Thursday, June 01, 2006

Our ancestors - idiots

I'm watching this show on Discovery: The Rise of Man
The Rise of Man From Homo Erectus, the first species to demonstrate signs of humanization, to Homo Sapien, follow the path of our direct ancestors as they migrate across the planet. Through socialization and technological advances, the Homo Sapien thrives.
It's an okay show. I'm sure they're grossly simplyfying for idiots like me. Then I see a sequence that offends me.

A small plucky band of Sapiens wanders into Europe. Discovers .. ice - a whole field of it. Then they find out it's cold and it burns their bare tootsies. Much capering about and gibbering. One older fellow plops down and cuts up a fur and binds it around his feet. One dude hops to and fro stabbing with his spear, at the ground. Much excitment and yelping.

Twenty feet from the edge of the ice. No doubt these fellows went on to settle Ireland.

But no, I kid. These guys were no different than you or I - why go to such pains to show us 'what happened' and then blow it all by having the actors demonstrate that 'primitive' equals 'acts like they've got half a brain between them'.

Unless, you know, the producers have a thing againtst the Irish.
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