Dear Author

[neadods]

(wow, it's been a while since I wrote one of these!)

Dear Author:

I know that you're British. I know that you're trying to set a scene very quickly. I know that America is surprising in how much territory our regional accents cover.

But just for the record, not everyone from New York sounds like they come from Brooklyn. And for that matter, Guys and Dolls is not an accurate record of Brooklynese.

Also - and again, I get it that you're British and this may be something that you either don't think about or don't want to think about, BUT! 1976 was kind of an important year in America. Especially July. Something about an anniversary of something, now what was it, it involved guys in red coats and a Declaration and some fighting, and yes we've made up and all, but you may have heard the odd mention of the event in your history classes?

SERIOUSLY. We as a nation didn't look up on July 4, 1976 and go "wow, it's the Bicentennial!" and then forget about it 24 hours later. Yes, it was particularly intense in early July, but it was kind of a year-long thing, especially for any state that counts as one of the original 13 colonies.

So, no, setting a story in New York on July 16, 1976 and not mentioning a certain little detail even in passing kind of stands out, no matter what the story is really about.

It especially stands out to old coots who *remember* 1976. Not all of your audience is knee high, I'm just sayin'.

Comments

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I don't expect the British abdication crisis of 1935 is on many American school boards' history syllabi either!

Given that The King's Speech won Best Picture, maybe US schools will start teaching about it!

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

I thought about that just after I hit post! *g*

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Not so much teaching in school, but all of the newspaper articles about the movie mention it, so people are picking it up by osmosis (if they weren't Lord Peter fans who'd read Thrones, Denominations already. Or went to the same high school Wallace Simpson did *cough*)

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

nah. they still don't really cover the depression (and the events that led up to it) correctly. If they had, we wouldn't have a "Tea Party" and union-busting state governors today, and Obama would not be trying so many Hooverist tactics (guaranteed to fail) to try to solve this mess.

Like I've written elsewhere, even with AP History under my belt, I've only ever heard of Hoovervills from the Brits, first Alistair Cooke in his America series (though I'd forgotten it 'til recently), and then in Doctor Who.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I think I first heard of Hoovervilles from Annie: "We'd like to thank you, Herbert Hooveeeeer..."

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You and me both!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

If they had, we wouldn't have a "Tea Party" and union-busting state governors today

Yeah we would. Because it isn't about history, it's about who can spin the loudest.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

if you know your history, you can ignore the spin to find the underlying motive.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

That requires an edumacation, which is elitist and therefore evil and unAmerican.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Your AP US didn't cover Hoovervilles?! o0 Mine did...

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

were you from here in the DC area? that might make a difference.

Everything about the Depression in our class was the cause and FDR's eventual response to it, and then the "9 old men" and FDR's reaction to that (and the relapse in 1938). In short: the politics of it all.

all facts and figures, nothing to tell you what 20% unemployment actually FEELS like.