From David Klinghoffer at ENST:
“Human Zoos tells the shocking story of how thousands of indigenous peoples were put on public display in America in the early decades of the twentieth century. Often touted as “missing links” between man and apes, these native peoples were harassed, demeaned, and jeered at.
Their public display was arranged with the enthusiastic support of the most elite members of the scientific community, and it was promoted uncritically by America’s leading newspapers. This award-winning documentary explores the heartbreaking story of what happened, shows how African-American ministers and other people of faith tried to push back, and reveals how some people today are still drawing on Social Darwinism in order to dehumanize others. The film also explores the tragic story of eugenics in America, the effort to breed humans beings based on Darwinian principles.
Congratulations to Discovery Institute colleagues John West and Rachel Adams for their outstanding work on Human Zoos, which has already accumulated a range of awards and recognitions including: “Best in Show” (Cinema Worldfest Award), “Best Editing” (Oregon Documentary Film Festival), and “Awards of Excellence” (Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards, Impact DOCS Awards).” More.
It’s getting to the point where whatever is supported by the “most elite members of the scientific community” is a good bet to be a disaster for the other neighbourhoods.
In my own background (O’Leary for News), Darwinism was the chief argument for racism. There were other arguments but they were not nearly as important because none had the status of a theory in science.
See also: From the Edge: Another reason not to like evolutionary psychology – support for Chinese eugenics