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Question: Do people actually know history or just hollywood!?
Lately I'm seeing a lot of answering history questions with answers based solely on the movies!. Like if a question is asked about passengers aboard the Titanic the night she sank someone will say "Well, there was Jack and Rose!.!.!." And it's not just Titanic questions, I've seen other movies brought up in other questions and often fictional elements (or the whole movie itself if there's nothing real in it) will be brought up as if their real!.

I do believe that people can learn something from the various historical movies or movies that contain various elements of history!. But I also believe that a good historical movie makes you actually want to go out and learn the real history behind the movie (or for that matter a good movie with historical elements in it)!. Yet itseems like too many are studying Hollywood and expecting absolutely everything in the movies to be true!.

Do people actually know real history or are they more apt to believe what's in movies and not even learn history!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
This seems to be a rhetorical question!. If it isn't meant that way, you already answered it!. Unfortunately, too many people believe anything and everything they see on TV, in the movies, or read in newspapers and magazines!. Many people don't want to use their God-given brains!. They should try watching the Discovery or History channels and read non fiction books!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

People use movies as references because they share them with everyone else in society!. There is so much history, branches that many people haven't studied, while there is a nice, long, thin line of American movies most cultured people have seen!.
also, many of the people on here are young, so they may not have much knowledge of history, while they have seen many films!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

movies need to go in depth and in order to do that they get things from history and usually they stick with facts so they do have to do their research but since its hollywood they exaggerate to have a greater effect!. people need to learn history and not base it off of movies because movies are exaggerations of the truthWww@QuestionHome@Com

Some people actually do know about history, but unfortunately, movies and television and the Internets :) have replaced books as our primary source of information!. And of course the History Channel is apparently just not as fun to watch as American Idol!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

History is like the roots of a tree!. People only see the tree presently in front of them!. They don't see the roots or the seed that created it!.

People thruout history survive in the present!. People thrive in the present when they know history!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You are right!. Most people have not studied history beyond social studies classes!. The media spoon feeds what it wants!.!.!.and most people accept it!. Today there are "authoritative" websites (I'm being sarcastic) like wikipedia that often are incorrect
(history is being rewritten!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com

hate to break it to you!. Humans are dumb!. They believe what they see!. Even if it's a movie!.

I read lots of history books and I must say Hollywood does mess with people!. Take Disney's Pocahontas!. That is so messed up!. The story is completely wrong!. What the heck were they thinking!? IT would have been much much better to just say this is FICTION and give it a different name!. Oh, well can't blame them for trying!.

But you've seen the Bride over Kwai, and that movie is wrong wrong wrong!. But people think that is how it was!.

For laughs you should read history according to college students!. It's so funny!. IT's completely messed up ideas of history from freshman in college!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Seems to me that Hollywood history tells the truth no more than high school history does!. (Anyone else taught history in high school by a series of inept football coaches/part-time teachers!?) They both tell a narrative and historical narrative is only part of the study of history!. I don't think it is possible to "know" history unless you understand the debates within and around it!. Those, however, are not taught anywhere except high level history courses in university and a number of very excellent books, none of which are assigned in most classes!. In order for the keen student to have any hopes of knowing and understand history, he or she more or less has to strike out on his or her own, at least until they are in their final years of a BA or into an MA even!. So Hollywood might fool those who aren't truly interested, but that's their loss, not ours!. (By ours I mean the historical profession!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com