Strange documentary

[Wes R]

National Geographic channel has a documentary going on tonight that talks about the many ways modern civilization may collapse and features archeologists in 2210. The issue I have about it is that they play it like these archeologists have no clue about anything. They didn't know what a swimming pool is and looked at a car like it was a UFO. I don't care if it is 200 years in the future you'd still have books surviving that shows stuff from our era someplace. Especially since these guys are driving around in a dune buggy and are using high tech gadgets. Its like the writers want you to take the reasons for the collapses seriously but then make the people in the future into idiots in an unrealistic way.

 

[the_batdemon]

Maybe they don't understand the language.

They're like:
OMG!
WTF?
IDK?

 

[Wes R]

lol. Just struck me as odd that we know latin and other stuff yet they can't figure out stuff that is only 200 years old and had to have been talked about in their families and passed down. I guess the writers wanted to paint a super bad case for things. Or the schools were the first thing to fail and they threw all books away when they couldn't read lol. That sounds like that one episode of the newer Outer Limits where books were useless as everyone just read stuff online via internet implants. Just another reason I stockpile books with other goods just in case lol

 

[the_batdemon]

well, the Catholic church kept Latin alive until the 1960s. I'll wager they don't understand it in 2210. I direct you to TXT (text) speak, Twitter speak (is that Tweet speak?) or what ever you want to call it as the de-evolution of the written English language. it's not so far fetched. Ever watch a show called "Liars Club"? They take everyday items from 50-100 years ago and have contestants guess what they were. So if something is no longer in use, it'd be easy to see how you wouldn't know what it is. Take the pool for example, it's a luxury item, plus given the "fact" that in all the doom and gloom "future" shows, global warming will melt the polar caps and then dry up all the water, keeping a oversized bowl in the ground for recreational use would hardly make sense.....

 

[Sigma-LS]

You sure it was a documentary? Are you sure it wasn't this?

YouTube - Best of Rifftrax - Battlefield Earth

 

[Wes R]

ROFL. No its not quiet that bad. This is called COllapse (had more to the title) and is based on a book. Its not bad if you avoid the badly written future parts. I just figured that as scholars they'd have access to any remaining written documents.

 

[Raffles]

I've been wondering myself why Nat geo/ Discovery are putting on so many fictional shows and stating them as fact. I mean Star trek has just as much factual merit as this documentary.

 

[Wes R]

I've been wondering myself why Nat geo/ Discovery are putting on so many fictional shows and stating them as fact. I mean Star trek has just as much factual merit as this documentary.

If they want to do a "what if' they should at least either not have scenes shot so implausibly or just have interviews and historical reenactments. Maybe it's just me but the future archeologists being so high tech yet clueless really is distracting from an otherwise interesting show.

 

[patsmear]

r, keeping a oversized bowl in the ground for recreational use would hardly make sense.....

You never Skated growing up did you?

 

[Jedi2016]

Idiocracy, anyone?

 

[Commander Max]

Idiocracy, anyone?

That would explain a lot.

They lost me with Monster Quest. Those guys at TDC must be really hurting for ideas.

 

[the_batdemon]

You never Skated growing up did you?

nope...took too much coordination. I forgot about the skate bowls. Not that may in ground pools here.

 

[CB2001]

I think there was a young adult's book that had a similar premise. But they dig up a hotel and examine items in it (and one of them mistake the bathroom as a sacred place of religious worship).

 

[drusselmeyer]

While I have yet to see the show, the description makes perfect sense.

Consider that in the USA 200 years ago, it was the law that the federal gov't distribute weapons to the people, not confiscate them or kill the bearers.

Property tax was a crime and any stopping of any conveyance without congressional approval was a Constitutional violation. Today, lawyers and judges don't even seem to know these simple facts.

Even 50 years ago, using the SSN for anything other than Social Security was a Federal crime.

Today, children don't learn this in school. They don't even learn which side of the sandpaper to use.

Totally plausible.

 

[drusselmeyer]

I think there was a young adult's book that had a similar premise. But they dig up a hotel and examine items in it (and one of them mistake the bathroom as a sacred place of religious worship).

That is an honest mistake. Many have bowed and paid homage to Raaaalph, the great white buddha. lol:lol