‘Chappaquiddick’ Is A Brutally Honest Movie Laying Bare The Kennedys For Who

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Ted Kennedy earned much respect from many Americans as well as the rest of the world, not just people of Massachusetts.

It did hurt his chances of becoming president, but that didn’t affect the nation as a whole.

Among other things, I liked that he voted against Bush’s Medicare Plan D prescription drug plan, and against the war in Iraq.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
It did hurt his chances of becoming president, but that didn’t affect the nation as a whole.
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We don’t know what could have been. I’m not saying he would have been a great president but he might have been the right president at the right time. Maybe Nixon wouldn’t have happened. OTOH maybe something much worse “could have been.”
 
Either way, the tragic accident at Chappaquiddick, does not have historical significance about the United States nor world events.

It’s really not history which needs to be studied in school.

Jim
 
Probably not in high school, but if it is it should be a side bar. Because it did change things.
 
Exactly. And yet not quite.

I can’t say I was emotionally involved in pretty much any of that, with the exception of 9/11. I was living in Saudi Arabia - not insignificant for certain.

They’re events that unify people. “Where were you when?” is asked by people of all ages. You don’t have to be emotionally involved in the event for that to happen. I’ve even heard those who weren’t there say “oh my mom/dad/aunt/grandma was X”. It’s unifying. Doesn’t have to be emotional involvement.
 
It changed history. The Kennedy’s weren’t like other families. They were ambitious and focused on public service. Look at Eunice Kennedy Shriver and founding the Special Olympics. Would someone else have had the idea? Probably but how long would it have taken? For families that have kids with special needs the Special Olympics is a very big deal. How much more is government and the presidency.

Moreover, I thought it was an interesting look at the people involved. The way it was written allowed some rather fluid impressions of the characters, emphasizing that people are complex creatures.
 
True. There were reactions and messages of support from all over the world.
 
Sure the Kennedy family had a great influence on many people because they did good things for people.

However, the accident at Chappaquiddick, didn’t impact the nation nor the world in a negative way.

It was a tragic accident by a man who was being reckless.

Jim
 
I didn’t word that well - I was thinking of people who weren’t even alive when 9/11 happened, or were so tiny they couldn’t remember it. But yes, I can remember seeing that on the news and especially the Palace Guard in England playing our National Anthem.
 
Well I would say it kept him out of the White House. Not sure how that may have changed history.

Just a thought.
 
He wouldn’t have gotten elected. He ran against Carter for the Democratic Nomination while Cater was the incumbent president.

Jim
 
Really?

What about the 1984 primaries? He most certainly entertained a run then. Chappaquiddick was ALL OVER the news.

I remember that clearly. Not that I could tell you why.
 
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If we knew it had an effect it would be part of American History. It’s not.

It’s merely an issue for conservatives who hated Ted Kennedy.

Jim
 
I agree with you. Chappaquiddick was a tragic accident, but the rest of the world didn’t much care. The nation didn’t care that much, other than to feel bad a woman lost her life.
 
Psychology disagrees with you that memory doesn’t matter:

It appears that emotionally charged situations can lead us to create longer lasting memories of the event. When we are led to experience feelings of delight, anger or other states of mind, vivid recollections are often more possible than during everyday situations in which we feel little or no emotional attachment to an event.

Emotion And Memory: How Do Your Emotions Affect Your Ability To Remember Information And Recall Past Memories?

How do your emotions affect your ability to remember information and recall past memories?
www.psychologistworld.com www.psychologistworld.com

Chappaquiddick happened years before I was born. I can’t remember it, and, though I’m sorry someone lost her life, I don’t feel much emotion about it, if any. It’s like the Korean or Vietnam War. I don’t feel much emotion about them, but the pictures coming out of Syria bother me greatly. I know the things in Korea and Vietnam were as bad, if not worse, but I wasn’t born then so have no emotional involvement.
 
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What did my post have to do with psychology?

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I wonder why I can remember that because I was only nine at the time. It blows my mind that I remember THAT as clearly as I do given how young I was.

That was just an offhand comment on my own thoughts. I didn’t say it didn’t matter. Just that given how relatively young I was it’s incredibly vivid that it was an issue back then.
 
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Pup7 said:
What did my post have to do with psychology?
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Emotion is a part of one’s psychological makeup. So is a feeling of unification. The Americans who identified with the French in the Charlie Hebdo bombing were moved emotionally and psychologically.
 
I was nine. I could hardly identify with Ted Kennedy at nine.

The only Kennedy I knew was JFK and that my mom was hanging my sister’s diapers on the line when he was shot. I had no clue who Edward Kennedy was.

I’m not arguing the power or significance of memory. I’m only commenting that I’m surprised that at nine I gave a rat’s behind.
 
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