In the modern age there are hundreds of TV channels to choose from. Everything from 24 hours of puppies running around to right-wing propaganda disguised as 'news'. But this post will focus on just two of them: Discovery Channel and the History Channel.These channels were originally meant to be educational. Discovery focused on science with such shows as Daily Planet, MythBusters, and numerous science and nature documentaries. While History focused on the eponymous subject with many documentaries and historical fiction movies. However, in recent years both channels have abandoned their original purpose and fill their schedule with cheap crappy sensationalist programming. Discovery and History Channel no longer deserve their names, rather they should be called Made-up-y and Fantasy Channel.
Let's start with Discovery. It is the popular "Shark week" programming that has drawn the most criticism. First the fake video purporting to show a Bull shark in Lake Ontario which was just a publicity stunt. This was a video intentionally designed to deceive which produced sufficient public paranoia to prompt a response from the Natural Resources Minister. Next we have the Megalodon "documentary", the quotes are necessary since it features actors playing fictional scientists and computer generated video footage, which fooled 73% of viewers into thinking a long extinct species still exists. Due to the success of the first one, Discovery has now produced a second one again featuring a fictional 'scientist' and computer generated imagery. The few real scientists featured in Shark Week programming were lied to and their interviews heavily edited to make it seem as though they believe in mythical beasts. The success of crockumentaries has lead to Discovery creating others featuring science-y discussion of mermaids and dragons.
History Channel has a special place in my fiery rage filled heart. The pinnacle of my hated of History Channel is their program "Ancient Aliens". Ancient aliens is a currently 79 episode TV program in the documentary style but unworthy of the name "documentary" since it is completely devoid of factual content. Each episode is 40 minutes of self-proclaimed "ancient alien theorists" and authors of ridiculous books throwing around made up nonsense, speculations, insane hypotheses and illegitimate interpretations involving some historical event or ancient structure being created or influenced by aliens. The science-fiction movie Stargate looks realistic in comparison. These programs are even more sinister than the Discovery crockumentaries since they not only deceptively rehash interviews and explanations of real scientific research each episode deliberately undermines science and historical approaches to give the illusion of journalistic balance. When not promoting alien conspiracies, History Channel is re-telling Biblical stories as if they were fact.
Finally in between the deliberately deceptive and/or pandering propaganda, these channel fill the dead air with cheap content-free reality shows literally about shit and/or garbage, such as Naked and Afraid and American Pickers. You'd get more reliable science from watching the Colbert Report, and more informative history from watching Drunk History; both of which can be found on Comedy Central.
So please let these channels die. Let them be consumed by their own idiocy. Do not subscribe, do not watch, do not support them in anyway.
