How TIKHistory misleads you with sources

TIK History is a military history Youtuber. His videos extensive use of sources, cited even down to the page number, has gained him a reputation for reliability, accuracy, and good research practices. But TIK’s videos on a number of topics repeatedly suffer from biased sources, incorrect sources, and misrepresented sources. This video shows you how …

Miniminuteman is wrong about pyramids & slavery

The Miniminuteman channel is a great resource for learning about history and archaeology. However, I think Miniminuteman is wrong about pyramids and slavery. Specifcally, I think he’s wrong to say “The Great Pyramid was built by like craftsmen and laborers. It was not an enslaved force”, and this video explains why. Media credits Primary source …

The Negro Sailor | US Navy propaganda

In 1945 a remarkable film was produced, the result of an unusual combination of interests. The United States Navy, black rights advocates, social scientists, and the Hollywood movie community, all contributed to a curious work of propaganda entitled “The Negro Sailor”. This video describes the film and its purpose. Administration, United States National Archives and …

Don’t trust NewScientist magazine

NewScientist is a popular science magazine which indulges in some very bad journalism. This may be due to the fact that the company often hires freelance writers who are encouraged to narrativize their articles and use an eye-catching title. They do not require freelancers to have any particular qualifications in the subjects on which they …

The myth of witches’ hallucinogens

It is commonly believed that Early Modern women accused of being witches, made ointments from local plants containing powerful psychoactive agents, which caused hallucinations of flight and other supernatural events. These videos examine the history of the hallucinogenic flying ointment narrative, and present evidence discrediting the myth of witches’ hallucinogens. Ahmed, Shokhan Rasool. “Witches Which …

The Kavernacle is wrong about cyberpunk & Blade Runner 1982

Youtuber The Kavernacle has made three separate videos about the history of cyberpunk as a genre, and about the 1982 movie Blade Runner. In all three videos he makes serious errors about both subjects. These videos explain why The Kavernacle is wrong about cyberpunk and Blade Runner 1982. Abohela, Islam. “Future City in Science Fiction …

The Kavernacle is bad at history

Youtuber The Kavernacle mainly makes social commentary, media analysis, and political videos. Occasionally he comments on history, and often makes mistakes. This video demonstrates The Kavernacle is bad at history. See here for a written form of the arguments in the video, and here to see how The Kavernacle misunderstands cyberpunk. Addlakha, Renu. “Discursive and …

An anarchist perspective on Puerto Rico

This video is a conversation providing an anarchist perspective on Puerto Rico and the history of the Puerto Rico independence movement, with a Puerto Rican anarchist. Note this is a casual unscripted conversation intended as a contribution to a broader discussion, without the depth of research typical of my usual videos. However, my views have …

How to research & assess scholarly literature

By the time someone is in college, they should have already been taught basic information literacy to the extent that they can write a properly researched essay using reliable formal sources. This video explains how to research & assess scholarly literature. Amrhein, Valentin, David Trafimow, and Sander Greenland. “Inferential Statistics as Descriptive Statistics: There Is …