--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: More of us concede that history can be…" description: "\"“More of us concede that history can be entertaining, and we’re even willing to “watch some history” on TV whenever nothing better is on, provided that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/robert-tracy-mckenzie-46631_white-house_more-of-us-concede-that-history-can-be-e_2460958.jpg" --- # More of us concede that history can be entertaining, and… ![“More of us concede that history can be entertaining, and we’re even willing to “watch some history” on TV whenever nothing better is on, provided that it’s peppered with UFOs, the paranormal and high-speed car chases. At least that’s what the executives at the so-called History Channel seem to…” quote by Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/robert-tracy-mckenzie-46631_white-house_more-of-us-concede-that-history-can-be-e_2460958.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/robert-tracy-mckenzie-46631_white-house_more-of-us-concede-that-history-can-be-e_2460958.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/robert-tracy-mckenzie-46631_white-house_more-of-us-concede-that-history-can-be-e_2460958.jpg) > ““More of us concede that history can be entertaining, and we’re even willing to “watch some history” on TV whenever nothing better is on, provided that it’s peppered with UFOs, the paranormal and high-speed car chases. At least that’s what the executives at the so-called History Channel seem to think; a recent week’s offerings included programs such as Ancient Aliens, Ghosts in the White House, Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers and Zombies: A Living History. (I wish I were making this up.)”” [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues the channel sacrifices serious history for sensational, pop‑culture content to attract viewers. **In simple terms:** History is diluted by flashy, unrelated topics. Key Takeaway Demand higher‑quality, factual programming. Themes media criticism history entertainment Mood critical skeptical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - television programming - documentary production - public education Key Concepts cultural degradation commercial pressure Questions to Reflect On - What balance should media strike between education and entertainment? - Can sensational topics ever convey real historical insight? A Different Perspective Audiences may still enjoy the sensational content despite criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [Watch the History Channel if you want it literal and historically perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/watch-the-history-channel-if-you-want-it-literal-and-historically/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [I'll watch any show on the History Channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-springfield/i-ll-watch-any-show-on-the-history-channel/) [Rick Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-springfield/) > [Nowadays people think that history is what was on TV last night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dibdin/nowadays-people-think-that-history-is-what-was-on-tv-last-night/) [Michael Dibdin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dibdin/) > [I'm not really a conspiracy nut, but I think if I went down a slightly different route in my life instead of meeting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/i-m-not-really-a-conspiracy-nut-but-i-think-if-i-went-down-a-slightly/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [If you have the patience to wait and watch, history will reshape truth (weakest of all forces, and weightless) in the image of opinion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/if-you-have-the-patience-to-wait-and-watch-history-will-reshape-truth/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [So I left him there alone to watch history repeat the same events retold again and again on his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/so-i-left-him-there-alone-to-watch-history-repeat-the-same-events/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back, and sometimes they could have come back, but they give in or give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-la-russa/if-you-watch-the-history-of-baseball-teams-come-back-and-sometimes/) [Tony La Russa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-la-russa/) > [The stop-watch of history is running. The race is on . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-stop-watch-of-history-is-running-the-race-is-on/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [You have to appreciate the History Channel's sense of humor when they name a show 'Big Shrimpin.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/you-have-to-appreciate-the-history-channel-s-sense-of-humor-when-they/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [I'm quite good at taking in information so I voraciously inhale Wikipedia - which may have some things wrong in it, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/i-m-quite-good-at-taking-in-information-so-i-voraciously-inhale/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [Probably the TV show I've watched the most is 'How It's Made' on the History Channel. I could watch 24 hours of 'How It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/probably-the-tv-show-i-ve-watched-the-most-is-how-it-s-made-on-the-2/) [Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/) > [I do watch some TV. I like the History Channel and National Geographic, and old shows on TV Land like 'Sanford and Son,' 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-do-watch-some-tv-i-like-the-history-channel-and-national-geographic/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [“This weekend on The History Channel, someone digs through old plastic junk (“It’s a Dukes of Hazzard wastebasket!”), someone else tries to sell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/this-weekend-on-the-history-channel-someone-digs-through-old-plastic/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Probably the TV show I've watched the most is 'How It's Made' on the History Channel. I could watch 24 hours of 'How It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/probably-the-tv-show-i-ve-watched-the-most-is-how-it-s-made-on-the/) [Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/) > [I normally ignore the History Channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/i-normally-ignore-the-history-channel/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) ## More by Robert Tracy McKenzie > [“Reviewing how American memory of the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving has changed over time exposes our fundamental self-centeredness, for we see how readily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/reviewing-how-american-memory-of-the-pilgrims-and-the-first/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“Separatists were convinced, and to remain in submission to such a “popish device” would be sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/separatists-were-convinced-and-to-remain-in-submission-to-such-a/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“It was here that the Scrooby faithful began to exhibit what one historian, with only slight exaggeration, calls “an extraordinary talent for getting duped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/it-was-here-that-the-scrooby-faithful-began-to-exhibit-what-one/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“I confess that my first reaction was a self-righteous astonishment that any group could so disfigure the past after its own image, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/i-confess-that-my-first-reaction-was-a-self-righteous-astonishment/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“Our historical pursuits should seek meaning as well as understanding, wisdom as well as knowledge. They should center on two pivotal questions: What can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/our-historical-pursuits-should-seek-meaning-as-well-as-understanding/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“The Pilgrims thought of liberty as the freedom to do what is right, not to decide what is right. In their view, the persecution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/the-pilgrims-thought-of-liberty-as-the-freedom-to-do-what-is-right/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) > [“First, under “the gross darkness of popery,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-tracy-mckenzie/first-under-the-gross-darkness-of-popery/) [Robert Tracy McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) [Explore all 8 Robert Tracy McKenzie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-tracy-mckenzie/) ## More White house quotes > [“Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one’s fellow cooks. It applies in any kitchen and can be summed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/fortunately-i-knew-the-cardinal-rule-of-getting-on-with-one-s-fellow/) [Jacques Pépin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/) > [I had to perform at the White House for the president, That's always kind of a weird set to try to put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/i-had-to-perform-at-the-white-house-for-the-president-that-s-always/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [How do you, on the one hand, not object to Hillary Clinton being elected, and then, on the other hand, tell people, "Elect me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/how-do-you-on-the-one-hand-not-object-to-hillary-clinton-being/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-they-need-to-be-nice-to-reporters-but-the-white-house/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [So, President Obama wants to change America. I understand that. We don't need to change America. We need to change the White House. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-diaz-balart/so-president-obama-wants-to-change-america-i-understand-that-we-don-t/) [Mario Diaz-Balart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-diaz-balart/) > [I think that if you look at all of the books that have ever been written about people working in the White House, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-mastromonaco/i-think-that-if-you-look-at-all-of-the-books-that-have-ever-been/) [Alyssa Mastromonaco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-mastromonaco/) > [Since I came to the White House, I got two hearing aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation, and I was shot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/since-i-came-to-the-white-house-i-got-two-hearing-aids-a-colon/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I am a member of that small, little group that covers - I'm a member of the White House correspondents association. I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-am-a-member-of-that-small-little-group-that-covers-i-m-a-member-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The public should begin to understand that there's nothing that comes out of this campaign, or this Obama White House, that they can believe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/the-public-should-begin-to-understand-that-there-s-nothing-that-comes/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There are many great outlets that we love and respect, but 'The North Star' really is going to be a hard news outlet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/there-are-many-great-outlets-that-we-love-and-respect-but-the-north/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“The hunger for power has made them cruel They shed humanity and shed every rule They bow to the devil, deny what is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/the-hunger-for-power-has-made-them-cruel-they-shed-humanity-and-shed/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [ I learned more in those six months \[ in the White House\] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-learned-more-in-those-six-months-in-the-white-house-than-in-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) [Browse all 1,892 White house quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“More of us concede that history can be entertaining, and we’re even willing to “watch some history” on TV whenever nothing better is on, provided that it’s peppered with UFOs, the paranormal and high-speed car chases. At least that’s what the executives at the so-called History Channel seem to think; a recent week’s offerings included programs such as Ancient Aliens, Ghosts in the White House, Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers and Zombies: A Living History. 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