The Racism of Archaeology

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There's a fundamental assumption that no one could have figured out how to carve stone or move large stones without some sort of alien help even though we've seen people do these things all over the world time and time again. The vast majority of their examples come from non-western cultures or cultures that are not traditionally tagged as white so it's this really it's subtle sometimes and it's not everyone picks up on it but you know if you watch the show and you're like wow that was really cool like it doesn't make you a racist, i think what sorry before we move on to the past h and aliens we'd be remiss if we didn't address the the big elf in the

On this Live Show Beg-a-Thon, recorded on May 17, we discuss the pop culture phenomenon and appeal of pseudoarchaeology in its many forms, from fraudulent alternative history books like Erich von Däniken's 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, to television series like "Ancient Aliens" and "Ancient Apocalypse."

Alongside guest Dr. David S. Anderson, we discuss how phony "what if?" theories often go beyond the goofy, guilty pleasure premises of extraterrestrial visitors and lost civilizations to promote Eurocentric, racist pap and a mindless distrust of "the scientific establishment" in the stupidest and least productive way possible.