SPECTATOR SPORT

IT'S A WONDER THAT KEN BURNS TAKES 15 HRS TO RE-VISIT WORLD WAR II IN HIS TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY. 15 HRS., NOT 4 YEARS, IS ABOUT ALL AMERICANS CAN SPARE OUT OF THEIR HECTIC SCHEDULES TO LEARN HISTORY. SOMEONE I KNOW, HOWEVER, EVEN FELL ASLEEP 11/2 INTO THE FIRST EPISODE ON SUNDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 23RD. PRECEDING THE SERIES PREMIERE, A LOCAL SHOW- AND- TELL OF MEMORABILIA FROM PARTICIPANTS IN THE WORLD WAR, CONFIRMED KEN BURNS' CONTENTION THAT, IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD, BUT WORLD WAR II WAS NECESSARY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE NECESSITIES AT HOME NOWADAYS REVOLVE AROUND "RECEIVER TYPE" KIDS, LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO WILL GARNER LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORY OR ANY ACADEMIC PURSUIT FROM PUBLIC EDUCATION . THEIR HEROIC STATUS COMES FROM ATHLETICISM ON PLAYING FIELDS AND FROM THE FANS’ FANATICAL SUPPORT. ALSO, HOW MUCH TIME FOR HISTORICAL RETROSPECTION CAN BE SPARED BY VIDEO GAMERS, TO WHOM 15 HRS. COUNTS FOR NOTHING IN TERMS OF SPORTS’ PLAY? HOW CAN MICROSOFT ANTICIPATE SHATTERING A ONE DAY SALES RECORD WITH ITS X-BOX GAME 'HALO III' UNLESS MILLIONS OF PLAYERS PAY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR THE IN-HOME PAST-TIME?

WAR FOR TOO MANY IS JUST A SPECTATOR SPORT IN LARGE STADIUMS OR SMALL COMPUTER SCREENS. YET BOTH YOUNG AND OLD CAN SURELY SPARE 15 HRS TO REVIEW HISTORY.