There are some seriously gross parts of history, aren’t there?
I’m glad you included that last paragraph, as the whole piece reminded me of a famous ‘human zoo’ I read about that was in Belgium. It seems that these were very much part of a larger culture of majority-white ‘Christian’ countries, who were still exploiting their colonies at this time. I think it was also a form of continuing slavery (I doubt those poor folks on display would have had much pay, or many options to quit!).
Reinforces my determination to view with severe scepticism most any current or future public display of 'progress' however measured. Celebrated world's fairs today might make one cringe tomorrow...
Just when you think US history can't get more horrifying, Mr. Pappas shows you another example of American Jingoism and Racism. It's only by fully knowing our past can we ever hope to move away from dangerous ideologies and destructive behaviors.
The Human Zoo of 1904
There are some seriously gross parts of history, aren’t there?
I’m glad you included that last paragraph, as the whole piece reminded me of a famous ‘human zoo’ I read about that was in Belgium. It seems that these were very much part of a larger culture of majority-white ‘Christian’ countries, who were still exploiting their colonies at this time. I think it was also a form of continuing slavery (I doubt those poor folks on display would have had much pay, or many options to quit!).
Reinforces my determination to view with severe scepticism most any current or future public display of 'progress' however measured. Celebrated world's fairs today might make one cringe tomorrow...
Wow. Just wow. Thank you.
Cringeworthy history is still history, and I'm glad you're sharing it here.
Yikes! Thanks for sharing that. How disgusting. But important to remember.
You should forward this post to DeSantis. When he finally chases Disney out of Florida he can turn Epcot into a human zoo.
Oh, god. But back to the human zoo. The "animals" probably learned skills that benefited them, right.
Just when you think US history can't get more horrifying, Mr. Pappas shows you another example of American Jingoism and Racism. It's only by fully knowing our past can we ever hope to move away from dangerous ideologies and destructive behaviors.
The subhead says it all. If I told this story as fiction, no one would believe it. “Civilized” doesn’t mean humane.