U.K. History Channel Sparks Outrage, Ridicule with Heavily White Male Promo Video

5/30/2020

Due to prior commitments yesterday and this weekend, I don’t have time for a full-length post today. However, I wanted to share this promotional video for the British affiliate of the History Channel, which is being relaunched this week as Sky History. The rebranding coincides with the channel’s move toward more original U.K. programming and less imported programming from the U.S. channel. Sky History is a joint venture of the U.K.’s Sky and America’s A+E Networks, the parent of the History Channel here. A+E programs and operates the channel. The video offers a sizzle reel of History’s best (worst?) programming and something struck British viewers…

Sky HISTORY gives you even more. □ pic.twitter.com/lNVakHmFmV
— Sky HISTORY (@HISTORYUK) May 27, 2020

Many immediately noticed that the “best” of History was entirely white men, except for one brief shot of a woman from the Vikings scripted TV series. “Could you really not find any female presenters, historians or historical figures you could have featured in there? Or just not interested in trying?” one viewer wrote. “Unbelievable Sky, seriously! Wall to wall white guys,” another replied. I think my favorite response was this, from historian Sjoerd Levelt:

did you have to work hard to make sure almost everyone in this video is a white man, or did it go like that by itself?
— Sjoerd Levelt (@SLevelt) May 28, 2020

On both sides of the Atlantic, the History Channel targets an older white male audience, but rarely does such a channel make its preferences so obvious.

That said, it’s also telling that the rebranded channel will supplement a new Sky channel exclusively for documentaries, suggesting that Sky is more open about admitting that the History channel has nothing to do with high-quality nonfiction programming. Indeed, Sky and A+E say that the U.K. History channel’s ratings have spiked over the past year due to Curse of Oak Island and The UnXplained with William Shatner, according to a February press release. Therefore, it’s still all pawn shops, aliens, and reality shows for as far as the eye can see. A Sky official called them the programs their “customers … want to watch.”

23 Comments

Joe Scales

5/30/2020 09:05:44 am

"On both sides of the Atlantic, the History Channel targets an older white male audience, but rarely does such a channel make its preferences so obvious."

And Lifetime tries to attract white female viewers. Is there something nefarious going on there as well, or are they just trying to get their piece of the pie, I wonder...

Faded Actress

5/30/2020 10:42:45 am

Poor Joe. No matter how gently one tries to explain this to him he would still end up confused and angry and not sure why.

Jim

5/30/2020 10:43:16 am

False equivalence, Lifetime is specifically geared toward women. They don't pretend to be something they are not.
History channel on the other hand,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

5/30/2020 02:31:57 pm

The History Channel has always been geared for white male viewers; even when they showed actual history. Just the nature of the beast. It shouldn't be news that they want to make money in a very competitive market. If it wasn't nefarious when they were showing actual history, it shouldn't be now.

5/30/2020 06:15:33 pm

That is not what I was criticizing.
I was pointing out your false equivalence.

Although as you put it: " Jim was like our little brother... with downs syndrome." so I may need you to explain to me what an apples to oranges comparison means. Thinking is hard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence

"False equivalence is a logical fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency. A colloquial expression of false equivalency is "comparing apples and oranges"."

Jr. Time Lord

5/30/2020 06:57:53 pm

@Jim,

Recently saw a structure on the news, I didn't know existed. A gateway between Canada and the United States labeled, "Children of the Common Mother". So...I was wondering...Whom was this mother?

5/30/2020 11:26:03 pm

Jr. Time Lord, because ducks have webbed feet.

5/31/2020 10:02:21 am

Fine Jim. You believe it's a false equivalency. So nice you are now googling informal fallacies as if you can understand their nature. You can't, and as I've told you countless times now, it would take more bandwidth than I'd care to waste pointing out your miscomprehension.

I know things said in the past may have hurt your feelings Jim. So much so that you are now trying to even the score in any manner you can. Just let it go Jim. That's how you stop. Stop embarrassing yourself that is, and making yourself an obsessed pest on this board.

6/1/2020 05:32:26 pm

Joe Scales:

"How you frame your arguments are fair play. When I had posted here before, I made a point of setting forth logical fallacies within your arguments. Fallacy doesn't mean I disagree with you. They are age old forms to argument that are the basis for all our knowledge. When you commit a logical fallacy, your conclusions are suspect as a matter of course. It's not a personal attack to expose them, nor is it a mater of agreeing to disagree. You recognize them and then work to better your arguments. Frustrated that this could not be done, I stopped posting here, as mutual respect goes both ways, and I took my displeasure elsewhere. But I thank you for your candor and perhaps I may visit more often so long as the name calling ceases to permeate your blog."

http://scottwolteranswers.blogspot.com/2015/11/narragansett-rune-stone-dedication.html

6/2/2020 10:09:28 am

Well, while you're quoting me Jim, why not take a look back at what I predicted a little over a week ago:

"Joe Scales

5/25/2020 09:53:34 am

Kent,
Jim does not understand what an "informal fallacy" is. Now that it's in quotes, he can no doubt google the concept. I'm sure that now properly motivated, he'll be back after some quick perusal and believe himself to have some sort of expertise in logic. A detailed post will follow with dozens of examples of illogic he can dig up... you know... because he has the time."

Your recent misuse of all things fallacy is nearing the Covid death rate Jim. But if you want a true false equivalence, I suppose I could have pointed out that debunkers seem to be heavily populated by white males. Perhaps not logically sound, but ironic nonetheless.

Here endeth the lesson.

6/2/2020 01:07:50 pm

Joe Scales:

" But if you want a true false equivalence, I suppose I could have pointed out that debunkers seem to be heavily populated by white males. Perhaps not logically sound, but ironic nonetheless."

This is not a valid argument of your point, it's nonsense.

Joe, wouldn't you be better served by trying to make clear how your statement is not an informal fallacy (false equivalence), rather than than spouting some faux intellectual jibber jabber ?

Bezalel

5/30/2020 04:09:22 pm

For the past few centuries we have had white male Christian dogma forced down our throats from just about every angle

forget entertainment we had it from official channels as well

Perhaps if over the next 300 to 600 years we have the opposite type of programming then I will be somewhat satisfied

Fair and balanced over the long term

Christy Love

6/1/2020 10:02:28 am

300 to 600 years of black female atheist dogma then?

rondroid

5/31/2020 03:38:46 am

Okay I've read a lot on here but never replied but I just have too on this....I would have no problem with the "History" channel playing the crap it does if it called itself the "Alternative history" or the "Pseudo history" channel but calling youself the history channel implies that it's reputable and therefore is subject to at least minimal scrutiny regarding the theories expressed. Don't want to be criticized forbpercievedvbias or outright falsehoods? Then call yourself the "Uninformed white guy opinion" opinion channel. Or the Joe Rogan show.

5/31/2020 10:04:54 am

Did you catch any of the recent Grant documentary? I had low expectations… but was somewhat surprised. Pleasantly.

5/30/2020 09:54:18 am

" A Sky official called them the programs their “customers … want to watch.”

I suppose Fox news and Q anon could say the same thing to justify their nonsense.

Kent

5/30/2020 12:09:26 pm

I suppose Fox news and Q anon and the Ku Klux Klan could say the same thing to justify their nonsense.

FIFY.

What Sky History needs to do yesterday or at the very least first thing Monday is bring in Siobhan Sharpe and her team at Perfect Curve and focus on getting behind getting in front of this thing.

It sounds like the booboisie, or if I may, and I may, the whinetariat, wants the History Channel to say "The History Channel! It's NOT History!"

If I watch public television in private am I doing it wrong?

AMHC

5/30/2020 11:52:42 pm

I don’t remember whom took issue with my mention of the booboise but it’s nice to see it again and I am thrilled with your addition of the whinetariat. I look forward to dropping that one into conversation. Thank you for your contribution.

T. Franke link

5/30/2020 11:32:53 am

Hmm, there is for sure at least one woman in this video (maybe more, look carefully, who knows in these days?), and at least two or three guys who look quite Near / Middle Eastern (again: who knows?).

Therefore, nothing spectacular here. No smoking gun. Only exaggeration.

5/30/2020 06:00:42 pm

[Hmm, there is for sure at least one woman in this video (maybe more, look carefully, who knows in these days?), and at least two or three guys who look quite Near / Middle Eastern (again: who knows?).]

This sounds like many conversations I've had regarding HIV drug commercials. "No. No. No. That's a man. No...That one too. She was at least born a man." Reminds me of an old Charles Barkley skit from "Saturday Night Live".

Clete

5/30/2020 06:07:12 pm

Ah, Viking and Lagatha, maybe they should show the scene where she cut off a rivals penis.

E.P. Grondine

5/31/2020 09:03:44 am

I have a dream - touring West Virginia with Josh Gates looking for Adena Monoliths and drinking moonshine. I could introduce him to Melungeons, Andaste descendants, and experts on the "giants".

By the way, the only reason the mounds in Ashland survived is because the were not built by "Indians" , but by the mysterious "Mound Builders".

Army Vet

6/3/2020 11:08:50 am

Well as I remember European history, especially the British Isles, it’s mostly about white people. All you woke race baiters need to get over yourselves.

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