Jonestown

Unimaginable.

It is a word that has, over the years, become a taunt to me. Time after time, horrendous event after horrendous event, this term is invoked. Every time, it boggles my mind, it defies logic, that this concept still exists. The word ceased to have any practical meaning for me on or about November 18, 1978.

I was only 10 years old when the tragedy at Jonestown unfolded. At that age, I could imagine a lot. I was a voracious reader, mostly of science fiction and history. I had read extensively about World War II, and was keenly interested in the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada.

None of this prepared me for the story of Jonestown. Jim Jones, leader and deity of the People's Temple, directed his followers in a mass suicide/murder that claimed 918 lives. Among that number were more than 300 children, all of whom must certainly be considered murder victims.

5 other victims, the first to die, were gunned down at an airstrip by Jones' followers. Among them were Congressman Leo Ryan, NBC correspondent Don Harris,and a People's Temple defector named Patricia Parks.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy. There are several documentaries airing on the subject this week. While I had the chance to watch two of them this weekend (more on that later), I was most struck by this YouTube clip featuring Stephan Jones, Jim Jones' son, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. A reporter asks him how he thinks history will remember his father. His response is one that newsmen should remember in every such case.



There is always a fascination with the villain in these stories that I find distasteful. I agree with Jones, I don't care how history remembers Jim Jones. I much prefer that history remembers those lost to his madness. The Jonestown Institute does a creditable job, listing their names and photographs here.

CNN's entry, "Escape From Jonestown," is slightly sensational in its tone, but I apply a high standard of reverence here. What it does accomplish is a harrowing recreation of the events at Jonestown that leaves the viewer shattered. I don't necessarily mean that in a good way. If you are thus far blissfully ignorant of Jonestown, this retelling mak make you wish you'd remained so.

The program includes interviews with survivors, along with corresponding footage of them shortly before the massacre. It also includes extended portions of the "Death Tape" (full audio here), a 44-minute recording of Jonestown's death throes, that are sure to cause nightmares.

MSNBC presents a more contextualized, somewhat less graphic documentary called "Witness to Jonestown." It benefits from the participation of several survivors absent from the CNN piece. While it covers more of the history of the People's Temple, it lacks many of the details that the CNN documentary unearths.

I recommend seeing both, if you're after a richer understanding of the true character of these events.

The method of Jones' crime has become an oft-cited political shorthand, "drinking the Kool-Aid," referencing fervent, misguided devotion. The term has been thrown around a lot during this campaign as a way of discrediting supporters of Barack Obama, and to a lesser extent, Ron Paul.

Whenever I hear the term, I send the equivalent of a silent prayer to the souls of those lost to this tragedy. The fact is, a great number of them didn't "drink the Kool-Aid," but instead, had it forced on them. The horrifying aerial pictures of the huddled bodies strewn everywhere, huddled together in a final embrace, give the false impression of a unified, peaceful demise. Cyanide poisoning is anything but.

In the years since then, I have heard the term "unimaginable" applied many times, to the Rwandan genocide and to 9/11, for example. But if you remember Jonestown, and you can still use that word, you haven't been paying attention.

Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal",on BlogTalkRadio, Tues through Thurs at 10pm, and Fri, and Sat at 11pm. (Eastern) Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.