| Q: |
Why
is this documentary being produced? |
| A: |
Ancient
Greece is the cradle of Western Civilization and this
information should be made available to Americans through appropriate
educational venues such as the History Channel and PBS. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Isn’t
this information already being taught in the public school system? |
| A: |
Unfortunately,
NO! Forty years ago it was a part of the curriculum
of Junior High School and High School. On balance, education
about Ancient Greece has been minimized or
omitted. |
| |
|
| Q: |
What
about colleges and universities? Isn’t taking classes
about Ancient Greece required there? |
| A: |
Not
any more! Most colleges and universities no longer
require Western Civilization, which emphasizes
Ancient Greece. However, many of these institutions
require taking courses in Ethnic Studies and Cultural Diversity.
Militant Ethnic Studies courses frequently teach distortions,
suggesting the achievements of the Greeks actually
came from non-Western civilizations. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Does
this mean that this documentary is anti-minority? |
| A: |
Certainly
NOT! This film does not make any disparaging statements
about any other civilization. It only explains how the evolution
of the Polis (city-state) from 750 BC to 320 BC created the
cultural foundations of Western Civilization. |
| |
|
| Q: |
If
I’m not Greek and do not especially like history, why
should I support this documentary? |
| A: |
Viewers
of this documentary will understand how the core values
of Western Society, including constitutional government,
value of the individual, freedom of expression, and equality
under the law, started in Greece. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Specifically,
why is this information relevant to the average American? |
| A: |
The
Ancient Greeks were the first
civilization that had a middle class of small
farmers and craftsmen who had legal ownership of their property
and operated in a free-enterprise environment. The American
Founding Fathers used the Greeks as the model for their new
nation. |
| |
|
| Q: |
What
was different about the Greeks that allowed them to create those
institutions, as opposed to all civilizations which preceded
them? |
| A: |
These
middle class entrepreneurs were citizens of
their Polis—as opposed to being a subject
in all other societies. As citizens, they had
freedom of expression, legal rights, and were assured equality
under the law. Understanding that this environment allowed the
“Greek Genius” to blossom is critical
to understanding our own society. |
