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Prof who gave advice on toppling obelisks now wants show ‘Ancient Aliens’ canned

The professor who recently showed protesters how to pull down obelisks during this current statue-toppling craze is now demanding the show “Ancient Aliens” be taken off the air.

The popular History Channel offering, according to its website, “explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years.”

“From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US,” the description continues, “each episode […] gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age old debate. Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago?”

No doubt it’s the part about Egypt that ticks off University of Alabama at Birmingham archaeology Professor Sarah Parcak (at left).

In a series of tweets on Friday, Parcak called the program “one of the most racist shows on TV” and said it needs to be “cancelled permanently.”

“It’s an entire show that exists to discredit the extraordinary artistic and architectural accomplishments of past and current peoples,” Parcak tweeted.

In other words, any conjecture that wondrous monuments like the Egyptian pyramids and Easter Island statues were constructed either by, or with the guidance of, extraterrestrial beings, is a racist endeavor because people of color actually built them. (Just nobody mention Stonehenge since it’s in England.)

If the History Channel (and other outlets) persist in this practice, Parcak will do her best to “cancel” you:

The professor has plenty of supporters and detractors in the thread. But the question is … should a college professor be using her position to eliminate a piece of entertainment which uses a highly popular topic — aliens and extraterrestrial civilizations — to make engaging speculations?

“Ancient Aliens” is but the latest offering of a long-lasting genre. The German book “Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past” arguably kick-started the current fascination back in 1968. A character in the 1982 horror classic The Thing mentions this book as the film’s cast considers the origins of a creature they’ve discovered:

Professor Parcak would do well to heed the words of one William Shatner, who, in a hilarious “Saturday Night Live” sketch in 1986, gave an important piece of advice to (ironically, considering the topic) “Star Trek” fans:

By the way: Shatner prefaced his words with “Get a life, will you?”

MORE: Archaeology prof posts detailed instructions on how to topple obelisks

IMAGES: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock.com, Twitter screencap, YouTube screencaps

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.