Tara is quite right (hi, Tara).  Reenactments can be powerful.  I was in
Mississippi as a civil rights lawyer when Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney were
killed and for subsequent events.  I saw the movie Mississippi Burning when it
came out and was disappointed that the story was not accurate and the very
courageous and humane people of both races who were fighting the Klan mentality
were largely ignored or trivialized.  However, some high school kids in a group
I was advisor to saw the movie and were powerfully moved.  We had long talks
about those times as a result of their interest.  That was good.
 
But that leaves another question.  What effect does a misrepresentation of
history have?  How does one judge a misrepresentation, as opposed to a
particular point of view, about history?  Certainly one would not want to join
the "politically correct" crowd and enforce one view or another.  On the other
hand, there probably are some ranges of taste, sensitivity and accurate research
which are to be desired.
 
Martha A. Mills
[log in to unmask]