MovieChat Forums > Halt and Catch Fire (2014) Discussion > Such an incorrect portrayal of history

Such an incorrect portrayal of history

posted 8 years ago by udn4916 (42)
6 replies | jump to latest

Sure it is not meant to be 100% accurate and it is meant to be entertaining take on the era. That being said i still think it specifically tries to portray women as having more to do with the invention of the personal computer than was actually the case. I can only speak for the first season at this point but I imagine it is the theme found throughout the series.

There was no women involved in the original Compaq team, sure that would have made for bad TV but still would have been more believable. Not only that but they even go as far as the wife of one of the main men involved came up with the idea of a stacked motherboard, then even have a scene where the husband takes credit for the wives' idea. In some sort of unintended reverse irony I am sure.

As usual all the men are shown as either dysfunctional husbands or womanisers.

They also missed the biggest point of the whole compaq story and that was about compatibility and open standards.

If it was a completely fictional story I could live with it, but to incorrectly portray the creation of the PC is an insult to all the hardwork all those people put in to it.

[–] cinles (104) 8 years ago

If you don't think women should be involved in this part of history, you should stop watching this show after season one because the women take over. Many of us don't like it, not because we don't think women were involved, but it was more female character-centric than what was realistic. Yeah, you need to stop at season one - it's the best season anyway.

[–] udn4916 (42) 8 years ago

It is not that I don't want women involved, it is that factually they were not involved.

Which is fine, they need to add women to make a tv series, but then to go as far as to make out as if the women made the ideas but the men took all the credit. Well like i said, it is some sort of unintended reverse irony. It is basically a false feminist narrative of events. It should be called "what a feminist would have liked history to be like".

How many young feminism women watched this series and had their false views about patriarchy reinforced because none of them cared enough to seek the truth about what occurred. I guarantee 100% that most young women thought this is what actually happened.

For a true account of what happened, watch the documentary Silicon Cowboys. Far better than this tv series which did the founders of the personal computer a massive injustice.

[–] cinles (104) 8 years ago

It's not a documentary, it's a TV show and I doubt anyone of any age thinks it's close to reality.

[–] JohnSteed (59) 8 years ago

I agree.

I am not really concerned with accuracy of the facts at all. Its just a very entertaining TV show.

[–] cinles (104) 8 years ago

I'm interested to see season 4 and how they end the show. Now that it appears the writer's strike didn't happen, I hope the season starts this fall.

[–] legnadibrom (6248) 8 years ago

in the show, they (4-5 people) invented the internet in an abandoned warehouse