In the past week or so, I had an opportunity to view a BBC TV Mini-series called Rebels and Redcoats, which focused on the American Revolutionary War in the 1770′s and 1780′s.  I have always been a fan of history and enjoy learning more on the subject.  I would not, could not, consider myself an expert on the American Revolution by any means, but I probably know more on the subject than the “average” American, I would say.

Frankly, I had never heard of this TV mini-series before, but last week I was thumbing through a guide of TV shows, looking for something that I might enjoy viewing, and came upon a listing for this show.  I almost passed it by, not having a huge interest.  But, then it struck me.  Hmm… BBC.  BBC? Of course, the BBC is the British Broadcasting Corporation. The thought came to my mind…  “Hmm… I have never thought about the American Revolution from the British Standpoint!” So, I decided that this might be an interesting show to watch.

The end of the American Revolution. The British Surrender to the Americans as the French look on.

The show was a series of four 1 hour programs.  As I sat down to watch Episode 1, which was entitled “The Shot Heard Around the World” I was ready to see what this was all about.  The show was hosted by British Historian Richard Holmes.  He seemed a nice and likable fellow, but as he got started in Episode 1, I found myself feeling a bit hostile toward him.  I could not really understand my feelings, because I have no anti-British feelings.  After all, I am an American, and the British are among our very closest of allies.  We have a rich history of cooperation with the Brits.  Of course, not during the American Revolution, though, because the Americans were fighting against the British for our freedom and liberty at that time.  So, as Holmes began the show, he was in Boston, MA, and he was talking about the American Rebels who were going against the British and trying to “stir things up” in the colonies so as to start a fight against the British.  He had some harsh words to say for American heroes like Samuel Adams and other early voices in the revolutionary movement.  In fact, he called them “propagandists.”  I felt offended and angry at some of the things he was saying.

British General Cornwallace

Of course, this was all coming from a British perspective, and I was looking at this through an American perspective.  We were on polar ends of the debate, something which I was not used to for a Brit and an American.

After the first episode aired, I spent some time thinking about my feelings and reactions to the show.  I did find the show quite interesting and eagerly awaited the next episodes.  As I analyzed my thinking, I calmed down a bit, and wanted to just try to watch the show dispassionately to see what was said, and compare that to the things I learned during my American Education.  I realized, of course, that the education I received may be tainted a bit in favor of the American side, while the TV show seemed most certainly tainted toward the British.  Naturally.

One of the comparisons that Holmes kept bringing to the forefront during the show was that the American Revolution had close parallels to the Vietnam War in the 1960′s and 70′s.  Hmm… I had never thought of that before.  How could it be.

Of course, the comparison was that the British forces were equivalent to the US forces in Vietnam, while the American Revolutionaries were equivalent to the Viet Cong.  This kind of sat uneasily with me.  I am a bit young to say that the Vietnam War was the war of my generation, yet I was just becoming a teenager as the conflict ended.  As many Americans would testify, the Vietnam War was a very decisive subject among American people.  The American Revolution would have nearly complete support as an honorable war among Americans, though.  So, how could the two be compared with each other?

Well, from a British perspective, the analogy was pretty spot on, as I kept listing to the comparisons throughout the series.  When we Americans went into Vietnam, we were the powerful force, a world power, yet the lowly Viet Cong beat us, or at least fought to a draw, depending on the perspective.  Same thing in the Revolution, the Brits were no doubt the world Superpower at the time, yet a rag tag band of American “rebels” (the show was constantly calling the Americans rebels, which I suppose they were from the Brit view) beat the Brits.  Another comparison which was given was that in Vietnam the Americans won almost all of the battles, yet lost the war.  Same thing with the Revolution, the Brits won the vast majority of the battles, yet lost the war there.  Probably the most accurate comparison was that the British were fighting in a land that they were not familiar with, just as the Americans did in Vietnam.  Being unfamiliar was a disadvantage and helped the superpower be overwhelmed by a less powerful force.  Anyway, there were plenty of such Vietnam War vs. Revolutionary War comparisons, and the more I listened, the more I started agreeing with the comparison.

In the end, this was a highly interesting TV series for me, and I learned a thing or two – both about the War itself and also about myself.  I had never considered the war from the British perspective, nor, do I think, have most Americans.

So, what does this have to do with Habits for Smart People?  Well, it is a good habit to view a problem or a situation from multiple viewpoints.  Don’t get pigeonholed into a single point of view if you are making an evaluation, if you do that, your final results may not be accurate.