2/28/2007

Lincoln Disneyfied

I look at Brian Dirck's series on "Lincoln's Warts," then think about what motivates the series. It seems to be a reaction to saccharine.

Then, it occurs to me that the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Presidential Library has not been Disneyfying Lincoln. Lincoln was long ago Disneyfied - the ALMPL is a lagging indicator of that. The shocking thing about the ALMPL and the streets of Springfield is that they deliver to us the visual equivalent of the history we love to read.

When we see beloved readings rendered as 3-D trash, our reflexive reaction is defense of our understanding gained from reading. This can't be the essence of the Lincoln story!

Oh but it is - and it is faithful to the story as currently received.