PTSD, Hollywood, and the TV show "Combat"

Okay, so one of my anomalies is that I am interested in TV war shows, war movies and books about the history of war, or, as in The Red Badge of Courage about the character development than can occur in any catastrophic situation.   For someone who does not think killing is an option to solving problems, this is a major contradiction. But not really because catastrophe does sometime develop character.  War depicts the worst of mankind, but also, sometimes, the best.  

I have found a Saturday night lineup, on a TV channel called Heroes and Icons, of TV shows from World War II, and Vietnam.  One of my favorites is Combat!, and I cannot say why, except that we watched this TV show as a family when I was a child, and it evokes memories of being in the living room with my family, enjoying the family time.  Good memories.

Some of the episodes of Combat touch on the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, although that was not an official psychiatric diagnosis until the 1980s. The article noted indicates that mankind has no doubt suffered from PTSD from since the beginning of time... It has been known or at least referred to by many other terms, including, but not inclusive, shell shock, hysteria, traumatic neurosis, nervous breakdown, battle fatigue. Infamously, among other things, General Patton, in World War II, is know for two incidents of slapping soldiers, who were suffering from PTSD, but he accused them of malingering.  

Literature, drama, movies and TV have long addressed PTSD. A movie that comes to mind is Captain Newman, MD, based on a book by the same name, written by Leo Rosten. The Wikipedia article referenced above (PTSD) even refers to a reference in the Bible.

The point being, that what has been known anecdotally for perhaps thousands of years, has become codified by science and medicine. Personally, I think there is much in folklore and indigenous history, including oral history and pictorial history that science can learn from.  And, our authors, storytellers, and native "medicine men, shaman, seers, conjurers" and others who demonstrate a keen awareness of human nature, have much to offer science about human nature, and human history.   I just think we have to keep an open mind to all the possibilities. 

Texas Tech Museum

I went to the Texas Tech Museum today because there were 4 exhibits that I wanted to see: Ladies in Red; The Red that Colored the World; Red Hot and Quilted; and the Pre-Modern Bibles.  

I was surprised at how interested I was in Ladies in Red,  I did not think looking at women's clothing would be the interesting to me.  I am not a clothes horse or fashionista. I was fascinated by The Red That Colored the World.   Just seeing these two exhibits took me over 2 hours.  I am spoiled because the Tech Museum is just a few miles from where I live and free, so I do not feel I have to wear myself out seeing every exhibit that is there.  I will go back.  

If anyone is interested in more information about the Pre-Modern Bibles  exhibit, there is an item on KTTZ the NPR radio station associated with Texas Tech.  Also,  Faith Matters  is doing a 3 part series on the exhibit. 

The Early Perry Mason Episodes

I remember the later Perry Mason TV Series in which Mr. Mason was accused of engaging in legal trickery and sleight of hand, when sometimes, there did not seem to be much more than some dramatic court activities.

Now having the opportunity to watch the early Perry Mason shows, I understand the history a little better.  Some of the early shows have Mason really engaging in duplicity to try to help his client.  Some of his clients have the potential to be the villain. He and Paul Drake have a social relationship, and go boating, and fishing.  Early on, Mason and Della Street have a more physical and almost intimate relationship: she takes care of him at his apartment when he has a cold; she openly flirts with him; she kisses his cheek; and in general seems to emotionally advance herself to him.  Also, in these early shows, Mason flirts with clients and other women in the show, in a way that does not occur later on, when his behavior is much more "professional."   Paul Drake is still sometimes a rake in the later shows, but Mason and Ms. Street have cleaned up their act to be more professional. 

While I cannot recount the details, the early Perry Mason shows feature a lot of actors who later become well known as TV or movie stars.  It is fun to identify these people in the shows, who receive credit but not "star billing."  There was also a series of shows in which Mason was "away" or "in the hospital" and established stars guested as attorneys helping clients with Mr. Drake and Ms. Street supporting them.  

I do not recall the revived show with a different cast, but I did follow the latter revival of the show with Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, and Barbara Hale as Della Street.  Read the Wikipedia article regarding casting, including Paul Drake Jr., and a later investigator

Perry Mason comes on about 1030 PM and although I should be in bed, watching the show helps me to wind down.  Sometimes, as is true tonight, I have not wound down enough.  So, I stay up too late. But I am glad for the opportunity to watch and learn about the evolution o of this TV show. . 

Save The Alamo

A few days ago, I received a post card from The Alamo Roadshow at the National Ranching Heritage Center.  I was intrigued.  I had no stories to tell about the Alamo, nor any artifacts to share, but I went to see what was going on.  

Not what I suspected. I thought we might hear about a few of the Alamo artifacts, and then maybe be told about other artifacts brought in for review.  Not so.  The presentation was about the efforts to Save the Alamo.  I am sure part of the intent was to get a data base to ask for donations, because we were offered the opportunity to sign up for emails or submit a survey with our email included (optional).  I submitted the survey without my email. Obviously they know how to contact me. 

There were a couple of artifacts present, and an archivist who would view artifacts, as well as a recording station for people who had stories to tell. 

If you go to the Save the Alamo website, the neatest thing is the Digital Battlefield.  Someone in Georgia, no less, developed an historically accurate website of the Alamo and Alamo Battlefield as in 1836.  You can view the Alamo and environs as it currently is or as the Battlefield was in 1836.  Or you can overlay the two views. 

The preservation and restoration project sounds ambitious, and is probably past overdue.  We need to preserve our history. I was thoroughly unimpressed the first time I went to see the Alamo. It is very small, and just sort of set in amongst all these modern buildings, and it was very depressing.  Someone told me it was a battlefield, it should be depressing.  I did not know what to say then, but now I know it was depressing because it was so poorly managed, so poorly preserved, and there was no sense of awe, or reverence, no sense that this was consecrated and hallowed ground.  I have since been to Gettysburg and Vickburg, and that sense of honor and consecration is present.  And, as I think back, many of the historic sights I visited growing up exemplified that sense of honor that was missing in the Alamo.  I have been twice to see it, because I was in San Antonio, and the second time, in San Antonio with someone who had not seen it before.  But, I have been to San Antonio other times, and not felt a need to visit the Alamo. Maybe that will be different in the future. 

The Strangler Vine - A Commentary

I recently finished the book The Strangler Vine by M. J.. Carter.  It was a book I found, when I was looking for selections to offer my book club.  I had not heard of it before, and had was not familiar with the author.

The victors write history in their own image and likeness.

I did not especially like this book, nor the main characters Avery and Blake, who, although perhaps trying to be righteous, were too caught up in the intrigue of the East India Company to be good mane. Having said that, if I were in their shoes, I think I would have co-opted in the same way.

I did not like the treachery, the underhandedness, the disrespectful and evilly deceitful behavior of the officers or officials of the East India Company.  Do I believe it true, to some extent, at least.  Do I believe their are implications of the way our own government acts today, yes, and I am not a conspiracy theorist.  

The conquest by England of other lands did result in feudal systems that depended upon subservient labor to produce the wealth of the country.  The plantation system in the American South is just one example.  And even in the 21st Century, there are those who would shamefully re-write history, calling slaves "guest laborers" in textbooks.

The truth is that the East India Company may have begun as a benevolent corporation to work in partnership with the native Indian populations, but soon grew to be more interested in profit, riches and power, than the welfare of the native populations.  

And, while the East India Company's "history" is propagated on the tea, spice, and silk trade, an honest look at history tells us that the opium poppy was a cash crop with profits like no other.

I have read that the real reason that the British wanted access to trade with China was not silk, but opium.

And, in our modern day, there are stories of farmers in the war torn Middle East who forgo food crops for the profits of a cash crop of opium, traded to the West.  The result is that some few get rich, but the poor laborers suffer and they and their families have a diminishing access to locally grown food crops.

Do I believe that only Anglos engage in the misappropriation of power and wealth? No.  Look at Saudi Arabia, look at South Africa, and other African nations, at Southeast Asian nations, and South American nations.

What I do believe is that if we turn a blind eye, and allow history to be written in the perspective of the victor, we will never learn from our past.

The Post - The Movie

I went to see the movie "The Post".  This is a movie I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to see a really good story.   Or, I should say, stories.

Of course, the major plot is The Post  trying to catch up to the news scoop by the New York Times of releasing what became known as The Pentagon Papers.  But, there is so much more.

There is the whole issue about the immorality of the Vietnam War, and sacrifices caused by the Vietnam War, as well as the conflict the war has caused in the United States society.  

There is the issue of the people in the press using a double standard to report the news based on their personal relationship with those involved, a common practice in years past(and present).

There is the major issue of deceit by the government for decades, known to those in power all that time, and not acting on the facts.  Who says we can trust the government?

Central to the plot is upholding of the first amendment, the freedom of the press, and the need to protect sources which is essential if the press does its "job" to keep society informed of events in government and politics.

There is the issue of the role of women in society, and how Kathryn Graham just accepted that her father would give The Post to her by the time of the movie deceased  husband, while she stayed home and raised the family and maintained her social life.  And the movie shows how she ran the newspaper, and maintained her social life. 

There is the issue of the relationship between President Nixon and The Post.

And, of course, the desire of The Washington Post to be more than a home town newspaper, but remain family owned, and survive financially. 

And, all the while I watched the movie, I was thinking about our current day president and his relationship with the press, his obvious attempts to present a different story than the press often presents, and his claims about "fake news" as well as his denials of things we have seen and heard from his own self while on TV.  Obviously, the nuances similarities are intentional.

Those of us who lived in that era know the history, but if the movie can hold your interest when you know the outcome, it has to be good.  And it was.

Throw Back Basketball

The Texas Tech Basketball teams had a throw back weekend.  The men's and women's teams played in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum .  I have been to the Coliseum before, but I never went to a Tech basketball game there before today. I think a large reason for the change in venue was the United Supermarkets Arena was used for graduation this weekend. 

Yesterday, the men had an old timers game, and played their game against Rice and won.  Today, the women played against the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley and won.  

When I went to the Coliseum,  I thought the ease of parking and the closeness and intimacy of the arena was very nice.  I thought I would miss the electronics: no jumbo tron, no listing of players and points, rebounds and fouls.  

But the intimacy of the of the arena outweighed the lack of the electronics.  

It was really a fun experience.  If the Lady Raiders have more games in the Coliseum, I would not mind. 

The Texas Lieberator Exhibit

I went back to the Texas Tech Museum to see the Texas Liberator Exhibit. It was a gruesome exhibit. It is important for us to remember, because it "The Final Solution" was a horrible event, and we need not let it happen again.

That is why I think we need to be pro-active in helping the Syrian refugees. No people deserve to be treated like chattel, property, or less than beasts. It is why I think we have an obligation, in this country, to work to be sure that race, creed, color, religion, ethnic background, nation of origin, or gender identity affects the way people are treated. 
Human rights must be paramount. 

Liberators

There is an exhibit at the Texas Tech Museum about the Texas Liberators, or men from Texas who were with the military troops who liberated concentration camps in World War II.
On November 14, 2017, they had a presentation by 2 liberators, who shared their story with us.  It was very good, very moving, and very emotional.  I stayed for the reception after wards.  I saw part of the exhibit, but plan to view it more closely next week when I am off work.  

For anyone in Lubbock, I recommend you view it.  Especially if you are interested in history.

Detroit

I went to see the movie Detroit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5390504/ today.  It was a very brutal movie, about a very brutal time in our history.  However, I am a firm believer that we need to know and understand our history because it can help us to improve our future.

I remember the news stories about riots across our country when I was a teenager.  The horror, the senselessness, the destruction.  I learned about the rage of black people who had been subjugated for years and years. As I watched the movie, I recalled the news about the Algiers Hotel.

I was raised to respect police, and not until I was well into my adult life did I realize or accept the fact that police and authority figures in this country could be just as unlawful and vicious as criminals.  I should have known better. But I was too gullible and accepting.

I am glad that in this day and age, with body cams, cell phone videos, street cams and other security surveillance, we have information about how people behave in public, including the police. We have information about police being inappropriate, and we have information about police having to make impossible split second decisions that involves deadly force.  Policing is a very difficult career, and we have to allow them to do their jobs, but criminal behavior by police is still criminal behavior.  I think that was brought home very clearly in this movie.  

I do not find it ironic that this movie was produced during this time of high scrutiny of police behavior and possible misbehavior. 

Thousand Island Dressing

I was a freshman in college when I was introduced to Thousand Island Dressing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Island_dressing. We made our own, out of mayonnaise, ketchup, and whatnot.  I never much thought about why it was called Thousand Island Dressing. I am aware of the Thousand Island Region between Canada and the United States on the St. Lawrence Seaway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Islands, but duh! never associated the two.  Well, while watching Mysteries at the Museum http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/mysteries-at-the-museum, they did a presentation on the "controversy" of the origin of the recipe.  They concluded it was Sophia LaLonde  who originated the recipe.  That is neat!

Antiques Roadshow

I am not an antiques person, a collector, nor do I own fine things.  But I enjoy the TV show Antiques Roadshow http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/ because I love the stories about the items that are brought in.  I did not like history when I was young, when it was memorizing dates and names. I could do it, but to what end?  But, I love history that is the story of people's lives.  And the information about the antiques on Antiques Roadshow are the stories of not only the antique piece, but often of the person's life.  So, I like Antiques Roadshow. 

A New TV Show

On Late Night with Stephen Colbert he and his guest Bill O'Reilly touched briefly on O'Reilly's upcoming TV show "Legend and Lies: The Patriots" http://www.foxnews.com/shows/l-and-l.  I watched a clip.  I am not sure it is so different than the stories we already know about the Patriots and the Revolutionary Heroes.

This is a show I might want to watch.  The link above does not indicate a broadcast schedule.  This link http://waitwith.us/legends--lies-season-2-3813/ indicates it has already started. But there is a link that will allow a link schedule to be sent to my email. So, I signed up.  We shall see. 

Killing Patton

I am reading Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard   https://www.billoreilly.com/killing-patton.  Some of the reviews of this book are not favorable.  I have just started it today, and it reads like non-fiction, although it is historical.

Gen. Patton is a figure in history I find fascinating.  I guess in part because his ego was larger than life.  In part he was a paradox of a man:  he was a horseman, and helped to save the Lipizzan Stallions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipizzan but was noted for the poor treatment of the concentration camp survivors, especially the Jewish people https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/10/06/bill-oreillys-lame-excuse-for-his-awful-killing-patton-blunder/.  He had a superego, but in large part, his soldiers admired him because he was often seen at or near the front.  He infamously slapped soldiers whom he branded as cowards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton_slapping_incidents.  And he comes across as mixed regarding the use of Black soldiers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/761st_Tank_Battalion_(United_States), mostly accepting them out of dire necessity, but once preventing a lynching in El Paso. 

I think Gen. Patton is a complex man, and like many figures in history, is not all good or all bad.  It will be interesting to finish the book.

Noise in My Brain

The last few days, I have been hearing the theme song from the movie The Longest Day  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Longest_Day_(film) in my brain.  I do not think I know the tune, but as I get to the end of one segment, my brain tells me what the next segment of the song is. This is weird.

The first couple of times I saw this film, I thought it was all Hollywood. But as I grew older and learned more about D-Day, I discovered that there are some vignettes that are very accurate for a small piece of what happened on D-Day.

Of course it is not 100% accurate, but it is a very good depiction of many of the highlights of D-Day. 

The cast of the movie is "all star."  That is amazing to me also. 

If you like World War II movies, this is a must.

Reading "Hanging Curve"

I am now reading Hanging Curve, by Troy Soos. The East St. Louis race riots of 1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis_riot   http://www.blackpast.org/aah/east-st-louis-race-riot-july-2-1917  were neglected in my education about American history.  In general, I have known about the racial violence between Afro Americans and Northern and Mid-Western whites, and about Jim Crow laws. The acute awareness of race riots 100 years ago certainly gives an additional perspective on the events in St. Louis the past year or more. Personalizing it makes it so much more horrific.

It is sad that I have to say thank you to Troy Soos for increasing my awareness and giving me much more sensitivity to the history of race relations in St. Louis.

I am enjoying the book for its entertainment value, but appreciate the social value.

Ahsoken Farewell

I love this piece of music, Ashoken Farewell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashokan_Farewell, used in the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/civil-war/.  I have a version of this on a CD by The Prairie Heirs of the Palo Duro http://amarillo.com/stories/050699/ent_briefs.shtml#.Ve-j_KTlu1s.  I do not believe that this group is still in existence. I really enjoy the music on their CD and find Ashokan Farewell to be very haunting.  When I heard this piece, I thought it was a traditional piece, not one written in 1982. It is beautiful music.  Very evocative.

The History of the United States

I am so sad tonight.  I know about all of the discriminatory and duplicity in history of the United States of America: the poor treatment of the First Americans, including the failure to abide by treaties made with these peoples and the other abysmal treatments of these peoples.  Slavery.  Jim Crow Laws. The incarceration of Japanese in camps during World War II. I had not heard about this one: The Deportation of Mexicans and Mexcian-Americans who were US citizens during the Great Depression http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/09/08/437579834/mass-deportation-may-sound-unlikely-but-its-happened-before.  Segregation, which was separate and not equal. The violation of rights in the Patriot Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act. The incarcerations at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp.

I believe I am missing some other grievous human rights violations. I am not touching on the violations by private industry over the years. 

So, this is so sad that the United States has such a checkered past, yet sets itself out in the international community as a "holier than thou" nation.  It is not wrong that we are, as a nation, helping other peoples and other nations to improve their human rights records. But shouldn't we be doing it from a "learn from us" stance in learn from our mistakes? vs. This is how good a nation we are.  Because, frankly, we are not. 

The current unrest and animosity between citizens and  police is a perfect example of that:  People are being killed when in the custody or in contention with law enforcement professionals under questionable circumstances. Law enforcement officials are being ambushed simply because they are law enforcement officials.  I think this country is embroiled in a war of right vs. might. No clearly defined lines. No us against them, because the lines change depending upon the circumstances.  Who is right? Who has the might?  Who is Us? Who is Them?

Ken Burns

I have watched some of the documentaries of Ken Burns http://kenburns.com/the-films/ in part or all. I think his filming making is genius. Tonight, I am watching a re-run of The Civil War first aired in 1990. I was shocked when PBS announced it was the 25th anniversary of its first airing. I think of all the things that have intervened in the last 25 years of my life.  But it does not seem possible that it was first aired 25 years ago.  I guess, perhaps, because I have seen it more than once.  And perhaps because the film is timeless.

Woman in Gold

Before it was released, I said I wanted to see the movie Woman in Gold http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404425/.  I even put aside an afternoon on my vacation to see it.  That was the day severe thunderstorms moved into Lubbock, and Lubbock flooded, including in the area of the movie theater where this movie was playing, and I stayed home to stay out of the hail, without realizing the flooding would be more of a problem.

Was it last week, or the week before, that someone told me I need to get to the theater to see the movie or else it will be gone?  But I kept procrastinating.  Last night, I went to see the Drum Corps International season premier at the same movie theater where Woman in Gold is still playing.  I had planned to go to the pool tonight, but decided to opt for going to see the movie instead.  I am not sure, but I think Friday is the day they change movies in Lubbock. And, there were some storms in the area. I do not know if they closed the pool or not, but I opted for the movie. The forecast was the storms would not be severe, and if there was hail, it would be below the quarter-sized hail that causes problems.  The clouds were ominous but I believed the weather forecasters.

My past movie going history is that I usually attend movies on the weekends.  I was amazed last night at how few cars were in the parking lot.  There were even fewer in the parking lot tonight, so movie going must be a weekend activity. 

Well, I think I made the right choice.  I was the only person in the theater until about 5 minutes before the movie started.  A couple came in.  About 10 minutes or so after the start of the movie, 2 women came in. I was sitting in the first row, middle of the row, going up from the entry ramp. These women came in, sat right next to me, and took out the food they smuggled into the theater.

We shared laughter and comments during the movie, and sat through the credits. The woman sitting next to me thanked me for being a good sport.  I was not impressed:  Not only did the two women talk a lot during the movie (about the movie and not about the movie), the woman next to me took out her cell phone several times, and clicked calls off.  If she was not going to take calls, why didn't she silence her phone or shut it off? Or was she waiting for some specific call?.  I told them I thought it was a great movie, and the other woman told me this was the second time she came to see it.

This is a movie I will watch again, if it is shown on TV. 

I became a Helen Mirren fan when she did the Prime Suspect series http://www.helenmirren.com/biog.html  as Jane Tennison, aired on PBS in this country.  I also appreciated her in The Queen.  There are several other of her movies I want to see, including The Hundred Foot Journey.  I believe she has another play or series coming out on PBS in which she is Queen Elizabeth II, called The Audience https://www.telecharge.com/ScheduleAndPricing.aspx?ProductId=10486. 

Well, the upshot is I enjoyed the movie, and if you did not see it, I recommend you do in the future.