“Theodore
Roosevelt and the Western Experience” is a documentary about Theodore
Roosevelt, who was US president from 1901 to 1909.
It´s
virtually impossible to cram in all of TR´s life into one documentary, and many
things are conspicuously absent or mentioned only in passing, such as the
Panama Canal or the Bull Moose Party. The documentary centers on TR´s macho
image and manly exploits in the Wild West, but also on his family life. On the
political front, the producers paint TR as liberal, progressive and Green –
which he, of course, was. However, I noticed that some conservatives are trying
to portray Theodore Roosevelt (whose politics had a family likeness to those of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt – pun intended) as one of their own.
Personally,
I find TR´s politics fascinating, since he seems to have combined things often
considered incompatible (rightly or wrongly): elite status, progressivism,
populism, imperialism and conservationism. I cannot help thinking that we need
a guy like TR today, but unfortunately we live on the far side of the peak oil
curve, so combining say populism and conservationism might not be an election
winner! With that, I leave it up to you to watch the documentary and reflect further
on the Western experience…
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