• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    and Keanu Reeves

    Unfortunately, not him either. He’s such a big fan of the bigot Graham Hancock that he’s involved in Hancock’s Netflix series.

    And you don’t have to believe me about Hancock. There are indigenous Americans that are happy to tell you all about it.

    The description for the Secrets of the Ancients program listed on the Chaco filming permit application said the program would explore “one of archaeology’s biggest mysteries: the peopling of the Americas”.

    It went on to state: “We’ll uncover the latest findings about the earliest inhabitants of the Americas and reveal remarkable scientific knowledge that’s been handed down for generations. Where did humans settle first in the Americas, and what do we know about them?”

    Hancock, who is not an archeologist, has attracted the ire of those in the profession, as well as Native groups, for pushing a theory that an advanced ice age society, responsible for modern understandings of maths, architecture and agriculture, was wiped out by floods triggered by comet strikes nearly 12,000 years ago.

    Evidence of this is found at ancient sites around the world, Hancock claims, with the writer visiting such places in countries including Turkey, Mexico and Indonesia in the first season of the Netflix show, aired in 2022. During the show, which Netflix promoted with the tagline “What if everything we know about prehistoric humans is wrong?”, Hancock railed against “mainstream archaeology” for not accepting his theories.

    “[Hancock] presents his theories as being superior to what the first inhabitants of the area say about their own history,” said Stewart Koyiyumptewa, tribal historic preservation officer for the Hopi Nation.

    The Hopi people have lived in or near the Grand Canyon for at least 2,000 years and claim a sacred site inside the canyon as their place of emergence. They also have strong ties to Chaco Canyon.

    A Grand Canyon national park staff member who is Native American also pushed back against issuing a permit to ITN.

    “This is embarrassing and a discredit to our agency when we have been working hard to respect Indigenous people and right many historical wrongs,” wrote the staff member in an email to Grand Canyon park management. “This is just degrading.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/01/netflix-ancient-apocalypse-canceled

    • vxx@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Pseudo-Scientific Documentaries of that kind has made me cancel my Netflix subscription over two years ago.

      It’s a shame what they sell us as facts.

    • The Pantser@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      You either die a hero or live long enough to start making bad decisions. And Keanu is hundreds of years old.

    • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 days ago

      I understand your stance but compared to Mr. Beast, not the same comparison. Mr. Rogers, Steve Erwin, and Levar Burton (should always be included) I would listen to their input on helping everyone. They are smart and good.

      Keanu and maybe Woody Harrison are more of good people that you don’t hear horrible stuff about that are universally famous.

      No kid touching, woman abusing, racist rants, or Nazi praising episodes. Morgan Freemen and Bill Cosby use to be that way but over time it started to crack. Even Dave Grohl has fallen from the list. Of course these examples are not a 1:1.

      The second group, like I said, is more good not smart. They have flaws but are universal good people. Ross was a great person but horrible judgment in some people. Look at his son’s battle for his family name.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Keanu and maybe Woody Harrison are more of good people that you don’t hear horrible stuff about that are universally famous.

        If you’re talking about Woody Harrelson, he “doesn’t believe in germ theory” and once circulated a web post that said COVID was spread by 5G. source

        • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
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          3 days ago

          Harrison is a all natural, holistic person. His wife owns a company that sells stuff like that. However, you never heard about him harassing people or going on a racist rant. That is my point. No one is looking to Harrison for advice. Just like I’m not looking to Keanu for advice.

          I’ll give you an example. Bill Murray was considered a great guy. Would randomly show up at people’s wedding when invited, still has a answering machine, and seemed like a real life goof ball. Then the reports of his interaction with Lucy Liu came out. Then reports of him abusing people on set. His image is one of an abusive asshole on set.

          If you tell me you get your political views or any advice from him, I would laugh in your face. Not bc of everything I just said but bc he doesn’t seem like a smart person. He seems like the class clown that smokes to much weed.

    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      “[Hancock] presents his theories as being superior to what the first inhabitants of the area say about their own history,” said Stewart Koyiyumptewa, tribal historic preservation officer for the Hopi Nation.

      The Hopi people have lived in or near the Grand Canyon for at least 2,000 years and claim a sacred site inside the canyon as their place of emergence. They also have strong ties to Chaco Canyon.

      Obviously Hancock is a crackpot but saying that he offends other people with equally falsified theories is not exactly strong criticism…

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        How about this, then?

        IMO that’s basically white supremacy. The most generous possible thing you could say is that Hancock is too stupid to recognize racist bullshit when he sees it in terms of things like Quetzalcoatl being a white man (utter bullshit) but I don’t think he’s that stupid.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            No. I think he perpetuates that racism.

            Here is Quetzalcoatl (and not in his usual winged serpent form) from the pre-Spanish Maya. Does he look like a white man to you or a local indigenous person? Don’t you think if Hancock didn’t want to just perpetuate racist bullshit he could have just looked that up himself, what with being a journalist and all?

            But that’s just one image, right? And no color! I’m sure after the Spanish came and had them draw him…

            Oh.

            I thought journalists were supposed to do research.

            Of course, if you’re a journalist who wishes to perpetuate racism…

        • Cypher@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          Hancock is a con man plain and simple but what part of that makes this more acceptable?

          The Hopi people have lived in or near the Grand Canyon for at least 2,000 years and claim a sacred site inside the canyon as their place of emergence.

            • Cypher@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              So it’s bullshit, which granted it is pretty harmless, but it’s still bullshit when discussing the origins of people.

              It doesn’t deserve to be repeated in an article about someone denying science. That claim also denies science (and common sense).

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                4 days ago

                The bigger issue is Hancock’s idea of indigenous people worshiping a white savior. Check out the excerpts from his book I pasted.

                • Cypher@lemmy.world
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                  4 days ago

                  I like how you continue to dodge the fact the indigenous peoples claims they come from a fucking rock is ridiculous when I have already agreed that Hancock is a con man.

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                    4 days ago

                    Yes, many indigenous folk beliefs don’t make sense. But there’s a reason punching down is a shitty thing to do. And you are punching down on indigenous people. Maybe just accept that they have a belief that doesn’t make sense, since it isn’t hurting anyone.

                    Unlike the racist with the hugely popular Netflix show.

      • Ech@lemm.ee
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        4 days ago

        Nobody knows what’s going in inside that melon except him, but it really does reek of the old mindset of colonials “discovering” lands where people had been living already for millennia, and assuming they’re too dumb to be worth considering. Or even making a spectacle of them like they’re some sort of animal.

        Even if it’s not intentionally malicious, that sort of disregard has some amount of bigotry attached.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Please read the excerpts from his book I pasted below. He thinks indigenous Americans worshiped white saviors.

    • feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Mate you find a problem with everything, take up whittling or something for the sake of your mental health. Nobody’s perfect, as the saying goes.