Culture wars and cancel culture loom large in the short documentary “The Turning Point: To Be Destroyed” (9 p.m., Sunday, MSNBC). The film follows author and publisher Dave Eggers as he travels to Rapid City, South Dakota, to meet with teachers and school board members after his novel “The Circle” was pulled from the shelves.
As the show’s title tells us, the school board not only removed his novel from circulation, but stamped “to be destroyed” on its copies, dramatically consigning its contents to either the shredder or the flames. Eggers’ book joined four others works, by Alison Bechdel (“Fun Home”), Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”), Bernardine Evaristo (“Girl, Woman, Other”) and Imbolo Mbue (“How Beautiful We Were”).
The books were consigned for destruction after enraged parents and one police officer chastised school board members for introducing their children to “pornography.” They argued that the curriculum was part of a homosexual agenda that was “turning” their students toward the LGBTQ “lifestyle” through obvious “indoctrination.” Others complained that books were “anti-white,” “cop-hating” or “pro-antifa.” Whatever that means.
While speaking as individuals, much of their rhetoric was scripted by “grassroots” organizations well-funded by so-called conservative activists and religious organizations. It represented Astroturf activism at its most obvious. But they did manage to elect four new board members who subsequently voted to ban Eggers’ novel and the other books.
Upon his visit, Eggers found many in the community eager to meet at an independent bookstore and listen to the students who were horrified to hear that they were being “protected” from the right to read books of their choosing.
Apparently, it never occurred to the “parents-rights” groups that censorship is the best publicity. Suddenly, the forbidden books were the talk of the town. And eventually, voters elected a progressive board member who ran on the platform of protecting teachers and students from the so-called “parents-rights” groups whose ideology was bought and paid for by scheming agitators far outside of the community.
More than one person quoted here decries this chapter in the culture war(s) as something new that “has never happened before.”
History proves otherwise. Public schools have long been seen as places of indoctrination. For much of the 19th century and at least half of the 20th, Catholic organizations lobbied for public support of their parochial schools. They argued that their taxes were being used to support public schools that forced “Protestant” values on students. Public schools were seen as places of anti-Catholic indoctrination.
During the McCarthy era, the red-baiting senator’s counsel (and later friend and mentor to Donald Trump), Roy Cohn, took a junket to Europe to terrorize American diplomats and purge American libraries abroad of books he saw as “leftist” and “undesirable.”
Many of the most contentious moments of the civil rights era involved the integration of public schools and the fear that a culture and long-held “values” were being trampled. An entire industry and subculture of private Christian academies were founded to protect students from exposure to integration and multicultural settings.
In the 1970s, Florida activists, most notably orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant, lobbied for all gay teachers to be fired, lest they “turn” impressionable students “that way.”
Bryant’s gay-bashing campaign was defeated at the polls. But not before it inspired a memorable rebuke from New York Times columnist and humorist Russell Baker. Writing about his public-school education in the 1930s, he quipped that had his teachers’ “lifestyle” been able to transform him, he would have grown up to be a spinster.
Eggers’ film concerns a form of anti-intellectual paranoia of very long standing — one worth taking very seriously, but one that rarely passes the laugh test.
— Mafia lore remains a mainstay of TV programming. Sundance Now is streaming “Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia,” a documentary look at the singer’s efforts to use his connections to elect Kennedy in 1960 and the falling out that occurred when the president distanced himself from Sinatra for those very same reasons.
Michael Imperioli of “Sopranos” fame narrates the documentary series “American Godfathers: The Five Families” (8 p.m. Sunday, History, TV-14), an oft-told tale of the criminal organizations that emerged in the New York area in the 20th century.
— The new docuseries “Hollywood Black” (10 p.m., MGM+, TV-MA) profiles filmmakers of color who combated the industry’s depiction of nonwhites as clowns and minstrel show stereotypes.
The first installment covers the silent era to the 1960s, recalling a period when two of the biggest blockbusters of all time, “Birth of a Nation” (1914) and “Gone With the Wind” (1939) depicted slavery as a benevolent, paternal institution and saw Reconstruction from a Klan-friendly point of view.
— Paramount+ streams the seventh and final season of “SEAL Team,” the military adventure series that originated on CBS. All seven seasons will be available on the streamer.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The Tampa Bay Rays host the Baltimore Orioles in MLB action (7 p.m., Fox).
— “Primetime in Paris: The Olympics” (7 p.m., NBC) includes coverage of basketball, track and field and breaking.
— One woman stands out in the cookie-cutter world of 1990s cable infomercials in the 2024 biopic “Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— The sandman looms large in the 2024 romance “My Dreams of You” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— “Planet Earth: Mammals” (8 p.m., BBC America) profiles creatures who can withstand extreme temperatures.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): hacking Las Vegas; employee ownership; a profile of Greta Gerwig.
— “Primetime in Paris: The Olympics” (7 p.m., NBC) features the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
— George issues an ultimatum on “Hotel Portofino” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— A college student gets a little too close to a particular religious community in the 2024 shocker “Stalked by My Amish Boyfriend” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— The 2024 documentary “Jim Henson: Idea Man” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) celebrates the creativity of the man behind the Muppets and so much more.
— Fears of a trap on “Snowpiercer” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— Pierpoint prepares a public offering as “Industry” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA) enters its third season.
— Conspiracy theories spread on “Emperor of Ocean Park” (9 p.m., MGM+, TV-MA).
— Loyalties tested on “Orphan Black: Echoes” (10 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
A woman (Irene Dunne) returns to her husband (Cary Grant) after being stranded on a desert island with a hunk (Randolph Scott) in the 1940 comedy “My Favorite Wife” (10:15 p.m. Sunday, TCM, TV-G). An attempt at a 1962 remake, “Something’s Got to Give,” gained infamy due to the fact that star Marilyn Monroe was fired for her erratic behavior two months before her death. The film was then re-remade as “Move Over, Darling,” starring Doris Day and James Garner.
SATURDAY SERIES
An extremist plot to blow up half of Los Angeles is just another day on “S.W.A.T.” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … On three episodes of “Will Trent” (ABC, r, TV-14): Amanda’s peril (8 p.m.); a family reunion (9 p.m.); a wedding becomes a bloodbath (10 p.m.) … Two repeat episodes of “48 Hours” (9 p.m. and 10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
Dwight’s New York homecoming is less than ideal on “Tulsa King” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-MA) … On four episodes of “Krapopolis” (Fox, r, TV-14): by fear possessed (8 p.m.); the games begin (8:30 p.m.); diplomacy (9 p.m.); fowl deeds (9:30 p.m.) … “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (8 p.m., ABC) … Stuck inside on “Big Brother” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A convicted killer’s missing daughter may be the only witness who can exonerate him on “Tracker” (10 p.m., r, CBS, TV-14).
