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Flooded Kingdoms (Graham Hancock)

I do not believe Hancock's Atlantis theory; the specific Atlantean race teaching humanity knowledge.

I do though find his work interesting and believe he is onto something, regarding historical chronology, and that some knowledge could be younger/older in human hands than currently believed, and some of it taught to humanity by (known/unknown) others rather than simply discovered by humanity.

But if one did believe Hancock word for word, then just because the Atlanteans were in his view white, does not mean they had superior knowledge because they were white.

Nor does it demean those who learned, used, and further developed that knowledge/technology.
Which has been all of humanity.
The issue is that it sort of props up racist beliefs.
Does it mean he himself is racist?
Now, personally anytime someone wants to fight the mainstream opinion and claim that the race they happen to belong is the true origin of all of the unique and amazing civilizations it does raise a few red flags.
He characterizes the people his Magicians met and taught as poor ignorant savages/hunter gatherers that had to be taught by enlightened foreigners.
Instead of being able to figure it out for themselves.

When I interact with his fans they're deeply misinformed on the cultures. They think that pre-Dynastic Egyptians were hunter gatherers. That all ancient civilizations had a sudden leap into building cities and practicing agriculture and writing.
And it's a misunderstanding he encourages from how he presents the development of these civilizations.
He presents it as if hunter gatherers just woke up one day and decided to build pyramids.
And he does so by plumbing the wells of very old claims and research and stories from racists, colonials, and white supremacists.

If Hancock isn't racist, and he doesn't seem to be strictly speaking.
Then he's perfectly comfortable using them to further his ideas.

In his worldview instead of different groups of people inventing and developing and being inventive in their own right, the very foundations of their culture had to be given to them by an outside group.
Who yes just happen to be white.

At the very least he's bringing these ideas back to popularity.
 
Archaeologistphobia.

In case you didn’t see it, Graham Hancock appeared on Russell Brand’s podcast this past week to promote Ancient Apocalypse and to attack archaeologists yet again for being mean to him by asking for evidence for his claims.

Hancock looks tired and angry during the interview, and even Brand notes that he seems unduly dejected and downtrodden for a man with one of the world’s most popular streaming nonfiction series.

During the interview Brand complains, not wholly incorrectly, that without Hancock only “elites” have access to archaeology. That’s true, but not because the public needs Atlantis to be interested but because the mainstream media only patronize sensational claims and Hancock’s hated “academics” have retreated into a bubble created by universities’ publish-or-perish mentality, hyper-specialization, and academic publishers exploitative pricing that essentially disincentivizes public engagement. Popularizers certainly have a role to play, but not one that should involve making things up. ...

https://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/...-brand-archaeologists-despise-ordinary-people
 
not because the public needs Atlantis to be interested but because the mainstream media only patronize sensational claims and Hancock’s hated “academics” have retreated into a bubble created by universities’ publish-or-perish mentality, hyper-specialization, and academic publishers exploitative pricing that essentially disincentivizes public engagement. Popularizers certainly have a role to play, but not one that should involve making things up. ...

Marry Me Now!
 
Hancock’s hated “academics” have retreated into a bubble created by universities’ publish-or-perish mentality, hyper-specialization, and academic publishers exploitative pricing that essentially disincentivizes public engagement.

I kinda don't agree with the way this comes off.
Im not part of the middle class, and current work manufacturing in a factory.
I'm far from an elite in any sense.
But there's been easy access to solid archaeoligy information for decades now.
As a kid the book stores would have magazines or even print versions of journals to read and growing up you also had some fantastic programming on television.

But that was because I had a real interest in the stuff, even if I didn't pursue it as a career.

Hancock doesn't write for people like me. Nerds who focus in on history stuff even if it's not their job.
He writes for, well the people who will tune into an interesting documentary about something on TV.
 
Here's an archaeological review of the Netflix series on submerged civilizations. You can imagine where this goes, but it's well made and intelligent:
 
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