Topic: Superstition

A story from Professor Jiang's Substack describes a widow who succeeds by pretending to be a doctor, illustrating Frank's contempt for the "simplicity" of the world. Carlwood suggests that modern elites may exploit similar superstitions, allowing dark rumors like "adrenochrome" to circulate because it makes them appear as undefeatable, supernatural figures. Jiang clarifies that Frank's goal was not to help the world but to take advantage of its perceived stupidity and corruption.

The discussion centers on the Enlightenment as a period where European thinkers rebranded the past as "superstition" to justify scientific materialism. Citing thinker Bruno Latour, White argues that the concept of "modernity" was a moral justification for imperial expansion into cultures deemed "lesser." This framework continues to influence how modern disciplines like archaeology and anthropology interpret non-European life ways.

The conversation turns to ubiquitous legends of red-haired, cannibalistic giants among tribes like the Apache, Navajo, and Hopi. Daniel recounts the specific Pima legend of "Hauk," a violent giantess born in the desert who was eventually lured into a cave and killed by the tribe to stop her predations.