New Lincoln "documentary"

[Rob Wick]

I honestly don't believe the film will get much in the way of viewings, given that it is only in limited release right now. Plus, while any person is free to create a project that takes a divergent approach to history, it is up to that filmmaker to provide verifiable evidence if they want to be taken seriously. From the interviews I have read with this filmmaker, he has failed miserably. The film will be lauded by those predisposed to believe it (a minority, to be sure), but it will not go very far in proving the story.

As a personal note, I have no problem if verifiable evidence was uncovered that showed Lincoln to have romantic feelings for other men (the concept of "gay" being unheard of during this time). It wouldn't change how I see Lincoln in history. What I do object to, however, is that because some academic historians and biographers are willing to accept this (saying far more about their beliefs than it does about arriving at historical truth), it somehow provides evidence and gravitas. If the filmmaker were indeed an honest broker, he would have provided an opportunity for those holding the opposite viewpoint to be heard just as loudly. Given what I have read so far, I haven't seen any attempts to do so.

I'm not really worried about this. There is an old journalistic maxim that when a dog bites a man, that isn't news, but when a man bites a dog, that is. This is simply a case of a man biting a dog, and it will likely be treated as such by most people. How many people today even know who C.A. Tripp was?

Best
Rob