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Human Zoos<\/em>, a new documentary in the indie world by Dr. John West, is\u00a0making waves\u00a0within\u00a0the festival circuit and causing America to become the main attraction in the film\u2019s spectacle. In September 1920, there was a huge crowd rushing to see the latest attraction at the Bronx Zoo in Bronx, New York. Hoping to get a little insight of what\u00a0evolution may\u00a0have brought about, onlookers eagerly waiting in front of the rusted cages were shocked to see Ota\u00a0Benga, a pygmy from the African Congo. Ota and thousands of other indigenous people were held captive, humiliated, harassed and used as an exhibit baiting tool to increase Zoo visitors. <\/strong><\/p>\n The idea of this \u201cattraction\u201d was to allow people to believe in the idea that\u00a0scientists may have found the missing link between apes and humans, which would have furthered along their narrative of Social Darwinism. Human Zoos<\/em> shares the dark history of\u00a0this trending form of entertainment that is based in scientifically dehumanizing a class of people. The film also highlights the long-term effects that has\u00a0affected how Americans view each other\u00a0racially, and the Bronx\u00a0heroes, African-American ministers, who fought to do away with the horrific exhibit.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. John West follows the trail of pseudo-scientific racism and how it lurks behind the Darwinian theory still to this day. This film is the\u00a0wake-up call that American scientists needed to bring to light the dark history of evolution. Even\u00a0though my belief in evolution and creation is biblically based, for the sake of the argument, I will entertain the idea of Darwin\u2019s theory.\u00a0It is quite comical to think that a class of people\u00a0would look at another class of people and finds themselves superior over the other because they are thought to be the catalyst for the beginning stages of how humans evolving. I would think that it would be other way around, but I guess common sense isn\u2019t so common even if\u00a0it\u2019s regarding science. <\/strong><\/p>\n I find that in a situation such as the deeming ape exhibit in the Bronx zoo, the most daunting component is that they used this family friendly environment to conduct and falsify\u00a0a scientific experiment deeply rooted in ignorance and hatred. It is hard for me to come to grips with seeing the residual effects from\u00a0the human zoo still to this day play out right in front of me. I have family members that strongly believe in this theory because \u201cIt makes sense.\u201d Why does it make sense that people originating from Africa seem to be the only group to morph out of monkeys? Why can\u2019t our people see that idea is another insert of the\u00a0notion that we are looked at as one less than a \u201creal human being\u201d?\u00a0 This is why I support the journey of this film throughout the film festival route. It has the potential to reach a broader audience across each region in the hope to change their perspective of who African-Americans are, and where we as a human race actually originated from. Scientific racism is something that is not talked about often, if ever. Human Zoos<\/em> will put an end to that by dispelling the misconception of Social Darwinism and bring to the\u00a0forefront the organization that is still trying to conceal their involvement in such a shameful attempt at combining entertainment and \u201ceducation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n