[THREAD]

1/ "No native writing system was known among North American Indians at the time of first European contact... a number of writing systems for... Indian languages were developed as a result of the stimulus from European writing."

https://www.britannica.com/topic/North-American-Indian-languages">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nor...

2/ His second point doesn& #39;t explain why the wheel wasn& #39;t developed in those parts of North America which *weren& #39;t* covered by snow most of the year — in other words, most of North America.

3/ In a later tweet, after helpfully advising me to “read a few books,” he argued that indigenous pictographic drawings on tree bark were written language.

“It depends on how you define writing,” he adds. Personally, I define writing as actual, you know, writing.

4/ Oh, and he& #39;s an anthropologist. Surprising, I know.

Quick guide to anthropology:

Europeans bad. Most other cultures good — especially those lacking civilizational impulses in areas like science, technology, and, uhm, writing.

There are 133 Democrats for each Republican among US anthropology faculty, so it& #39;s not like you can accuse them any ideological bias.

I& #39;ve never received as many DMs in rapid succession from so many people as I& #39;ve received over the past half-hour or so.

Basically they all read like this: "So glad to see someone go after Will."

I& #39;d never even heard of him until today. Apparently he& #39;s some kind of legend.