I'm beginning to doubt TCM's liberal credentials.

[slaytonf]

A major attraction of TCM for me, naturally, is its liberal bias.  Love those up the people flicks!  But here it is, another Labor Day weekend, and no worker movie marathon--to say nothing about May Day.  You know, looking at things on the whole, a gnawing fear that the lefty lean of the channel is just a pose is beginning to grip me.  On two holiday weekends, Memorial and Veterans Days, we get three days of war movies.  And you can toss in 4 July, too.  In December, we get a whole month drowning in Christmasy schmaltz and sugar coating, and not one movie involving Kwanza, or Chanukah.  I--I don't know. . .I--

 

(sigh)  Agonizing reappraisals. 

[GGGGerald]

Well, much of television programming has slid over to the right since the election. I guess its assumed that's what the people want to see. Then again, there is another thread on this page requesting more conservative programming.

I guess they can't please everyone, all the time.

 

[ChristineHoard]

57 minutes ago, slaytonf said:

A major attraction of TCM for me, naturally, is its liberal bias.  Love those up the people flicks!  But here it is, another Labor Day weekend, and no worker movie marathon--to say nothing about May Day.  You know, looking at things on the whole, a gnawing fear that the lefty lean of the channel is just a pose is beginning to grip me.  On two holiday weekends, Memorial and Veterans Days, we get three days of war movies.  And you can toss in 4 July, too.  In December, we get a whole month drowning in Christmasy schmaltz and sugar coating, and not one movie involving Kwanza, or Chanukah.  I--I don't know. . .I--

 

(sigh)  Agonizing reappraisals. 

You wrote "up the people" - did you mean "up with people"?  Either way, I think I like the "up the people" better because I can imagine "up the people's what?"

[laffite]

I never like tribute programming, no matter what side. If it's Christmas, just play movies, etc etc etc.  Tribute movies shown on TCM usually get fair attention during the year anyway. Humbug.

...

[sewhite2000]

A large number of people on both the right and what I would call the center-left seem to be quite alarmed about all these post-Bernie liberals declaring themselves to be Socialists. Consequently, I kinda doubt TCM, which probably has left-center sensibilities at most, IMO, is going to be running a lineup of programming celebrating May Day any time soon ...

[LsDoorMat]

I think it is a fitting tribute on Labor Day to not burden the viewers of TCM with war movies and just give us normal TCM programming. Thank you TCM!

[slaytonf]

Gulp! I wasn't calling for war movies on Labor Day.  I was calling for movies celebrating American workers and their campaigns for better lives and jobs.  Movies about building, and creating, not destroying.  And not just labor union oriented movies, but also movies about average Jills and Joes trying to make it possible to live like human beings in a world determined to undermine their individuality and independence.

[ChristineHoard]

1 hour ago, slaytonf said:

Gulp! I wasn't calling for war movies on Labor Day.  I was calling for movies celebrating American workers and their campaigns for better lives and jobs.  Movies about building, and creating, not destroying.  And not just labor union oriented movies, but also movies about average Jills and Joes trying to make it possible to live like human beings in a world determined to undermine their individuality and independence.

In other words, movies reflecting real life.

[Vautrin]

Up against the wall, you Oedipus people. I've never seen TCM as having much of a

liberal bent or having liberal credentials. It's just a channel that shows old movies.

I know Mank gets a lot of guff for mentioning the blacklist, but I believe Osborne

would mention it also at times.

[Dargo]

Personally, and probably not surprising to any of you regulars around here, but I think in honor of the American version and celebration of Labor Day, TCM should present some kind of tribute to that great early-American lexicographer Noah Webster.

YOU know, that guy who helped rid freedom-loving Americans from the oh so needless inclusion of a particular letter in the spelling of the word "labor". Oh, and of course also from the word "honor" and oh so many other words in this crazy hodgepodge of a language known as "English"!

Yep, I mean how fitting would THAT be during this LABOR(once again, please take notice of how this word is spelled here) Day weekend, I ask?! 

[slaytonf]

3 hours ago, Vautrin said:

Up against the wall, you Oedipus people. I've never seen TCM as having much of a

liberal bent or having liberal credentials. It's just a channel that shows old movies.

I know Mank gets a lot of guff for mentioning the blacklist, but I believe Osborne

would mention it also at times.

Wait. . . .what?. . . .all this time. . . .TCM has not been a part of a larger left wing program to undermine Western values and bring down the free market?  It's--it's only a channel that shows old movies?  I feel robbed.

Oh, but that can't be true!  TCM shows moves by Eisenstein.  From Russia.  And they showed Salt of the Earth (1954).  And Modern Times (1936).

[Vautrin]

1 hour ago, slaytonf said:

Wait. . . .what?. . . .all this time. . . .TCM has not been a part of a larger left wing program to undermine Western values and bring down the free market?  It's--it's only a channel that shows old movies?  I feel robbed.

Oh, but that can't be true!  TCM shows moves by Eisenstein.  From Russia.  And they showed Salt of the Earth (1954).  And Modern Times (1936).

Bummer, man. Yes, they show films from the Soviet era and other left wing, pinko subversion.

But do they ever show My Son John, a movie that alerted Americans to how close commies can

come to burrowing their way into American everyday life and laying waste to our belolved American

exceptionalism? Noooooooo.

[sewhite2000]

4 hours ago, Dargo said:

Personally, and probably not surprising to any of you regulars around here, but I think in honor of the American version and celebration of Labor Day, TCM should present some kind of tribute to that great early-American lexicographer Noah Webster.

YOU know, that guy who helped rid freedom-loving Americans from the oh so needless inclusion of a particular letter in the spelling of the word "labor". Oh, and of course also from the word "honor" and oh so many other words in this crazy hodgepodge of a language known as "English"!

Yep, I mean how fitting would THAT be during this LABOR(once again, please take notice of how this word is spelled here) Day weekend, I ask?! 

Now if you could just find a film about a great speech therapist who helped a certain movie network host rid himself of his nasally inflections! It would be something like The King's Speech, but different ...

[overeasy]

"...its liberal bias." 

Huh?  This is a logical fallacy presented as a legitimate fact and I for one am not falling for it.  There is no way to prove or disprove your point.

If you want to discuss the lack of labor-oriented movies over the Labor Day weekend, fine, let's do that, but let's leave politics out of it.

[Fedya]

On 9/1/2018 at 12:36 AM, ChristineHoard said:

On 8/31/2018 at 11:35 PM, slaytonf said:

 

You wrote "up the people" - did you mean "up with people"?

I never thought of Up With People as liberal.

[midwestan]

Until I saw this thread, I never gave the issue much thought.

But now, it's clear to me that the 'powers that be at TCM' have become sell-outs who morphed from the proletariat to the bourgeoisie.  How, pray tell, could this have possibly happened?

Oh well, here's hoping that one day, more movies about people who'll do just about anything to sustain or advance their station in life will be shown here.  I nominate Spike Lee's "Girl 6" as a candidate!

Hope everyone here has a great holiday weekend, nonetheless.

[slaytonf]

See?  You don't get filmmakers like Spike Lee.  Ok, they did show Do the Right Thing (1989).  And Get on the Bus (1996).  And She's Gotta Have It (1986).  

Maybe TCM is reluctant to do do the work to come up with a list of movies.  For Labor Day, I want to build a line up for TCM to make it easy for them.  Hm.  There's the obvious The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and Norma Rae (1979).  Then Roger and Me (1989).  Going back there's Our Daily Bread (1934), and The Devil and Miss Jones (1941).  And I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932), and Heroes For Sale (1933).  I'll have to think of others.

[NipkowDisc]

labor day movies should not be about labor but the labor day holiday which is what it is to most americans...

 

[LawrenceA]

These kinds of threads are fun because you get to see who has a sense of humor and who doesn't.

[Emily Emerac]

I don't find anything particularly political about TCM since its change of administration, except that it's now far more shamelessly commercial than before.  I don't think we are being steered toward any political side.  Rather, we are being steered toward their cash register.

From what I can see, programming is far more interested in reeling in those who are most easily separated from their cash by being told that it's necessary to have wine with your Three Stooges if you want to matter in the world.

[slaytonf]

Hey, that's political to me. 

[Fedya]

9 hours ago, midwestan said:

Oh well, here's hoping that one day, more movies about people who'll do just about anything to sustain or advance their station in life will be shown here.  I nominate Spike Lee's "Girl 6" as a candidate!

Glenn Ford in Young Man With Ideas.

I can think of any number of Lee Tracy movies that fit the bill.

[slaytonf]

7 hours ago, NipkowDisc said:

labor day movies should not be about labor but the labor day holiday which is what it is to most americans...

 

Picnic (1955)--A good choice.  Lots of class conflict, and people just trying to find a way to live they feel right about.

[Swithin]

On 8/31/2018 at 11:35 PM, slaytonf said:

A major attraction of TCM for me, naturally, is its liberal bias.  Love those up the people flicks!  But here it is, another Labor Day weekend, and no worker movie marathon--to say nothing about May Day.  You know, looking at things on the whole, a gnawing fear that the lefty lean of the channel is just a pose is beginning to grip me.  On two holiday weekends, Memorial and Veterans Days, we get three days of war movies.  And you can toss in 4 July, too.  In December, we get a whole month drowning in Christmasy schmaltz and sugar coating, and not one movie involving Kwanza, or Chanukah.  I--I don't know. . .I--

(sigh)  Agonizing reappraisals. 

Thanks for this thread. Although I don't consider the Labour Movement to be "left" anymore. I see it, to borrow a phrase, as "settled law." But, sadly, it is under threat from the right.

Normally, there is an outcry if TCM doesn't show enough war films, on certain holidays. I'm not necessarily in favor of "tribute programming," but I think a diverse and exciting series of films could have been curated for Labour Day, drawn from many genres. Here are just a few examples:

I'm All Right Jack

Norma Rae

The Pajama Game

Salt of the Earth

Sing As We Go

and of course, Joe Hill

 

 

[slaytonf]

13 minutes ago, Swithin said:

Thanks for this thread. Although I don't consider the Labour Movement to be "left" anymore. I see it, to borrow a phrase, as "settled law." But, sadly, it is under threat from the right.

 

Labour Day.  Uh oh. . . .