Reflections on Ken Burns Documentaries I Watch While Exercising like a Weirdo
The Dalai Lama says that change in the world always begins with an individual who shares what he or she has learned and passes it on to others. Thus, I offer you what I have learned thanks to my ongoing Ken Burns’ documentary binge. 1) I have roughly the same glasses as all the men in the Lyndon Johnson administration. 2) People in the 1960s look like they smell bad. 3) People in the 1860s look like they smell bad, but they had the excuse of living over 100 years ago when germ theory was just in its infancy. 4) Excessive facial hair is GROSS and can’t possibly help with the smell (see 2, 3). 5) I should have read my US history textbook more carefully, especially since my high school history teacher referred to the Civil War as the “War of Northern Aggression”. 6) I taught history for almost 8 years, and I straight-up did not know about the extensive trenches at Petersburg so I AM A FRAUD. Apologies to my students. 7) Th