The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #132900   Message #3050180
Posted By: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
10-Dec-10 - 03:46 AM
Thread Name: Eskimo Republic Political Song Book
Subject: RE: Eskimo Republic Political Song Book
Having tried hard to brief the programme researcher, I thought I should explain what I found wrong with the programme.
The title was very misleading, it was in fact more about the old and newer inhabitants of Dunoon with a good bit less about CND protesters, with a lot of song snippets. [Some of these were much less relevant and accurate re period than others. John Lee Hooker on the 1961 Dunoon juke boxes? Really?]
The key singer interviewed was not only not a Eskimo in the programme's sense, he was and is politically opposed to what the Eskimos stood, and marched, and sat down, and sang, for. To have him singing solo unintentially made the point of his lack of involvement with the Eskimos. As I recall he himself made no mention of the Eskimos.
It was good that Marion Blythman was interviewed, but that none of the other Eskimos were named, even when their voices were heard singing, was for me insulting to them. Crucially, I got no sense that the Eskimos were a grouping, who wrote and sang in a communal manner. From what I heard the Eskimos were presented as all of the CND protesters, singing songs all composed by Morris Blythman.
The researcher knew from the material I gave her what the actual case was, so the misrepresentation was through choice rather than ignorance.
I've been involved in too many media presentations to be very surprised, but I am truly disappointed in the programme makers.