Why archeologists hate Indiana Jones

The fashion police can be such nazis

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“Jones! Your grant has been cut by the board!”
“Damn those Nazi bastards!”

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Hitler’s willing archeologists

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True. Hollywood gets everything related computers wrong, their swordfighting is often terrible, and I suspect the same is true for practically every profession. Is there anyone in the medical profession here who can comment on Grey’s Anatomy or House? Anyone in the car-jacking business who can discuss the accuracy of Gone In 60 Seconds?

Archaeologists are not alone.

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A bunch of doctors did review House episodes over at polite dissent.

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Yep; “Flashdance” was totally ruined for my dad just because he didn’t like the way Jennifer Beals was trying to fake her way through the welding in the opening.

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“America” was ruined for me because of the dumb linguist at the start. Instead of showing any interest in the culture or language of the the people he had discovered, he just seemed obsessed with stealing their gold and making them into slaves and also converts, without seeing any irony in that. Then this whole dumb white guy trope keeps going for centuries after it stops being funny, and you get scientists who do the most ridiculous and unethical stuff that wouldn’t pass any reasonable board approval. Another example: hunters are often proud of their conservation efforts, so it’s sad to see them lazily depicted as a hackneyed stereotype so often, where they just destroy whole habitats without caring about consequences or even making much use of the remains. While there are many good moments, the whole thing just strains your credibility to the point where you can’t take any of it seriously. It’s not even just “America”, there’s a whole bunch of these kinds of ridiculous stories out there that people seem to just accept without question. I guess it’s just escapism/suspended disbelief or something. The whole genre seems odd and I’m not sure why we should feel sympathy for many of the main heroes.

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As an epileptic, I can tell you I was seriously pissed when I watched a movie where a person had some full tonic-clonic seizures, was hospitalized, and just a few days later was driving away happily. Even in states with loose epilepsy laws, you typically have to be seizure-free for at least a year and have a doctor clear you to drive legally.

http://www.epilepsy.com/driving-laws

Because epilepsy isn’t always physically obvious, people typically don’t disclose that they have it or openly discuss it. It’s a condition that can scare other people and isolate. That means few people understand laws and limitations associated with the condition. When real limitations are misrepresented in film, it makes it harder for people to get actual legal and political assistance.

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Tangentially related…
Just came across this while reading a different story:
Murder, they wrote, using this doctor’s ingenious ideas - LA Times

The doctor's phone rang. It was another request for his expertise. A murderous son was donating an organ to his aging father. Somehow, the procedure had to kill the dad. Somehow, the murder weapon had to be the organ itself. Can you help? pleaded the crime writer, who had six weeks to finish his book.
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Here’s a series of articles that should prove entertaining reads.

Paging Dr. Welby: The medical sins of Grey’s Anatomy.
This Slate article talks about the evolution of the medical drama over the decades.

TV Medical Drama Accuracy FAIL! (In 3 Categories)
This is a seriously good look at how TV doesn’t mimic life.

Scrubs: Goofy, cartoonish, and the most accurate portrayal of the medical profession on TV.
This article made serious news in 2009, and still gets referenced (not just by me).

How True to Life Are Medical Dramas?
by David Katz, M.D. - Director, Yale Prevention Research Center

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