We begin America Unearthed S01E03 “Great Lakes Copper Heist” with a recreation of some woodsmen felling a tree in Michigan in 1896, filmed in dramatic “old-timey” sepia tone. (Actually, I think it was tinted in post-production from full-color digital video.) The men look at a rock covered in symbols, and we smash-cut to the opening credits.
We start at Isle Royale, Michigan, where series star Scott Wolter plans to investigate the Old Copper Culture. The area was copper rich, and Wolter asserts that the copper “disappeared.” I’ve talked about this lie before, when I reviewed Gavin Menzies’ identical claims, derived from Ignatius Donnelly, and it’s no more true today.
226 Comments
Sometimes Ancient Aliens is a like a gentle tide of stupid, subtly lapping at viewers’ brainwaves; other times, it is like a tsunami of stupid, overwhelming even the most dedicated viewer’s attempt to think critically with its sheer volume of idiocy. Last night’s episode, “Alien Power Plants” (S05E03) is the latter type of episode, envisioning a world where ancient monuments somehow beamed endless free energy around the world without such seeming necessities as conductors. Would it surprise anyone that the “Dendera (Denderah) light bulb,” really an image of a snake in a lotus blossom, is trotted out once again as an alleged depiction of ancient electric work? It wasn’t convincing when Erich von Däniken talked about it 40 or 50 years ago; it isn’t convincing now.
One of the criticisms I receive most often is that there isn’t any harm in Ancient Aliens, America Unearthed, or other pseudoscientific shows, so why bother criticizing them? And it certainly seems that other skeptics agree: Consider, for example, the fact that while Ancient Aliens has 1.5 million viewers—making it the most watched pseudoscientific series on TV—leading skeptical organizations such as CSI, JREF, and the Skeptics Society do not have regular coverage of the program or its claims. By contrast, last year CSI’s Skeptical Inquirer ran a three part series on an obscure DVD that sold only 10,000 copies about Mormon extremist claims about ancient America, but to date has never mentioned Ancient Aliens, so far as I am able to determine. (Note: Mainstream science publications like Archaeology magazine similarly ignore the program.)
Last week Frank Johnson over at the Ancient Aliens Debunked blog provided an intriguing explanation for the alleged “astronaut” figure etched into the hill near the Nazca plain. Ancient astronaut writers have long claimed that this geoglyph was a depiction of a goggle-eyed extraterrestrial visitor waving to passersby. Johnson discusses the work of two Czech engineers who investigated the site, and I’d like to amplify his comments with additional material.
For a while, I took heart that the gradual decline of Ancient Aliens from pop culture phenomenon to niche program signaled that the ancient astronaut “theory” was once again on the wane. The program, after all, has shed about half its viewers for original episodes from its peak in season 2, when 1.5 to 2 million people watched each week. I appear to have misjudged the situation. As we ring in 2013, I have two small announcements and a short topic to discuss.
Now, on to today’s topic… |
AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
Enter your email below to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my latest projects, blog posts, and activities, and subscribe to Culture & Curiosities, my Substack newsletter.
Categories
All
Terms & ConditionsPlease read all applicable terms and conditions before posting a comment on this blog. Posting a comment constitutes your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions linked herein.
Archives
May 2024
|