like Stone...

He may voice his opinions but he usually accomplishes making people think and sometimes even research on their own. Mission accomplished, imho.

I am finding this documentary series is very informative. To each their own I guess.

[truth2power]

5. Hmmm...

It sure has a lot of 5 star ratings on Amazon.

And looking at one of the negative ratings, "Shallow and conclusory entertainment" and "no scholarly piece of work", it appears the reviewer didn't access the "notes" section that's available by looking inside the book on Amazon's main page. Seems well researched to me.

I found it at my public library under new arrivals. Requested it.

What is your issue with Oliver Stone?

[still_one]

7. don't like him. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, no problem with that

[truth2power]

10. Thanks for the reply. Just wondering. n/t

[stultusporcos]

12. Since when has fact become opinion?

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Wouldn't miss it

I look forward to every new installment in the series. Truthfully, I haven't encountered much in the way of 'new' information, but I've gone out of my way to read 'untold' history anyway. It's still thrilling to consider all the viewers for whom this series is absolutely revelatory.

I was especially gratified by last week's episode, covering post-Watergate through Ronnie Raygun's years. Even Jimmy Carter's administration didn't emerge unscathed, but that's alright, as long as the truth gets told and it's not rooted in RWNJ BS. Good that Reagan was not given credit for bringing down the Soviet Union, but I would have preferred that what I consider the root of their downfall, a decade-long flatness in petroleum prices, get mentioned.

Next week will cover the Clinton years, so I expect Oliver Stone to get thrown under the bus on DU. Regardless, they'll be hard-pressed to come up with factual disputation with what Stone presents.

On a side note, at first I was disappointed in Stone's flat, unemotional narrative style, but by the end of the first episode, I came to realize that history doesn't need histrionic embellishment, which is in the RWNJ style.

[MightyMopar]

4. Saudi Arabia kept prices down to break the USSR because of Afghanistan

[Little Star]

6. A lot of it's new information for me....

I'm only thru episode #4. I'm not liking Truman very much. I walked away thinking two things to myself #1) the citizenry was overboard fearful and #2) those in power were nuts and war mongers. As bad as Russia was, America didn't have clean hands either.

After I watch an episode I find myself on the internet researching, lol.

[Cosmocat]

14. He paints VERY negative picture of Truman

Gave me pause to put more thought into him.

[Little Star]

15. I'm trying to do a little research on Truman...

Everything so far indicates he was very malleable. I think I'm buying that.

[superpatriotman]

8. I haven't missed an episode

And Stone's overall message seems to be that our fear and hatred of communism is the root cause of most of the world's misery since the end of WW2

[Little Star]

11. I couldn't believe how the fear just radiated out of people in the..

cold war era revved up by the politicians.

Then again GWB and his war mongers did just about as good of a job taking us to war in Iraq.

I think everyone should watch the whole 10 episodes. I feel it's that good and I'm only through 4 of them so far.

[pa28]

9. Saw Reagan and also the bomb episode yesterday. Both were excellent.

It' nice to see a history document that's not afraid to deal with the unpleasant truths and destructive orthodoxies given to us by the cult of Reagan.

[Cosmocat]

13. You have to weed though some bullshit

I have a bullshit meter that pretty much EXPLODES anytime a republican politician or profiteer opens his or her mouth.

I find that occasionally it goes off for me with this series.

I have seen all of them to this point, and I like them and for the most part he is putting out history that has been washed out, but should be considered.

He did lead me to reexamine what I thought of Truman.

He has a VERY negative take on him.

Conversely, he likes George Wallace A LOT.