Believing in Pseudoarchaeological claims can be extremely harmful to the way we understand and perceive the world. Pseudoarchaeologists are successful in making people question what they think they know about the world, by way of challenging science and fact. Moreover, they can also convince people that what they are saying is fact. If someone is less educated and they watch a show similar to “Ancient Aliens” on the History channel, they may believe that what is being stated is true (especially due to it being aired on the History channel). If they believe it, they will then spread the misinformation to others. An example of this could be the Hollow Moon hypothesis. Recently I watched a YouTube video regarding alien related theories, and the Hollow Moon theory was brought up. One data point the YouTuber mentioned was that between 1972 and 1977, the moon rang like a bell for an hour when Apollo 12 crashed into it. This fact was the foundation for the theory, because how can the moon ring like a bell if it is not hollow, right? Someone watching this YouTube video may interpret this to be fact, and spread it to others.

Fabricating lies and childish claims to make people believe their agenda is not all that pseudoarchaeologists accomplish. These claims can occasionally seem light and fun in some cases, such as questioning whether or not aliens built the pyramids, or the overall existence of aliens. I know from personal experience that getting lost in articles and YouTube videos regarding aliens is easier than one might expect. It seems light-hearted to question the existence of other beings in our solar system, but the reality behind these claims is dismal. People always relate aliens back to the building of the pyramids, which are scattered across Egypt. Why is it that the people of Egypt are questioned for their intellect, and European people are praised? Racism is the logical answer behind this question. For example, Erich von Däniken, the author of several books proposing claims based on extraterrestrials, published a book titled Signs of God?. This book has an abundance of negative racial views towards Egyptian ancestors. Conversely, Erich von Däniken published another book by the title of Chariots of the Gods?. This book briefly discussed Stonehenge, located in England, but only to say that the stone blocks came from Wales and Marlborough. Considering both of these books, von Däniken clearly targeted people of color based on his own morals. There are plenty of other claims based around racism, as well. One other example being the Easter Island heads.