Chilluminati Podcast - Episode 208 - The Horrifying History of Human Zoos

Episode Date: June 18, 2023

Who wants to go look at the human! Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/chilluminatipod MERCH - http://www.theyetee.com/collections/chilluminati Special thanks to our sponsors this episode - EVERYONE AT HTTP://PATREON.COM/CHILLUMINATIPOD PROMO CODE FOR ALL - CHILL HelloFresh - http://www.hellofresh.com/chill16 Code: CHILL16 Canva - http://www.canva.me/chill GhostBed - http://www.ghostbed.com Jesse Cox - http://www.youtube.com/jessecox Alex Faciane - http://www.youtube.com/user/superbeardbros Editor - DeanCutty http://www.twitter.com/deancutty Art Commissioned by - http://www.mollyheadycarroll.com Theme - Matt Proft End song - POWER FAILURE - https://soundcloud.com/powerfailure Video - http://www.twitter.com/digitalmuppet

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Stinawri podcast episode 208. As always I am one of your hosts, host Mike Martin, joined by the Mark and Lard of LA, Jesse and Alex. How's it going boys? So let me get this straight. One of us is going to be called Mark. Yep. And the other guy's fucking Lard.

Correct. You must choose. You know who these are? I don't know anything about Mark, so I'm gonna, I'll be loud, because Mark sounds like one of those traps. You know what I mean? Like Mark so hard. Like Mark's the one. But he's in a Valdracist. He turned out to be like anti-vax and all this shit.

Yeah, I don't know if I trust Mark. Yeah. But what if this is one scientist who says it doesn't work and she's the scientist of toenails and that's important because she has a doctor right right because toenails tell you about the body that's so crazy that I don't even know What that is mark and large. I don't I don't think I know them of mark Radcliffe and Mark Riley They both name mark one of the K one of a C though. So very different. Oh, who presented very, the first one of us gonna be the radio. And for 1991 to 2004. And the other guys, the other guys for the art, 1958,

he's an English radio broadcaster, musician, musician, and a writer. Here is what Mark looks like, not the Lord. I'll go ahead and link you his, wiki page. Nice and easy that way. Yeah, like Mark's the one. I mean, this in the nicest way possible to every one of the UK. Mark and Lard look exactly like you would imagine two dudes on the radio from the UK to look. That is so, that is so accurate. You are actually correct. Like I can't even begin this. Like there's no description necessary. Just imagine two dudes half their photos are them drinking pints out on the street,

looking kind of tired, but also like, we're sassy. This guy's this one from Mark, he's the picture of him at the festival, where he's got like a tricorn on or something. It's hard to tell. One of them kind of looks like, one of them kind of looks like Pete Townsend. A little bit.

Yeah. All right, well, I'll take Mark. I already checked his wiki and there's nothing Scanning. Mark is clear. Mark is fine. Great. Well, you can prevent the two of them from becoming the Mark and Lard of LA. If you just go to patreon.com slash Limonati potteright. That's how that works. That's true. We will not have to jump out. They don't have a job anymore. We want to forsake this show and move on to a successful career in BBC Radio. We can just stay right here.

Yes, we're on our way. That's a good, that's something a bad job to retire from. It's like one of those spiderverse type things, like if this happened, then this happened. But if you like this show and you don't want to change up which universe you're in and start a subreddit about it, head over to patreon.com slash 2.90 pod where you can not only support us with money, but also get great things in return like mini-sodes that are increasingly becoming not so many after every episode. I'm still telling the story.

God damn you're not. And today's, I promise you, today's going to be another long one because it's going to be, I'm going back into the UAP update. I'm not going to do another full episode about it today. It would just not be the time It's just there's just so much to say but so much to wait for I'm still telling the story of stones or stone or however many stones there are dude It's the story of the infinity stones at this point. Yeah, it's getting it's getting there but

That's still going on head Head over there, get it, get art, get pre-sale on merch. There's all kinds of great stuff and our brand new, we're just in the first couple episodes still, very brand new, just released show, Rotten Popcorn, in which we watch movies that Mathis has never seen before, most of the time. But this time, it happened. It finally happened, Mathis saw the X files.

People, it's their favorite Rotten Popcorn by far. By the numbers alone, never mind the comments. The comments are like, I would support you doing this as like an extra thing to Rotten Popcorn if you wanted. I don't care. I want to see more of this. Okay. And then another person was like, I forgot how crazy this show is. I love it. So there's a lot of love for X files and us watching the X files. If I if there's some way that it turns into that I can you can pay me to watch the X files. Uh, same yet, man. And just so you know the same tier you get the rotten popcorn, the you get the poster, you're also now are getting mini so's with video as well. So for everybody who's been wanting mini so a bunch of people jumped to that tier.

So thank you for that. I want to look at my bloated exhausted face as I as I talk just ruin your image of me. If you are like, I wonder if mathist just looks like a hippies out of the sixies. You're correct. I look exactly like. If you want to find out how many inbox PC games mathist has had to paytron.com slash Shulman. Yeah. Alright boys, today's a fun episode. This is one I've been working on for a few months kind of on and off. Initially it was actually going to be part of one of those like grab bag episodes of multiple things on a general topic, but the more I went into it, the more I was

curious about it. And now I have a 15 16 page script that we're going to go through. I don't know how long it's going to take, but it's all going to be in one go here. Today is kind of a mix of true crime and history, but no, we're not talking serial killers. We're really murderers with intent, I'll say. What? Today, we're talking about the horrible history of human zoos. Pardon? The horrible history of human zoos.

Human zoos. Human zoos, ZOOs. Human zoos. Human zoo's. Human zoo's. Human zoo's. Human zoo's. Zoos with humans inside. Correct. What? Alright. You've never, Jesse, we talked about it briefly before. I thought you were saying say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that.

I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that.

I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that.

I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that. I'm notified for a second. I was like, Jesse looked mystified too, did I really, was it because of how I said it? No, it is not, you said it. I just, the concept of a human zoo to me is bizarre, but yeah, all right, take us down this path. Do you know, okay, so then that's like my first question. Do you know much about the human zoo era of human history, really? Uh, I would think it's more like a side show

at a circus kind of vibe. Kind of how it started started I guess. Yeah I don't know speaking of human zoos many so it's now with video at patreon.com See the incredible eight man and dog boy I've been working on this script for a while So let's jump in because I'm excited to educate Jesse for the maybe the first time on something that's historical I'm ready take me away superstar in theushed, hallowed halls of history, there echoes a tale of grandiosity into the grotesque triumphs

and travesties and of civilizations, and it's often uncivilized underbelly. In one such dark tale, weaves through the 19th and early a 20th century, shadowing the age of exploration, the rise of scientific racism, and the thundering footfalls of what else? Everybody's favorite, colonialism.

We love colonialism. It's authoritative to say, the land of Human Sus. A Human Sus. So we're getting there. We're getting there. This is a story not just of the power and prejudice of obviously the nations that per cook, but of humanity's insatiable curiosity and

occasional crassness of times when the dignity of life was traded for entertainment, education quote unquote, and the illusion of superiority, which is really running through. Sometimes you just got to take what you got over here, put it over there, you know? Yeah, yeah, that's kind of how it started actually is like. You got to get your stink and put it, you gotta get your stink as far as you can get it. It's like trying to introduce new cats to each other. They gotta get used to each other's stink,

they gotta explore each other's territories a little bit. And then one cat exploits the other cat based on the color of the cat's skin and starts a global slave trade. Yeah, I know, yes. Oh yeah, you're not correct. That is a, the human's slavery is very much a part of this whole entire thing. We'll get there.

It's a story of like something so inconceivable in our modern times and sensitivities, but it's undeniably, it's undeniably rather a part of our collective past, the human zoos. So let's turn back to clock as we always do and plunge into a tale with harsh realities, compelling characters, and of course the indomitable spirit of survival except for the ones who didn't live. So I've got a few sources. I would love to just shout out before we jump in. Was that an ad lib? Yeah, no, no, I wrote that script line and then at that last part just kind of came out of the mouth. It was a good laugh. It goes like, no, that's because in the writing of it, you're like, this is great.

But then you're like, written joke. And then you sit there and you're like, no, people died. So anyway, so the main source I'm using for today is a book by the name of human zoos, the invention of the savage by Pasco Blanchard, Guillet Abortesche, and Nanette Snoop. Oh, it was just, I'm doing my best. And then there's the spectacle of the other by Stuart Hill. Both books, very good. There's also like an infinite number of books you could choose from to talk about this

that explore various niches, specifically obviously the slavery in the U.S. which goes from there's a book that I I wanted read, but in that time called The Darkest America, Black Minstrels in Slavery to Hip Hop and just kind of tracks how Hip Hop became a thing and what aspects of their lives and their ancestors are what influenced how all that happened. And, you know, you think about the minstrel stuff of like the white gloves and people don't realize like that comes from like a racist core, that kind of thing. But not what we're looking at today specifically. Okay.

I just got an email from the Tourism Department of the Land of Huma and Suis and they just want to let everyone know they're accepting of all people of all kinds. They think everybody's the same. They love it. They're very progressive in Huma and Suis. They have nothing to do with human zoos. It's nothing like that. And they're not affiliated with the Chulmanati podcast in any way.

Yeah, so. They were quick. Yeah, they're listening live. So they're, you know, they're incredible. Yeah, they got that, yeah, they got that next level Patreon tier. Yeah, I'm 10,000 out of tier. That's a good thing.

There's only one spot for that anyway. Yeah, so obviously before we dive in fully, just remember, this can be a sensitive topic and just the way people were treated here and it's going to be kind of hard to hear for some of the things. But it's also a huge part of not only the history of the world, but US history. And our journey begins where else, but the age of discovery, which was around the late 15th century. This aerosol surge and overseas explorations led by European powers, primarily Portugal, Spain, Britain, and France.

And as these nations expanded their horizons past their coastal shores, charting previously unexplored territories, of course, what they did is encounter diverse civilizations pretty much everywhere they went. The indigenous cultures of Africa, the Americas, Oceana became the subjects of intrigue for Europeans who consider their own society to be, of course, the paragon of civilization. It all comes from what I said in the beginning, that through line of the feeling of being superior and they, nobody could be better than what they're doing over in Europe right now. Okay. And 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Correct. And taking it very quickly became customary for explorers. They were out there to bring to Europe souvenirs from their journeys. Also now known as stolen artifacts and goods from their natural lands that need to go back to the people they belong to that's still often sitting museum. Yeah. It's still this thing. We still do it.

Like we still we hold on because we don't trust them to treat their own shit With the right it's not even that you know like that's what everybody always says It's literally just it's literally just an unwillingness to like change the status quo It's it's just literally just the unwillingness to give away their cool stuff that they have in their museum Imagine some time in 1870 somebody came to America was like wow look at these uncivilized folk and stole our 1870 somebody came to America was like, wow, look at these unsyvidized folk and stole our declaration of independence. And we'll give it back because they're afraid we might ruin it. Yeah.

You know, it's like, we would be, we would be attacking them. It's insane. So it's during this time, you know, people are going out exploring and taking things back that they shouldn't be. We know that Columbus brought back Chinese porcelain from his first voyage to the Americas in 1492. We know her non Cortes brought tons of silk, cottons and featherwork from Mexico and Francisco Pizarro brought back the best thing

of all things to take. Lomas. I thought you were going to say weed. Lomas. No. By the way, just like, while all this was going on, a really, really great story that I just want to reiterate for everyone out there, side tangent. There's a great story that I just want to like reiterate for everyone out there side tangent. Um, there's a great story about an explorer who went to South America and decided to explore the Amazon, gotten a boat with his crew, went down the Amazon, and he reported back when he returned, uh, back to Europe. Oh my God. You guys, there was massive cities, millions of people, just an incredible, incredible society, and gold. And it was gorgeous and like I can't, like we gotta go back y'all.

Gotta go loot that shit. And then a hundred years later, when everyone finally returned in full force, there was nothing there. And for years, like centuries, it was a mystery. Everyone was like, what happened to this place? Was the dude lying? It was it all BS? Is this like one of those-

Can I take a guess? Gelderado things? Yeah, you want to take a guess? They all died from disease. Yeah, in that initial voyage, they all got smallpox and none of the native people living there had any immunity, so it wiped out 80% of the population and then everyone who was alive fled the cities.

And so the cities were swallowed up by the jungle, and now just today, through satellite and radar technology, and like, we're just rediscovering lost ancient cities that are massive, like huge, massive jungle cities. They just discovered a my and highway that completely recontextualized how they believe big cities interacted with each other.

Yeah. That was like two weeks ago. It's so weird how insane it is when something happens in real life. Like in the real world, this really happened. It's not any sort of like metaphor or literary device. And yet it resonates so deeply with people who know about literature and theming and symbolism, and it also resonates so deeply with historians and also

with like human behaviorists. It's almost like people who write stories tell things they know. The human experience is very simple. I'm just like this is just such a it's just such a fucking insane thing. It's such a metaphor for everything that happened after it Yeah, and one day it'll be the same for our world whether we're wiped up aliens or not Eventually what's here will disappear? Why do I get the feeling that's what you want? Mathis is he's Mathis in a weird place, bro Yeah, I have a feeling like you really want them to just come in Mathis weather's in a weird place. I can't. I can't.

I can't. We can't change the subject. I'm on page two. We can't change the subject. Thank you again to our long time sponsor, HelloFresh. I'm not gonna go through all the things I've said over and over again now for basically two straight years. Needless to say, I'm still using HelloFresh every single week.

Three meals a week, like clockwork. And there's a lot of reasons for it. And one, I'm bad at cooking. And HelloFresh sends like six step recipes that I can follow and it feels good to be able to understand how to cook. And two, no wasted food for me. Every single portion that comes in a HelloFresh box

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head to hellofresh.com slash chill 16 and use code chill 16 for 16 free meals plus reshipping, literally that easy. Hellofresh.com slash chill 16 with promo code chill 16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping. Thank you again to HelloFresh America's number one meal kit. But beyond llamas being brought back the most shocking thing for those who are not read up on history is that even back then before the Invention of human zoology or zoos, they were bringing individuals from indigenous societies back to European courts.

And these human specimens, quote unquote, were paraded around as curiosities, a living testimonial to the exoticism of the new world. This happened to like celebrity, like historical figures, right? Like, yeah, I've got a few people are going this a lot. There's so many people we know that this happened too. So you know, I'm pulling a few. There's a we'll talk about it. But again, even in this, there's that underlying current of superiority of these people, we can parade around like a freaking animal because they're not they're barely better than an orang thing. Did you get to this through the concept

of alien abductions? Is that what brought you to this idea of human Zeus? Like, is that how you got here? Is that the thing about the Earth is a zoo theory? Yeah. No, the human zoo thing came up during a true crime thing. Because that's kind of what it is. It's like a civilization with more technology,

exploiting that to like take people from there, like habitat and use them for whatever unnatural means. You know, speaking of aliens, there's a theory I saw floated out there that I had never heard before and it just kind of like was crazy. What if Roswell was an intentional crash? Like giving monkeys a cell phone to see what they do,

giving like us intentional tech to see how we react to it. Literally the beginning of 2001. I've never seen that movie, so. Oh boy. That's fine. Now, I'm just saying, I'm just anyway, so back to... It's miserable. When these people were taken from their native lands, the best-case scenario for someone taken by an explorer is someone like, as an example, a mosquito woman, M-I-S-K-I-T-O, by the name of YAH-Nisi.

In 1787, a British explorer by the name of John Ledyard brought back this mosquito woman named YAH-T-England. YAH was then displayed in public and was a major attraction. But luckily, she eventually returned back to the mosquito coast and she got to live her life back. Normally, she was only gone for about a year before they brought her back. And that's best case scenario is they bring you back or allow you to go back home. Then there's people who are sort of lost to history.

One like the man known only as the attire man. And the only reason who are sort of lost to history, one like the man known only as the attial man. And the only reason we have that is because he was there's we have like a book of people's names and shit that were taken. And this guy was just noted as the attial man, a T, a, y, a, l. He was taken a year up in 1628 and is not named in any historical record specifically. He simply referred to as the a tile man and we do not know much about his life before he was taken. Yes, that's just crazy to be it just imagine like taking somebody away from their entire shit, taking him to another world, showing him off as like this example of like the one guy from another place

and no one fucking wrote down his fucking name. Yeah, they're just like, look at him, look at him Jeffrey, he's standing like us. They didn't bother to ask what his fucking name was. They didn't, they just didn't care, I mean who knows. That's what I mean, like, like, like, what the fuck? Yep, I know. From my Disney fans out there, just like, do some research on Pocahontas real quick. Just like, you know, yeah, that movie.

Yeah, it is like, go research Pocahontas. It wasn't quite, you know, yeah, that movie. It is like go research, Pocahontas. It wasn't quite like the movie, but it was similar. No, yeah. Yeah, I mean, the talking tree and everything was there. Yeah, yeah. Oh my God. That video game on Sega was really hard too. Yeah, dude. Has weird graphics. It's hard to tell where the hitboxes are. Yeah, I know. The a tile man who simply referred to as such, we don't know much about his life before he was taken, but we can make some inferences

based on what we know about the Italian people. The Italian are an indigenous people of Taiwan and are a hunter, gatherer of society. They lived in small villages in the mountains and they are known for their fierce independence and their resistance to outside forces. It's likely that the Italian man was taken, who was taken was captured by Dutch explorers during a raid on his village, and he was likely

taken against his will, which means he would have been terrified and confused. These strange people just showing up, speaking a language you've never heard and just scooping you away. That's, that sounds horrifying. He would have been brought to a strange land surrounded by strange people who spoke language. He didn't understand who had very different costumes. Literally would have been dudes chopping meat with cleavers around him like no joke. Like yeah, no, there's some UFO weirdness involved in the similarities. It'd be telling him stories like we're all out here floating on these like in this ocean

on these ships. It's like the same. I don't know It is it's crazy. Yeah, I know He would have been it, you know, forced to live in a different way and he would have been deprived of his freedom It's impossible to know for sure what happened to this man after he's taken though He may have died in Europe or he may have been returned to Taiwan It if he was returned to Taiwan though It's possible that his people would have shunned him. He may have been seen as a traitor or been forced to live in exile

because of how hostile the natives were. And for many others, there was no hope for returning home. And the practice of kidnapping these people and never returning them home would soon become much more popular and profitable. Another example is obviously just kind of pointed out is the obviously enslaved Africans here in the United States. Millions of enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas during this age of discovery and they were forced to work on plantations and minds industries. Many of them died of disease, malnutrition, over work. We know how this all works in America, but there was also human zoos happening in America, which we'll get to. Now the age of discovery was coming to a close, and as Europe was on the brink of a sociocultural

revolution known as the age of enlightenment. The age of enlightenment was known as the age of, also known as the age of reason, and was a period of intellectual and philosophical change in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was a time when people began to question traditional beliefs and authority and to place more emphasis on reason and evidence, except of course, if you're kidnapping people from a foreign nation and want to look at them and say, curious. Well, the reason and evidence was all slanted to be very like white centric.

That earlier, when I said scientific racism, that's exactly what we're referring to. Yeah, where this is the time period where people were like, judging by these brain size and the shape of a skull. Yes, this person is more of an animal than some type of human being, like that kind of stuff. Hey, how come you have an Austrian accent, man?

What's up with that? What are you, what are Hey, how come you have an Austrian accent, man? What's up with that? What do you want to see you waiting? Yeah, it's just one of those things where it was, it's around that time that we started to get very white man's burdeny kind of stuff. And if you don't know what that means, it is literally a bunch of white dudes convinced themselves. Yep, that it is the burden of the white man

to look after all these lesser races. And we are doing them a favor. And it's hard for us, don't you want to stab? We are bringing them a civilization. We're bringing them a civilized world. We're in that weird space right now where it's really starting to take off at everyone's like, it is God wants this. And more importantly, we're doing them a favor.

Like it's wild. In this feeling and this idea of scientific racism really didn't end until after World War II in terms of its popular referral, because that didn't end. Bro, did it end. Those Frolos are still out there, man. Yeah, man.

But that's like where eugenics comes from. That's where the idea of eugenics of like selective breeding and breeding only a particular skin color and eye color because they have the Perfect right it's all fucking bullshit because that's not how humans work. It's not how it works There are many anyway, whatever fucking there are many other different factors that contributed to the rise of this enlightenment age One factor was what everybody knows the Renaissance which had led to a renewed interest in classical learning and of questioning traditional authority. Another factor was a scientific revolution, which had demonstrated the power of reason and observation to explain the natural world around them. The Enlightenment was also

influenced by the Protestant Reformation, which had led to a greater emphasis on individual faith and interpretation of the Bible. The Reformation had also challenged the authority of the Catholic Church, which was a major source of traditional authority in Europe. Basically, this point in time Europe is kind of fracturing in all ways, an independent thought, is almost kind of becoming necessary for a lot of people as the things that they were a part of is breaking, like the Catholic Church breaking in the Reformation, the Revolution, Renaissance, people are becoming individualized. The Enlightenment was very much a time of intellectual ferment, ferment. Many new ideas were developed during this period, including the belief of

natural rights, the belief in the social contract, which is what Enlightenment thinkers believe that governments are formed by a contract between the people and their ruler. And some of this is like, good, like, let's not shit on the whole thing. Some of this is really good. It's like social contract is the concept of like, look, we're all on a society together. The golden rule. We got to work together.

And sometimes you give up some stuff, but like, it's for a reason. We can't all just be individualist in F everyone. That's pretty like the American dream right there. Pretty much. Yeah. There's a, I mean, that's why I'm presenting this. It's like, the great things are coming out of it, but there's a cost of human life for

some of it. That's happening. This is also the time of the belief in religious tolerance, where people should just be free to practice their religion and no religion at all, and the belief in progress, where they believe that the society was constantly progressing and that it was possible to create a better world through reason and science. So this is all new ideas for people. And some big names that you might know from this point in time that were big contributors

are people like Francis Bacon who was an English philosopher and is considered to be the father of empiricism. He believed that knowledge should be based on observation and experience rather than on tradition and authority. And you've got John Locke, not from, not from the show. John Locke, I'm not going to lie. One of my favorite philosophers. Don't tell me what I can't do. I played Howard Hughes in the Rocketeer. Locke was an English philosopher who is considered to be one of the most important enlightenment thinkers. He developed the theory of natural rights and he argued that governments should be based

on the consent of the governed. Then you could two more. You got Montesquieu, which I think is how you say it. Montesquieu was a French philosopher who's considered to be one of the founders of modern political science. He argued that the best way to prevent tyranny is to divide power between the executive, legislative, and do judicial branches of government. What country would do that? And that can't be corrupted that way, no way.

No, what wacky ass country would take that on? That sounds crazy. And then the last time we'll talk about his Voltaire. Voltaire was a French writer and philosopher who was a leading critic of religious intolerance and superstition, and he was also a strong advocate for freedom of speech and thought. If all this is ringing true to you, literally the founding fathers of this country were like, these guys are, they got good ass ideas, straight up just copied them. Used them, yeah, because they're good ideas.

They're not, you know, this is some like real thought stuff and fingers crossed, it keeps this country going. Yeah, fingers crossed. Like fingers, boom. Boom. Um, what's funny? Oh, personal, younger math is known on Voltaire. When I was in 10th grade, so I was like 14. I had to write a book report.

We had to pick a, of historical figure to write about. I didn't do it. I made up a book and I made up a book about Voltaire. That'd be plus. Hell yeah. I love that your teacher just didn't do it. I made up a book and I made up a book about Voltaire. That'll be plus. Oh yeah, I love that your teacher just didn't even look. Didn't even bother to look. Is it like 2002? That's so cynical.

It's such a cynical plan. It's so funny that it worked. I know, I just, I don't want to read a book. You probably need to think about it. Yeah. I still had to like, I still taught myself about the guy, but just like through other means. I was like, I still learned, damn it, I didn't really do anything.

I just did the work different. Anyway, the Enlightenment was a period of great intellectual philosophical, philosophical change and it led to a new development of new ideas in government society and the individual. To give you, again, an idea of what this world is currently like as we dive into the first phase of human zoos known as ethnological shows. Hmm, what a great title, dude. Thank you to Canba for sponsoring this podcast. And creating visual content is an essential part of what we do here on the show,

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when you go to Canva.me slash chill. That's C-A-N-V-A.me slash chill. And you are gonna get a free 45 day extended trial and support the show. That's Canva.me slash chill and you're gonna get a free 45 day extended trial and support the show. That's Canva.me slash chill. By the 18th century, public exhibits known as ethnological shows began surfacing across all of Europe. Initially designed to showcase the customs and ways of life of non-European societies,

these shows gradually incorporated live individuals, because initially they didn't start like that. They had people who were educated just trying to like, you know, you go through like Salem and Massachusetts and everybody's like dressed up like old-timey people. Yeah. Like colonial Williamsburg. That's kind of how I think of it in that way, but probably way more racist in the 18th century.

Sure. I mean, that's just a given. Yeah, of course. I wonder, so we are talking like, throw them in a cage. This is not yet, we're getting there. The vibe of this is more like, Curiosity and Education. Oh, we just returned from the dark heart of Africa. And this is my manservant I picked up long the way.

Come, don't even get experiences. No, not even ethnological shows didn't even have live people yet It was just other people were so understimulated at this time that just hearing about it was enough Yeah, they were like oh The explorers clubs in the movies were like the dudes are all sitting around with their hats and they're like Where will you chose like right went total 70-odd excursion? Yeah, I, yeah. I know it's hard to imagine now because we just are connected to everybody at all times

always, which is definitely not a bad thing for the human mind. But at this time, think about it. Like 18th century, you know like your neighbor, you know what everybody's poop smells like, y'all pooping the buckets and dump them down drains. You've never been outside of probably the city, maybe the country, and now you're learning about people who are across this huge blue ocean. That's like, you can't imagine it because it feels infinite to you. And these people have gone and come back and they're telling you these crazy stories.

It sounds fantastic, I imagine. It sounds like a fantasy to them. It's probably interesting as fuck, yeah. It's probably similar to how we try to think about aliens, you know what I mean? Like, you're telling me this shit's real? What the fuck? Yeah. Exactly, exactly that.

But, you know, as time went on, they decided, you know, it would be better than us doing this. It was like actual people from across and from these places and have them show you what it's like. The motive was twofold, Decatur to public curiosity and the world at the time and to emphasize the perceived superiority of European civilization over primitive cultures across the ocean.

These live displays often involve individuals performing traditional rituals, dances, crafts, set against the backdrop of mockups of their native habitats. So you're walking in to a tent and just behind the small wooden fence or gate, there stands an 1800s diorama of what Africa looked like from the best of their memory and then an actual person from Africa being forced to dance or craft and then just white people come and buy me and look,

oh my God, oh it looks so human. Like, that's what it was like. Like that's what these were ethnological shows were. It's crazy to me. It's crazy because the thought pattern today is like still the same in a lot of ways about like kind of like, is there a delicate way to approach culture? If you're from outside the culture without kind of like appropriating or colonizing the culture in some way, no idea.

But like, you know, in the same way that people like why people without anybody else around are getting excited like, oh, let's try some Thai flute. I hope it's not too spicy. You know, it's still the same exact like stupid ass like little curious thought. But we're just, we're just so mask off, because it's like 1600s,

and it's just still so easy to be a fucking psychopath in real life, but. But that also comes from the, like I have to believe that, you know, like Mathis was saying, the curiosity of the human spirit and the idea of wanting to learn more. There's nothing wrong with being curious about, say, Thai food and thinking it's going to be spicy because if that's what you've heard, that's what you've heard.

Right, right. And that's the same thing here. You know, there's very little cultural difference between like Hank in Minnesota and Lord Reginald Winncott of, Wincott of the 1600s. Like, it's because they didn't see the world, they didn't explore, they don't know anything. And it's the same vibe. Like, the science is proven again and again,

same with education, the more you travel. Like, if you take your kids to go to Williamsburg or to, just go to Florida, go to Disney, the more you travel with your family, the more you see stuff, the more you explore the world, the more your eyes open, and the more you're willing to try new things and do new things and experience new things, and you're not like, I wonder, you're like, oh yeah, you tell me, you're telling me, there's ketchup, mustard, ranch, and now there's something called, Thai sweet chili sauce.

Get out of here. One of the greatest gifts of being a YouTube influencer, quote unquote, in the gaming world back in the day, was being flown around all the places, and just getting to experience the world when I never would have been able to, and it really did change how I saw things. Like, going out to Europe and all these other,

like, in the countries within, and then other, just, it changes things. So you're like, oh, people are just people. No matter where you go, yeah, they live differently. Yeah, their culture is kind of cool, but So you're like, oh, people are just people. No matter where you go. Yeah, they live differently. Yeah, their culture is kind of cool. But when you sit down, you have a beer with somebody from another country you've never met before

and you're hitting similar thoughts and likes and dislikes. You're like, oh, okay. Everybody's just a person, dude. Let me just like say this, hiking up a mountain to go to Machu Picchu. Yeah, I can imagine. With a bunch of people from all over the world led by tour guides who like, you know,

are do this for a living and you're all like in the jungle. You real quick, all those differences between you disappear real, F and quick. You become best friends real fast. And I feel like that'd be true for even a lot of people who are very hateful. If their life was on the line, you would realize, oh shit, wait. Yeah.

Well, no, it's the same thing. Like when people are like, you know what? I don't like the gaze. They're trying to just try my kids. And then like they have a great, a great grand kid. And something like, you know what, we should really look out for them because like you are training them terribly. Yeah.

Weird. How experience changes people. Shhh, easy. Dude, when people, like, my full disclosure, my brother is gay. But people who are like, it's a choice, that only tells me that at some point for you struggled with liking dick. And that just means you probably are like, I never struggled with being indoctrinated by the gays.

I was like, girls, but like, I mean, fashion wise, I feel it. I, well, that's fine. That's better taste than I did. It could happen. It could happen by accident, you know? You never know. You might be looking at some dude and you're sitting there

and you're like, oh, this dude's kinda sexy. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The sexuality is a scam, for sure. And that kid ruined you for the rest of your life if you're not ready to understand. If you're not just ready to understand how the world is, you know what I mean? But also culturally, if there are people around you who very much are like, if you do that, you're out of the house, you're dead to me, like that can make you, it's terrifying.

I very much understand why someone would shun a part of themselves to like have the comfort. I mean, look, people stay in marriages that suck constantly because it's safe. Even if it hurts, it's safe. There is a difference, and this is only I had to learn, and you know, there is a difference between happiness and being content. You can be content, and comfortable in a miserable abusive situation, because it's all you know. But being happy is wholly different,

and the thing you learn is being happy the first time in a long time is horrifying, because it's so uncomfortable. But that's just life, man. I gotta be able to do it. I'm gonna give you a hug. I feel like you want to know fucking journey, bro. I wanna be like, dude.

Hell in the mutton. My life was a Right, that's what happens when you take a vacation to the land of Human's house That there was by the way according to their tourism board is great now. They're all about right They're all about this these days Yeah, this is a little tease for tale of the crypt from Athos. I guess at some point a little bit No, there's a particularly close relative that I lived with that apparently at some point thought about killing everybody and then themselves. Jesus Christ.

With the knife. I really need to get, I'm like, I'm gonna fly out there just like. It's all good, dude. We just want the mathis, we just want the mathis, zoo. I'm in, yeah, the math, yeah, the kid is a lot, my life is tumultuous, but it's great now. And I'm so happy, trust me, I'm not in a human zoo.

Well, kind of, yeah, but by choice, and that's okay. That is, yeah, all right. That's okay. It was as long as he says it's okay, yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. These people that were being put on display were being presented as savage beings, offering a stark contrast to European civilization and reinforcing notions of racial hierarchy. Again, something that was growing, getting more and more popular as the years went on. Unfortunately, we don't really know who the first person to create an ethnographic show

in the 18th century was. We just, it's not definitively known, but there are a few individuals who are often credited with being part of the process or pioneers of this type of entertainment. One of the most famous and early ethnological showmen was a man by the name of George Hunter, an English showman who is credited with bringing

the first group of Ota Heitens, now known as Tahitens, Tahitians, rather, to London in 1769. His show was a monumental success, and it helped to spark a growing interest in exotic cultures among the British public. And another early ethnological shaman was a man by the name of Charles Byrne, who started as an Irish giant side show who was exhibited in London and Dublin for over 20 years. Tom out. You mean like an Irish tall man? Correct. He was a man born in Ireland who was very tall.

It doesn't take much, dude. Like a really fat person would have been very like fascinating for people to look at. I just want to say shout out to the New York Fat Man's club. There you go. You had to be 200. It, look, go look up the photos. It's hilarious. It's like 200 pounds plus. This is a bunch of dudes all growing out. Yes. Yeah. Shout out to my large boys. We out here.

Machili Verde boys. And burn side show of being just an Irish giant was a huge success and also helped to popularize the idea of exhibiting people from different cultures as curiosities. And these are just two of many examples who helped to popularize all this stuff, but again, the first person to do it, it's kind of lost to history a little bit. As far as the mid 19th century saw, the metamorphosis of these ethnological shows turn into full-blown human zoos.

Carl Hagenbach, a German merchant of wild animals and later a showman played a seminal role in this transition from ethnological to zoo. How formal are we talking? Let's talk about it. Let's find out. Let's talk about it. He realized that the public's fascination

with exotic cultures could be monetized because capitalism makes everything better by displaying humans alongside animals. You know, bang for your buck. You get a, you get a person from Africa and you get to look at like a tiger, isn't that neat? I mean, it's much easier to do when you don't view people as people.

If I legitimately thought, yeah, if I legitimately thought that African people weren't humans, I could see that could be a good deal. His vision, his grand vision led to the procurement of individuals from ethnic groups such as new beings, inuits and Samoans, and their display in contrived natural, quote unquote, environments. But who is Carl Hagenbeck? Well, he was born in 1844, a young boy by the name of Carl Hagenbeck as born in Hamburg, Germany. His father is a fishmonger who runs a side business buying, showing and selling exotic animals. So when Carl is 14, his father gives him some seals and a polar bear like any 14 year old would get dude

How would you give that to a 14 year happy birthday son? Here's some seals what year was it? The polar bear what year was it though? 1840 so it's like he's like middle age basically then though we're 20 years away from the Civil War basically a little less This is like basically his 30th birthday. Yeah. yeah, for Carl, yeah, at this age, yeah, because I think he died when he was 69. Nice. I'm just here to entertain everybody. I'm entertained, I'm entertained.

Good, good. I'm not saying to change. I'm not saying to change. We here at Chaluminati love weird stuff, but not when it comes to sleep. I am an awful, notoriously awful sleeper. And when it's time to turn in for the night, we don't want any funny business, dude. That's why we're huge fans of Ghost Bed. Thank you to Ghost Bed for sponsoring today's episode.

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That's gosped.com and CoChill for 40% off site wide. Thank you again to GoSped for sponsoring today's episode. Why you're not saying to say it? Mathis. He didn't give that to Carl as a pet though. He wanted them to do what they're getting on the animal trade. Go make some money, do some stuff with these animals and he did. He quickly takes up the animal trade and his collection of animal grows until he

leaps on the polar bear show. Yeah, until his collection of animals grows until he needs large cages, large buildings to keep them in rather. And we're looking at, like to me, this is like Tiger King. Yeah, it's like, it's like DIY vibes. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Carl's passion, if you want to call it that, for animals,

leads him to travel the world, accompanying hunters and explorers on trips to jungle regions and snow-clad mountains. So at least he actually went out into the world. He genuinely enjoyed his work. He captures animals and nearly every continent that he would try and visit in the world. And his collection becomes one of the largest

in Europe at the time. And by 1865, Carl opens his first animal trading business. He quickly becomes one of the most successful animal dealers in Europe, supplying animals to zoos, circuses, and private collectors all over the world. And then he decided to upgrade to the most dangerous collection. Obviously, Carl was not content over time to simply trade in animals. He has a vision for a new kind of zoo, which is more natural and humane. Humanity.

In 1874, he is, yeah, Kumanzu. In 1874, he opens his first ethnographic show. The show features people from different cultures who are dressed in their traditional clothing and who perform dances and songs from their homeland. And of course, the show is a huge success and makes it just a bigger idea for him to jump on.

So crazy that the show doesn't just fall apart as immediately when you clap eyes on them and you just like empathize with them that they're just standing there on the other side of this thing, doing a show for you for hours and hours. The mental detachment to make these things, they were just genuinely not viewed as a human. It's just so insane. It's fucked up. It's fucked up. It's fucked up. Like what?

Like it's one thing, you know, well, I mean, look, it's one thing to be here on my island and I'm hearing about these people with like different color skin and it's hard for me to conceptualize what that is, you know what I mean? Right. And then it's, you know, you're just telling me like imaginary stuff, but then I see them and they are just clearly humans, you know what I mean? Like I just, it's so crazy to me that people would go to the zoo and be like, wow.

But again, we see sort of a more modern sort of cultural thing of, yeah, it's just a person. But at the time, you have to imagine the way they dressed and the way that like they stylized their body or their hair was or like the cultural things that made them different and unique were seen as like totally out there bizarre and saying it's just wild how fickle the tolerance was. You know what I mean? It's a little yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like even now like wearing a weird outfit is like not enough almost to like singly well, you know, I'm not gonna

get a good one. Yeah, that's true. It's just like, god damn, like, it's so chromagnon, it's so old. It is, absolutely. So embarrassing as a human. But I mean, like if you see a great example is, in like modern times, for most people,

if you see someone that has tattoos covering their face, it's a little jarring. People, a lot of people are just like, oh, they don't know what that means. They don't know is that a bad thing? What, what's this person trying to say? Yeah, it's instinctual. Yeah, it's like you're afraid of it

because it literally looks different so your body is like, Absolutely. Our brains are very wired to immediately take note of things that are different and almost like anxious state. The thing you have to do is you have to take practices, like recognize that feeling,

and then just think to yourself, it's just a deal with the tattoo, it's fine, and like just move on with your day, and you have to be like, whatever, okay. Yeah, it's just wild to me that that was like, where these guys as an entire civilization for hundreds of years just failed completely. It was this zoo, this the ethnographic show in 1874 that he puts on that really kind

of explodes the human zoo movement from this point. And in 1907, just about 20 years later, 30 years later, Carl opens his most famous zoo, the Tier Park Hogan Beck. The zoo is designed to be a more natural environment for the animals. The enclosures are open and unbarned, which is, I, God, that would be so scary to go and just like a viewer with like lions on the other side with no protection whatsoever.

And the animals were allowed to roam entirely freely throughout the zoo. Like that was just, how it went, it was fine. And surprise, surprise, the zoo was a massive success. And it's considered to be the first quote-unquote modern zoo that would then kind of take shape a little bit more as the years went on. His life was a lifelong pursuit of his passion for animals. He was a pioneer in the field of animal husbandry and zoo design, and he did help raise awareness of different cultures. It's terribly as he did it. He was also

a controversial figure, obviously, for the shows that he put on, often criticized for being exploitative and dehumanizing. However, he is also credited with helping to popularize the idea of animal rights. So again, a muddy figure in the world, it would be good if he wanted, you know, human rights as well. Are we talking like vertical bars with like concrete slab on the top and bottom at this point? Yeah, sort of. Not quite, we're real close though. He's more like putting on shows at this point. Yeah, because the animals are roaming free at this point still. No bars quite. It's just like a weird little yard of weirdness. Yeah, exactly. Like a petting zoo. Tinda. Yeah. Oh, a dangerous, gross petting zoo. I have to imagine that like,

they would mess with the animals too. Like, I imagine that like, if it was a lion, they'd yank out to, or they'd eat claw. Like, I'm sure it was brutal. I don't think it was like and then everyone was happy The Lions of the Boots were best friends. I don't think any of that happened. No, no, that did not happen Sadly in April 14th 1913 in Hamburg, Germany, Germany, Germany Carl died at the age of 68 years old. I misremembered by nice No, it was nice, but you know, nice. You could just one more year, dude, hold me. One of the most, one of the earliest and most notorious victims of the practice of kidnapping

and displaying for these ethnological shows was somebody by the name of a Sarji Bartman, better known as Hot and Top Venus, which is the nickname. What? What? The nickname they gave her, Hot and Top Venus. Code name Venus, real name Bartman. Uh, Bartman, a co, uh, Koi Koi woman from South Africa

was kidnapped and exhibited in London, Paris in the early 19th century for one really specific reason. She had a big ass. Yeah, she was hot and taught. No, we get it. Yeah, we get it. Yeah, no, in that scene,

I understand why the name that they chose for her. I mean, I don't understand it, but I get it. They put her on display, do largely to her quote unquote large buttocks. Oh my God. A characteristic feature they saw in her ethnic group. Dude, so dumb. They just like sitting in the corner. She kicked up. Want to put her on display? Oh, yeah. Five dollars. Throw her out there. That's what they were doing. That is so like, it's funny because it's, it's like you couldn't have Instagram or something like that to in this time period, right? Like you couldn't do that. But this is that it's just so like an analogy version that it's like disgusting. Like there's no like occlusion of like technology

and windows and pictures. You're just directly capitalizing by asking people money to go see somebody's ass. That's so fucking crazy. Yeah. And they touted her. They touted her as a scientific curiosity. Meanwhile, she's being exploited, objectified,

and completely stripped of her dignity. Just like treated like an AIDS fucking horrifying. The concept of human zoos reached its appalling zenith at the 1889 Paris Exposition universe cell under the shadow of the now newly erected Eiffel Tower, a spectacle unfolded that left an indelible mark on the annals of history. It's estimated that 32 million people visited this show in 1889 to give you an idea.

Alongside technological marvels and architectural wonders, the Expo showcased a quote and quote human zoo that housed 400 indigenous people taken from Africa, 400, but in a village that they built that is like I said, a diorama of what it was, of what they lived in. It's literally Colonial Williamsburg, but like with slaves. Correct. Yeah. It is, it is truly bizarre that the act is disgusting. The creation of it is disgusting. The idea behind it is disgusting but at the time this probably educated more people. Not correctly. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, like, but for the first time ever, people experience something outside their own culture and it probably blew their minds.

And yeah, I don't, I mean, like, it's dark. It is truly messed up. The idea of white and European civilization being superior is just like baked fucking in the core of the shit. It's so big. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like it is. It's nuts.

It is one of those things where it is so messed up and truly tragic. And at the same time, it is something that's happened throughout history. Like it isn't just like a 16th, 17th, 18th century European thing or American thing or whatever. Human trafficking happening now.

Yeah, but I mean, like it happened, ancient Rome, it happened in the parts of the far east. It happened, even in Africa, it happened everywhere. It happened in the Middle East. It happened everywhere. Were this kind of thing, if you saw someone as less than you when they were a curiosity, like round them up and like, hey, look at these weirdos.

And it's just such a bizarre human condition thing. We wanna learn from you, but not like, learn, learn. We just wanna watch you for a while. And the same as making a movie that's about it being like a racist, like doing like a black movie, it's still kind of crass in the same way. It's just baked into our society now so much further that it's like, we don't even think about it, but it's like, there's normal movies,

and then there's like weird black movies that are interesting because they're different. You know what I mean? Like black exploitation app. That's 60, 70s, 80s. It's, I'm just saying like in general, like, that's just one example of like a million different things like that like There's like a restaurant and then there's a Mexican restaurant You know what I mean like like it's all this this idea, but just this version is like Somebody was like the rawest the most somebody was like I want to know about other civilizations and then they were like I'm getting it. I put it together. I make you can see it. You know, like, do your dance, do your dance.

But also ridiculous. Like all the things that you guys just talked about, really, the big like pool, the mask back villain of who is responsible is just, you know, dollar dollar bill, y'all. It's all agreed and money and it is. That's truly at the end of the day, I don't think anyone who did any of this really even cared about the people or the culture. What they did, they were just like, oh my God. They did, this was not how they would, this is not how it would have went down if anybody

gave a thought. Yeah, you don't get to care about somebody you kidnapped. They would have wrote the name down of the guy from the one tribe. Yeah, people saw that the public was interested and they're like, oh, I can make a buck on this. And that's literally it. It isn't about like cultural exchange, I'm going to teach you about the, no one gave a shit. It was about making, it's always been that way.

It's always been about making money or, you know, go back far enough, it was always about like making seashells. It's like whatever the hell people could do, they do it. It's commoditizing, you're commoditizing something that shouldn't be, it's like, I don't know, I mean, I don't know about it. I mean, it shouldn't or what, it's just like, you're commoditizing something that is like morally wrong. It's kind of weird.

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, you think of a car while at age of 14 was getting introduced to capitalism via trading of live animals. Like, that was just like his whole life from childhood on. That's all he ever knew. And so he had the foundation to that like, well, I mean, like, is no different than trade or sheep.

You know what I mean? Like it's already baked in how to buy and sell. And so he's like, if I can do that, but with people, I make a fortune. That's literally. Yeah. And visitors from all over the world are expected to attend this exposition universal. And the city is gearing up from major event

like this is a huge deal. The exposition is being held on Shumpdoma, a large field near the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower with had just been built for the exposition. And it was now at the time the tallest structure in the world. I was a huge draw. The exposition is a showcase or, wow, there was a showcase for the latest science, technology, and industry.

There are exhibits on everything from electricity to transportation, visitors can see the latest automobiles, trains, steenships. They can also learn about new inventions, such as the telephone and the typewriter. The exposition is also a celebration of art and culture. Exhibits on paintings, sculptures and architecture. They see works by famous artists such as Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin. Rodin?

Rodin, Rodin. Rodin. They can also see examples of new architectural styles such as art nu-e-v-u. New-e-v-u. New-e-v-u. Art nu-e-v-u. New-e-v-u.

New-e-v-u. New-e-v-u. The exposition was a major success. As we said around 32 million people attended it making it one of the most popular world's fairs ever held exhibition is was a showcase in the progress that France has made in the years since the French Revolution. And it is a also a major tourist attraction that helps to promote France as a leading nation. So It's just the France's way of saying, look how big my dick is. It's a world's fair.

It people have the look of it. The look of it still permeates French culture. The French world, like the Eiffel Tower is like, still central to the like national image of France. It's crazy. And it's from this moment, we're gonna use this as our jump, or a jumping pointer bridge to America. Cause one

of the individuals that was being displayed here at the exposition was a man by the name of Ota Benga, a Congolese man who was later exhibited at the infamous Bronx Zoo in New York City in 1906. There was just at the Bronx Zoo. There was a dude. Yep. Good. Ota Benga. That's the thing that's so weird. It's like, it's such a great way to educate somebody about something from an empirical

perspective of like, there is lions, right? Like, there is a new piece of technology and it looks like this. Here it is, right? But something like a person, something cultural, something like that. It's so weird to to try and explain it couch. It's like the opposite of going to another country. You know what I mean? It's like you're reinforcing the fact that you have control over like the image of these other people. It's wild. Ota Benga was a, I'll do my best. Ota Pbuti pig me man who was born in the itterie forest. It was now the democratic Republic of the Congo.

He was captured by slave traders in 1904, taken and taken back to the United States. I'm sorry, what year was this? 1904. 19? Cool, so cool, so cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx.

So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a dude on display in the Bronx. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So cool. So less than 150 years ago, there was a a brutal attempt to emphasize his supposed quote-unquote simmian features and perpetuate the notion of racial inferiority. Now we're at the point we're just put in dude in a cage with an orangutan and just being like look at it's straight up bio shock shit. It's like environmental storytelling about look how racist the society is. Right, right, right, but like let's take a moment and just focus on two things here. One, 19.

So this is post-civil war. Correct. Two, this is New York in the supposed enlightened North. So just like let those two points sink in. Yep. Oh, yeah, no, no. This is like not that long ago. People, yeah, it's crazy.

This is great grandma territory. This is maybe great, great grandma territory. Yeah. Yeah. Depending on how old you are. Yeah, my great grandmother was, well, she was born a few years later. Yeah, same, my wife was born in 1911. Yeah, so he was put in a cage displayed with an orangutan and then he was forced to perform tricks

for the amusement of the public when he was put out to display. He was also exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. So you know, it was making the rounds. Dude. Did he at least have like a house? No, he was kept like a goddamn slave, basically. Seriously? In the 19th and in the 20th century? He, yeah, man, is, well, yeah. It's not a good time.

They tried at the end to like integrate him into society and guess that didn't really go well, but you'll see. You don't, you don't say. Yeah, no shit. In 1906, OtaBenga was taken to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was placed in the care of Reverend James E. Gordon, the pastor of the first Presbyterian church. Gordon's hope was to educate OtaBenga and then help him to adjust to life in America, which I can't tell if it's like a, he's trying to do something good. Like he basically was like placed under the cares,

what it like they were feeling kind of given to him. And he's like, I guess trying to help him adjust to the world he lives in now, but it's kind of just too much of a, it's too, it's too different. You can't just pull this man out of the jungles and say, welcome to Lynchburg, Virginia, but you're all love it here. Odebenga attended school and did eventually learn to speak English and he went on to become a member of the church, but he wasn't happy in Lynchburg at all. He was

me, he missed his poem and he missed his people and he felt incredibly isolated and of course he was heavily discriminated against. He was literally the only one of him in an entire country. Yep. In a massive, like in all of North America, I can imagine the low point of the idea. You're trying to take my job. They're trying to take our job. Yeah, side show jobs, I guess. I don't really know. There's nothing being taken. Regardless, Odebingo is massively depressed,

deserved to go home, couldn't get home. Nobody would bring him home. And eventually in 1916, Odebingo decided to commit suicide and took his own life by shooting himself in there. Dude. It's just like, that's the reality of what you do to these people. You can't just integrate them into society

and be like, now you're American. No, that's just not how it works. I mean, it's a human being with human emotions and human feelings. Well, they probably shouldn't have kept them in a zoo for, you know. He's kind of the spark where the story of US human zoos I'm kind of gonna start. We know that he's kind of the spark where the story of US human zoos I'm kind of going

to start. We know that America's favorite preferred narrative of American history is filled with triumphant tales of innovation, progress. There exist chapters too, though, that obviously give us pause, which is what we're coming face to face with the ghost of human zoos. One such chapter on this human zoo history in the land of the free, the seeds of disconcerting spectacle were so not in the realm of zoological gardens, but on the stage of minsterle, minsterless, at least minsterly, minsterly, minsterles, minsterles, minsterles, the wildly popular night. Yeah, yeah. The wildly popular 19th century entertainment from the caricatured African American people for the amusement of

white audiences. The stage mocking the most vulnerable laid the foundation for a spectacle that would twist the American dream into a nightmare for some of its most unwilling participants. This is the like a blackface painted lip kind of like song and dance in the air. Yeah, yeah. At the, as a century turned, the notion of performing otherness morphed into a more disturbing spectacle. At the in 1893, World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, a momentous event that symbolized

America's ascendancy on the global stage, a curious display stood alongside the technological marvels and architectural wonders. The exposition housed a Dahomey village, an exhibit featuring individuals from present day, Benin, and Africa. Here, attendees could observe the primitive customs and lifestyles of the Dahomean people, a spectacle eerily reminiscent of the human zoo's burgeoning across Europe at the time.

So fucked. So even in the 1800s, we were doing it, we were right behind. You know, slavery didn't work out. Human zoo's might give us a little bit more time. So fucked. So even in the 1800s we were doing it, we were right right behind, you know, slavery didn't work out. Human zoos? Might as well give it a shot, see if it'll work. It was a few years later that the specter of human zoos would emerge in its most grotesque form. The year would be 1906 in the place New York's Bronx Zoo, a landmark of American zoological achievement. yet within the confines of the monkey house, an appalling spectacle unfolded.

One O Tabenga, as we spoke, the young man from the Congo, where he was being displayed with the orangutan. He had arrived in the US as part of an exhibition from the world's 1904 World's Fair in Saint Louis and was curated by Samuel P. Werner, as we covered. Following the fair, while the others returned to Congo, they kept a banga. They literally brought everybody back to the Congo except for Banga. And then that's how we got to the Bronx Zoo with Werner. The Zoo Director William Horn today saw on Banga an opportunity to attract larger crowds, deciding to put the young man on display as an exemplar of the lower quote-unquote stage of evolution.

Yeah, no, that sucks to hear, right? Again, it's so, it's so disheartening to know that during this time there were people who, you mentioned for them earlier, but even Darwin, just the idea of evolution and science coming forward and being like, look at this amazing process in life and how things like, look, I think a lot of those islands and all these creatures that exist only there, like that kind of stuff. And then someone coming along and being like,

weird how that relates to society and humans and how we're just far superior. Like, I hate when science is warped like that and makes me so angry, but like whatever, I'll just, let's continue. Yep. It's the worst. The exhibition of Oda Banga did spark controversy. Again, we are post-slavery United States. Like, this is, this is what's happening. African American community leaders led by Reverend James H. Gordon launched a series of protests, rightfully deeming the exhibit as a horrific affront to human dignity. This led to Banga being released from the zoo and that's how Gordon

got his care. So he was the one fighting for his freedom, then that's how the Reverend kind of took him in. That's when Banga moved in to move to go live in Virginia. He actually got employed at a tobacco factory and it was even planning a return to the Congo at some point. He was trying to get home, but then the outbreak of World War I happened, which that all of his hopes as passenger ship travel was completely halted. Can't believe this was happening at that same time as that. There's also like a little bit of like American, I don't want to call it tradition, but there's something about this that still is around today.

Like a great example, just in the modern ethos, when people say, hey, if you don't want to have a kid, don't get an abortion, instead have that kid and then like, you know, give it up or something. There's a weird thing that we have where we will fight for something to the point of then having to care about it after we've succeeded. You know what I mean? Like, for this guy, he's got to be free. We got to help him.

He's free. All right, cool. And then it's at that point, it's someone else's problem. And I feel like that's like an American thing we do. Well, the guy who is fighting for his freedom is the one who took him in. That's what I'm saying. Like, it's the idea of,

he rallied people rallied behind this cause. And then once it was done, it isn't like, all right, well, what do we do about helping this dude? Like, what do we, he's clearly going through stuff. He killed himself. He's clearly having issues. No, no, no, no.

And the same thing with like a small child. Like, we got to fight to give this kid a chance, He's clearly having issues, no, no, no, no. And the same thing with a small child. We got to fight to give this kid a chance, but once the kid is born, I don't care anymore. Like he's ill, be ill, be fine. And it's this weird thing, and I don't know if it's in the world, but it's very American. Will we like, are passionate to a point?

You know, like to a point. He's a polandus going through an abortion thing as well. It's this idea that you care about something so much that you're forced to care about it, but you don't actually care about it because again, once the baby is born, then you must before free healthcare for children and discounts in schools are free schooling, but no, you're not against any. You want to make all that stuff even worse. So why even let people have you just making a stupid workforce is what you're producing.

I mean environment, oh, like it's just like anything. It's a very, and I don't want to put it on the world because I only live in America, but I'll say I'll let you write some comments or whatever out there or on Reddit or on YouTube or whatever, but just saying like, yeah, it's always disappointing when people like you see, they've fought for this guy. And then publicly kind of like whatever happens to him, I'm like, we did our job. It's so. It's the thing you always do. The cognitive dissonance, the separation, it always happens because you start to, you start to, it starts to become about you instead of about them

period. Yeah. At the end of the day, you probably tell yourself you did the right thing. They made me feel good, but the work, the work, yeah, it's literally, but the real work is only just starting if you want to get them whole. Right. Right. You can't just, yeah, yeah, people, but yeah, the cognitive, it becomes something that's

attached to and there's a single goal they need to achieve. It's easy to swallow, it's easy to rationalize, and it's binary. You succeed or you don't. And if you don't, if you succeed, you don't think about all the parts after that. You're done. You got the happy chemicals, they hit your brain, you did a good thing in your mind, you can go to bed, you know, saying a word to God tonight. It's fairy tale mentality of, and they lived happily ever after.

What was that? We don't give a damn. They just got together and lived happily ever after. But that's it. Pocahontas and John Smith. They just got together and lived happily ever after. But that's it. Pocahontas and John Smith got their happy ending. And what was that ending? We don't care because it was happy. Now the ending is put a bullet in his head about 10 years later. So, you know, Jesus. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, human zoos proliferated across Europe and North America.

They became massively lucrative businesses with exhibitors like Hogan Beck making their fortunes out of the public's fascination with otherness. Native people were uprooted from their homelands under false pretenses, often lured with promises of wealth and transported to foreign lands to be displayed like animals. They just tell them like, we're going to make you rich. You're going to be rich. You know, you come home laden with, you know, riches and then they were thrown into cage. Dude, whoa, time out. Uh, I don't know, just go research Dubai real quick.

Oh yeah. Just go research all the construction projects that were for FIFA. Dude, 100% all those people that come work for us and then you saw the conditions. Promising so much shit They're living in a concentration like that. It's a lot a shit and I'll tell and they know when comes to clean It's just it's horrifying. There's a there's a couple there's a couple like really really big articles about that It's so insane. Yeah. Oh, yeah, it's it's horrifying educate yourself for sure Another person that was taken was a woman by the name of Maria Bartola, an Aztec woman exhibited by who else?

American showman P.T. Barnum. Oh, yeah. Marketed as the Aztec Lilipushin, Lilipushin, the Aztec Lilipushin, Bartola's short stature and non-European features were presented as exotic attractions. Her life in the limelight was one of constant scrutiny, bereft of privacy and respect. When the legacy of human zoos in America is a haunting one, on one hand they fed into the worst prejudices of the time, reinforcing racial stereotypes, justifying colonialism, and eroding the very values that America pretended to seek to uphold.

And on the other, they sparked discussions about human rights and dignity that marked the beginning of a slow but necessary crawl toward change in public consciousness. The response to Oda Bengus exhibition led by African-American leaders was a crucial juncture in this shift. They challenged the Hd humanization, questioned the pseudoscience backing it, and fought for Bangus freedom. This resistant set the stage for a broader recognition of racial equality in the decades to follow. And by the mid-20th century, the unsettling reality of human zoos began to seep into public consciousness. Intellectuals and activists increasingly denounced them as a porant and inhumane. The final disconcerting episode unfolded in 1958! intellectuals and activists increasingly denounced them as a porant and inhumane.

The final disconcerting episode unfolded in 1958. Jesus fucking cringes. 1958. I had so much family alive during that time. My mom was alive. Yeah, my parents as well. It's just like a real quick kind of like reminder to- This was in Belgium, by

the way, is in Brussels, not US, but still. Yeah, but just like a real quick reminder when people think like how, how can people think such horrible things? This, you know, people who were yelling at young black girls trying to like integrate into schools are still alive. Like just, you know, think about that real quick and just like soak it up and that's just some of those people are still in government. It's just crazy that Belgium's been around, Belgium's been around so much longer like that area like it's been settled and civilized. You think it is, but it's still not that far behind us and people who like how are people still race with brother turn around and the history is right there down one block. Like it's not far. Uh, yeah, the final disconserting episode of all this was in 1958 at the world's fair

and Brussels. Here, Belgium attempted to demonstrate its benevolent colonization of Congo by displaying Congolese men, women and children behind fences. The public was outraged at this. And along with the Congolese people's revolt against their treatment, signal the beginning of the end of human zoos. Good for you, Belgium. Good for you. Took all the way to 1958. It took to 1958, but hey, it fucking happened, at least. God,

damn. That's time to plan a tree was yesterday. Best time is now, you know, even as the era of human zoos came to a close, they left a ha, obviously harrowing legacy in their wake. They had normalized the dehumanization of non-European cultures, fueled racial prejudices, and etched deep scars in the collective psyche of the victims. Yet, they also sparked conversations about the equality and human dignity that these people deserved, providing impetus for the civil rights movements that swept across the globe in the subsequent decades. And today, as we look back at this dark chapter of a human history, it serves as a grim reminder of the extent to which curiosity can be corrupted in the name of

simple human spirit. This is truly, I mean, like, followed by capitalism, of course, but it all starts with curiosity. It underscores the importance of recognizing and cherishing our shared humanity beyond the superficial differences of race and culture. Something that is just so important today, so much more important, not than that back then, but just so more important than people realize. Yet the story of human zoos is also a testament to our capacity for change. As we stand on the shoulders of those who fought against such injustices, we carry forward their legacy and our continued struggle for equality people. Fight the fight like they fought. Watch and all. Listen to the last episode

that's got a message. All right. This is the inspiration where I got this from. Okay. I don't blame you. I was there too. I was there too. I'm ready to I'm ready to shut down human zoos. Dude, it's just a constant and stark reminder that we must always strive to ensure that these atrocities remain firmly in the past as modern day sensibilities are seeing old time hatred starting to creep the fuck in to public discourse. And that's something I think that more than just the crazy nonsense of the human zoos, we should be walking away with that thought. The story of human zoos haunting narrative replete with elements of curiosity, ignorance, exploitation and difference, but it's not a narrative that people need to shire away from. The dark

history of us is more than just serial killers and MK Ultra Style programs. It is literally human curiosity twisted to the evils of making a dollar. And killing and destroying hundreds or likely thousands of people's lives in the process over the course of almost a hundred years. They had somebody on display for like a hundred, like a part of was like on display for like a hundred and seventy, like I'll rather up to 1975. Somebody didn't get to be freed until 1975 was another. 1975?

It's nuts. It's crazy man, yes. It's crazy. Oh, holy shit. It's nuts. Yeah, I know, it sucks.. Oh, holy shit. It's nuts. Yeah, I know. It sucks, but this is true. This happened in America and our biggest zoos in our natural history museum.

I'm not that surprised, but it happened in America, to be honest with you. No, but it happened not, you know, all over the world. And this is something that I think a lot of people know of, and I'm glad I got to educate just a little bit for some of you out there today of this poignant reminder of our ability to hopefully Hopefully learned from our mistakes Shish and that's the end of human zoos ladies and gentlemen a horrible history of human zoos That's been like weirdly in the works for months as an on and off interest of mine Human zoos That's been like weirdly in the works for months as an on and off interest of mine. Humansus.

Humansus. I kind of, I wish there was a human zoo, a human zoo that we could talk about instead. Probably a lot more fun and a lot more like. According to the department tourism. Yeah. According to the department tourism. Nowadays, nowadays it is great there. Nowadays it is.

That's it for us guys. I just want to say, hey, if you're listening to us on Spotify, drop us a comment, answer the poll. You should have a fun poll, Q&A or something for you guys down there. It's all part of the machine algorithm now. I'm part of Spotify and it's a huge part of our discovery on the Q&A thing and stuff on there now. It's fantastic. It's great. Yeah, it's great. The comment section and the poll you can put up for every episode is fantastic. Yeah, and it just, you know, and the poll you can put up for every episode is fantastic. And it just drives the machine to suggest our show to other people.

You made us one of the top 300 podcasts on Spotify. What do you sell for? What are you talking about? What? Like, what the heck? We are one of the top 300 podcasts on Spotify, isn't that insane? Yeah. I'm worried about podcasts.

I think that, I don't know what's going on. No, we just do our due diligence, all right? We work really hard. We just want to know those are really hard. A little, let down by them honestly. We're off to do a mini-sode. We're going to be doing updates on the UAP situation as well as a few other things. You can support us directly over at patreon.com slash chuluminati pod.

Like us, leave review as five stars, wherever you're at. It also helps on all those other platforms that you listen to. And we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Hey, oh yeah. Bye. Goodbye. Anyway, me and my wife were sitting outside

indulging on our porch one night and enjoying ourselves. I needed to go to the bathroom, so I stepped back inside and after a few moments, I hear my wife go, holy shit get out here! So I quickly dashed back outside and she's looking up the sky and fall. I look up to her and there's a perfect line of dozen lights traveling across the sky. 1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1-1.5-1.5-1-1.5-1-1.5- Thank you.