You will recall that yesterday I talked about the cult of personality surrounding alternative history purveyors and how this substitutes for reasoned argument. Today I have some exhibits to make the case. Both were posted to Instagram by Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, the the star of Ancient Aliens. Exhibit number 1 is a "limited edition" numbered print of Giorgio Tsoukalos which he gave away this week at the Famous Monsters of Filmland booth at San Diego's ComicCon. I won't reproduce the image lest it upset Tsoukalos. Please note, though, that the bottom corner of the picture says that Giorgio is finally taking my advice and getting himself a URL; however, "GiorgioTsoukalos.com" currently redirects back to Legendary Times Books, his online bookstore. Our second exhibit must be seen to be believed. Below is a small portion of a photograph Tsoukalos posted to Instagram, which I reproduce here under fair use because I am about to comment on and criticize it: As you can see, he gave out cardboard headgear imprinted with an image of his Bride-of-Frankenstein hairdo, emblazoned with his self-coined adjective "Tsoukalicious." I think this makes fairly plain that Tsoukalos has passed into the realm of pop culture personality and is self-consciously promoting himself as the sum of his various eccentricities. Note, for example, that the headgear makes no reference to extraterrestrials or to ancient history, but rather solely to Giorgio A. Tsoukalos as Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, television personality. No wonder OnStar has been so interested in obtaining his services as spokesperson.
This is of a piece with his busy line of self-merchandising, including his autographed photographs, which are $45 apiece or $65 (!) per autograph for full personalization. What I would like to know, though, is if Tsoukalos has Prometheus Entertainment's permission to sell his wares as "Ancient Aliens" merchandise since the name "Ancient Aliens" is trademarked by the production company.
28 Comments
Clint Knapp
7/21/2013 09:15:15 am
Horrible. Truly horrible. "Limited edition" photos? Are they collectibles? Does one earn a special prize for a complete set?
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Dan D
7/21/2013 09:47:32 am
I'll give the guy credit for cashing in on this goofy stuff. He parlayed his 15 minutes (ok, couple years) into a cottage industry for H2 and now reaping the rewards.
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Cathleen Anderson
7/21/2013 10:02:35 am
I like River Song's (Dr. Who) hair much better.
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Tom
7/21/2013 10:58:11 am
Jeebus, he looks like the bastard child of Indy and Rick O'Connell (from the Mummy)
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Robin Swope
7/21/2013 11:23:40 am
Wow, and I got my son a photo with AND an autographed picture of Norman Reedus for only $25. I bet Giorgio pen does not run out of ink for the whole Con.
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Uncle Ron
7/21/2013 01:21:24 pm
How ironic. This is comic, and it's a con.
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Tara Jordan Aka equal opportunity offender
7/21/2013 02:24:08 pm
Jason. Tsoukalos is a professional ass clown but we have to be honest,some amongst the skeptic community are also driven by pornographic egocentrism, & to a larger extent,the symptoms that affect the "alternative" counterculture are also present inside skeptics circles.Nature behaves erratically,more than often the disorder affecting a particular microcosm reproduces itself inside another microcosm.If you look at skeptics as a social community (or social construction),they more than often behave like cultists.Spending interminable week ends among themselves, talking about how great they are,how important they are & the amazing job they do.The Amazing Meeting (TAM) is a perfect example.There is a basic fee for attending the event,fees for special events,fees for "workshops", & even a VIP dinner where you can consider yourself lucky for sharing overpriced foods with the leading figures of the international skeptic scene.Some prominent figures of the skeptical movement are barometers for egocentric activity.There is a cult personality surrounding James Randi,& you only have to take a look at Sharon Hill`s Facebook page, to understand she is driven by a huge ego.It`s all about "me,me,me".I`m probably arrogant but I have serious questions regarding the skeptics community intellectual & scientific accomplishment.They have been debunking Dowsing,Tarot reading,paranormal activities for decades but they are preaching to the choir.Navel-gazing at its best.
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Tara Jordan
7/21/2013 02:25:17 pm
Typo: cleaning up our own backyard.....
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7/21/2013 02:30:08 pm
Undoubtedly; Randi sells some pretty silly merchandise, too. The difference is that Randi isn't trying to make a mint off of lies. That said, I'll be honest: Many of the higher-ups in skepticism act as gatekeepers and don't like others infringing on their fiefdoms. More than one prominent skeptic, whom I won't name, refused in the past to help me contact publishers or agents they know and work with for fear it would undercut their own sales and position.
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Tara Jordan
7/21/2013 03:31:24 pm
Jason.On your own individual level,you are doing a far better job than these semi-professional organizations.There is a reason as to why unsavory characters like myself, support you.You are on your own,you don't belong to the Club.You take no prisoner & deal with the consequences (legal suits).You shoot in all directions (I am glad you had the courage to deal with Pinker`s insanities),plus there is no censorship on your blog,absolute freedom of expression.From a skeptical perspective I wouldn't be able to post critical comments on the James Randi educational foundation forums.These hammers of rationality are too thin skinned for accepting dissent from "within".They may pretend otherwise but they are as insecure as their arch enemies. We may disagree from time to time but you are a stand up guy and I respect that.
The Other J.
7/21/2013 07:00:22 pm
Tara, you said: "From a skeptical perspective I wouldn't be able to post critical comments on the James Randi educational foundation forums."
Tara Jordan
7/21/2013 10:24:48 pm
The Other J.
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Tara Joprdan
7/22/2013 03:29:02 am
A precision.As a non US citizen I mentioned issues related to American affairs to make my case,but I could have cited instances of foreign governments doing exactly the same things.
Paul Cargile
7/22/2013 04:50:31 am
How does one go about debunking the controversies you give as example and others like them? Will online research suffice to buttress arguments? What sources can be trusted? How are they validated? To discover what states and corporations are truly doing requires investigative research, requires the hard proof, the laden of shipping, sales receipts, phone records, ect., someone physically getting into a place a state or corporation doesn’t' want them to get into and handling incriminating or acquitting evidence; an investigation that cost money to travel, plus the risk of criminal trespass, and possibly the potential of personal injury. Without the actual contract for the sale of Nigerian yellow cake (per your example), all we have to debate with is secondary sources, which may or may not be factual, or whose accuracy cannot be verified. Without substantiated, verifiably genuine documents or other evidence, the only points left to argue with are doubts, emotions, conjecture, speculation, and biases. How can a skeptic debunk or refute a claim when the veracity of presented facts is questionable? We’re dealing with the actions of people with their own motivations to either lie or tell the truth about their activities or activities they have witnessed.
Tara Jordan
7/22/2013 05:59:37 am
"a lack of trustworthy proof".Paul Cargile,I dont want to be rude, but if you are asking for "trustworthy proof" you probably spent the last 40 years living in a cave in Borneo. Have you ever watched congressional committees on foreign affairs, intelligence,military matters?. I neither have the intention nor the time to start a debate over such issues.I am not supposed to do your education,please start with the National Security Archive :http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
The Other J.
7/22/2013 10:12:31 am
Tara, Paul,
Tara Jordan
7/22/2013 01:09:45 pm
The Other J
Paul Cargile
7/23/2013 02:39:15 am
That's the whole point Tara; nothing is trustworthy, hence socio-political debate devolves quickly into an argument of opinion, which is why people may avoid the topics in skeptic forums and blogs.
Tara Jordan
7/25/2013 04:49:09 am
Paul. I cannot disagree with your premise.This is precisly the reason I switched field after graduation.There is nothing remotly scientific about political sciences.Ideology overshadows empirical evaluation 7/21/2013 03:01:34 pm
Tsoukalos doesn't only cash in on his cartoon-esque eccentricities, he also peddles archaeological lies. Namely his so-called Golden Flyer (lapel pin or pendant), which is his bastardized version of a pre-Columbian Incan funerary artifact. The man is willing to attach himself to all manner of quackery.
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Pamela
7/21/2013 03:07:23 pm
Tsoukalos must have forgotten to bring his other representative head gear to his adoring fans: the giant prophylactic for massive phallic types.
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tubby
7/22/2013 03:46:31 am
I'm sorry Tara.. are you sure Tsoukalos is actually serious? He's selling a cardboard hair tiara and a cheaply Photoshopped print where he's trying to Indiana Jones it up. I can't find anything serious about this guy.
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Tara Jordan
7/22/2013 04:37:36 am
Tubby. Tsoukalos is a clown but there are a lot of people who take him very seriously. Tsoukalos happens to be one of them ;)
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spookyparadigm
7/22/2013 12:19:53 pm
The Other J. said
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The Other J.
7/22/2013 05:25:17 pm
With regard to what skepticism applied in different paradigms actually is (politics, science), I don't disagree in principle. But skepticism consists of a process of rational practices, and an issue arises when it comes to how that kind of skepticism and its practices is relayed to the public sphere -- the media, whether that be the news or an educational system that teaches people how to recognize genuine skepticism in practice and what those measures consist of.
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Only Me
7/22/2013 06:36:58 pm
Spookyparadigm, Other J.,
CFC
7/23/2013 06:05:29 am
Many of the comments on this string are very insightful and thought provoking. Thank you!
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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
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