I'm glad you pointed out that (especially at the time) many of the "human oddities" made quite a lot of money showing themselves off, and that they would have had great difficulty making a living in any other ways. The other point is that they had essentially a (mostly) supportive family in other circus people. It doesn't make the freak shows entirely harmless and okay, but it's not one-sided either: there were benefits as well as costs to the performers.
I actually watched a documentary some years ago where they interviewed people who had traveled with the circus as "freaks". All of them, every single one, would have done it again and the general consensus was that working in the sideshows was the only time they felt 100% accepted by their peers and didn't have to be anything, but who they were.
Hi Mia Shinbrot I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Sometimes you can go your whole lifetime before you find one decent human being with empathy who will shake your hand and smile as freaky as you might be. Sadly this was the case for the elephant man what a sad life. I am sure his early death was a release from living in society and all the pain and suffering he went through.
Me too. I worked at The London Hospital. His old room was pointed out to me my first week there. His skeleton is in the medical museum at the hospital. I've seen that as well. Poor guy, never judge a book by its cover.
I’m disabled. My little brother was disabled. Many of my childhood friends and many of my current friends are disabled. Plenty of us would have fit into the whole “freak show” category back in the day. As a result, I was very hesitant to click on this video. But I was pleasantly surprised. Things were handled extremely well. Your jokes were tasteful and you saved nearly all of the “wow were they weird!” type comments for the people who simply had weird skills like regurgitating and playing instruments using their ass. Many thanks for how you handled the topic!
@@geekfreak5100 Genetics are very much like rolling a thousand pairs of dice, and epigenetics, too. It is very well possible that these genetic diseases can be found and permanently fixed if only we had a suitable mechanism for replacing and editing DNA. Once we (as a species) have that technology, its only a matter of having a database of all varieties of healthy genetic code from millions of individuals to choose from. It will be a new and dangerous forefront, but it is very much worth it. Glad ya'll are doing well.
@@Baigle1 I believe that CRISPR is widely used as a form of gene editing. It's being used in some amazing ways however there have been ethical challenges with some scientists as to it's limits of use.
@@veritasetutilitas5432 there's also 2 other problems with CRISPR: It's not as precise as we thought when we first found him (though it is much better than everything else we had) and we have an imperfect knowledge of what messing about with genes will do to a human. So even if we had a perfectly precise gene editing tool, we're still not sure if changing this will only reduce the chance of intestine cancer, or if it will change the size of your intestines so you now have to be a carnivore, because it isn't long enough to properly absorb nutrients from plants. Gene interaction is much more complicated than people outside the field tend to believe, and while I'm not in the field either, I've listened to some science broadcasters and that's what I've been able to gather
PT Barnum, for all his faults, gave a happy life to many in his so called freak shows. They became a family and support structure in a time where ignorance was rampant. Yea, even worse than modern times! Many were shut in and hidden fro, the world by their own families. Some even became wealthy. Most importantly, the best way to eliminate ignorance is just by exposure. People learned that although they may have had a "disability", they were no different than anyone else. Capable of loving, laughing, caring and hurting.
Joe, this is the type of thing that you do best. By that I mean that there really is no one on youtube who could treat a topic like this with just the right combination of humor and respect. Hats off to you Joe!
Agreed. Proper balance of humor and sadness at the exploitation that took place (yet for some elevated them out of poverty). This video informs rather than exploits and lets a normal person learn more about this topic than they would have normally known. Good job.
Holy crap that sounds amazingly bad. It must have felt like it was nearly constant i bet! Like it's finally over and 2 days later you're on your period again, jesus christ
Does that means she have two uteri and/or ovaries and hence ovulate two eggs at a time..or it's just that her period have two orifices to come out from.
@@PungiFungi she would have had 2 uterus', 4 ovaries, and just a guess based on what I know about menstruating, she probably had both periods at the same time.
I'm glad Shlitzie's life had a happy end. He seems like such a lovable sweet natured guy. He's so lucky he didn't end up having to spend the rest of his life miserable and lonely at that hospital.... I honestly wasn't expecting the hospital to end up actually releasing him in his old friend's custody. Mental hospitals - especially back when he would've been in one - were more regarded as "dump sites" for people like him. Really cruel mentality.... he almost certainly would've died a lot younger if he'd stayed there, depressed and sad. But instead he got to die happy, by making other people happy! His story always makes me smile.
Joseph's story makes me cry every time. That man had been through so much in his life, I'm so glad Fredrick and the hospital staff gave him a good life towards the end
I have seen writing from Joseph and its beautiful. You never would have thought he would have been able to write so beautifully and so eloquently too. His life was so sad but its nice to know he found comfort a friendship towards the end of his life.
If this was the only way i could smoke... i probably would. Damn nicotine. #2 among the addictive substances in some classifications. Cannabis, on the other hand...🤩
You handled this topic very well. You were respectful, the jokes weren't rude, and you never called them weird unless it was a strange talent rather than a disability.
Late to reply but I remember reading about two war veterans that wore the same size and each lost opposite feet so they would meet up every so often and pick out a pair of shoes lol.
Kudos on walking the razor's edge with this video. The jokes were funny without being gawking. Seriously though, Lobster Boy sounds like a real ass (no offense to the Fartist).
I was pleased that you brought up Joseph Merrick. The elephant man (1980 version), is my favorite movie of all time, and the main song in the soundtrack, "Adagio for Strings", is a song I want played at my funeral. The film was incredibly moving, as must see for all.
I was born with Treacher-Collins syndrome. The surgeon who pioneered Orbital-Craniofacial reconstructive surgery performed several operations until I became "normal' looking. In my thoughts I still relate to what these people went through. Being stared at and judged over something you have no control over is numbing to the soul.
From what I have read, Robert Wadlow was by all accounts an extremely genial and polite person who was liked by all who met him. So sad, he just wanted to be a regular Joe.
It was funny given the source. He has a good attitude about these topics and used humour to make a point about other’s perception of a head covered in a sack 🙂
None of this is funny. It’s disappointing that Joe receives any positive feedback at all in that using the stories of disabilities and differences, which he has identified as “oddities,” is exploitive. These are our fellow human beings. It appears he does this for his own notoriety & perhaps financial gain. To sell merchandise promoting this activity only makes the situation worse. One only has to recognize that more than one individual in this video was displayed in a circus to realize Joe is doing something very similar to these human beings in a misguided attempt at entertainment. Worse, this time it’s done without their consent or renumeration to them or their estates. I will not be watching any more videos from this creator.
Omg I had no idea that “Siamese twins” was a specific term to those men. I knew it wasn’t politically correct to call conjoined twins that, but now I know why. Thanks for the good content!
@@jhyland87 yup. She felt like crying once she finished House. My dad always turns down watching the shows she watches, but everytime he does, he loves them
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with “The Elephant Man.” I would watch every documentary I could find and cry the entire time. I always felt a connection to him, for some reason. Probably because that’s the first time I remember having such strong empathy and sorrow. What a beautiful soul. Rest in peace, friend.
Schlitze is definitely my favorite! I so rarely get to meet people who genuinely take that much pleasure in making people happy, that’s awesome. Also great video!
Great job Joe. As different a subject as this is, you promoted respect, honesty and a level of acceptance that is needed in today’s society. Well done, keep up the good work.
I actually live near the town Robert Wadlow lived in, Alton Illinois. There’s a lifesized statue there and a lifesized statue of his recliner and cane also. You can compare your hands to his, your shoes to his, etc. it’s really cool. Feel bad for the dude, though.
@@thecraftycyborg9024 Not sure where that is. I'm not originally from here, I'm from a small river community down the road called Grafton. We had to move after the great flood of 93
Almost cried over the last guy, but that aside, you treated this topic perfectly. Great respect shown, just the right sense of humor, and nothing but reverence for people who weren't once seen as such. Very impressive.
Trace Oglesby if you want to cry for sure, watch the movie “The Elephant Man.” John Merrick’s story is not to be forgotten. And it has a young Sir Anthony Hopkins too.
I just wanted to say that medical oddities have always been a weird interest of mine but I feel that if people (like Joe) don’t talk about these ppl and their stories, they get forgotten about. Maybe it’s a way to honor them and the struggles they went through. I might be totally in the wrong there but I just think that you’re never really gone until you’re forgotten.
Not offended at all Joe. As expected your class showed through. Clearly difficult subject to talk about, and it would have been easy to either cause offence, or to go in completely the other direction, and be so very careful that it would be almost pointless making the video. Nope, you showed a lot if respect, and delivered it with a lot of humour. I don't know who else could have done this video so well.
I realized during a flight a few years ago that when I try to de-pressure my ears or whatever it's called by holding my nose and blowing air out your ears (you know what I'm talking about) that air came out of my eyes if I really went at it. Now I feel I gotta take up smoking through my eye...
I think that John C. Reilly would have made a fantabulous P.T. Barnum! And let's not forget about John Hurts amazing performance as the heartbreaking and so sad story of Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man. I remember watching that movie as a kid and was absolutely horrified and cried so very much for the man. 😞 Good stuff Joe!
About the Freak of those shows. You have to remember that for many it was an sanctuary. They couldn't have lived a "normal life" among the public. They would have been shunned and exiled, discriminated against, they wouldn't been able to get jobs, apartments. As cruel as this sounds to us now, but these side-shows saved many lives. Don't judge without understanding the whole picture. Also these "freaks" or geeks as they were known then, were very much in control. They had contracts, they got paid, they might leave as show and the show could be ruined. Of course this is not to say that there was no exploitation, sure there was, but so is in every part of our society, always has been and always will be. Many of these geeks ended up getting married, having families, and many had perfectly normal children, and their offspring walk among us today.
@Bruno Kunda lots of these people were treated very badly by the circus staff. And you might not get it but being laughed at and ridiculed by lots of people can be pretty fucking harsh. And i doubt that most of these challanged people made millions by performing in these curcusses.
Thank you so much for handling the telling of these people's stories with such tastefulness and caring. You were humorous, but not inappropriately. I think you handled this entire video very well. Thank you. I will probably misspell their names, but Abby and Brittany, the two conjoined twins from Wisconsin, are so sweet. Not sure how they're doing these days, but a couple documentaries have been made about them. They have two arms, two legs, one set of reproductive organs. But they have two spines. I don't remember how their other organs are set up. There's another set of younger conjoined twins in Canada. I can't remember their names, though. Two girls, also seem really sweet and fun-loving. I could just hug Joseph Merrick... His story makes me so sad.
Well everyone farts, And we all do live in the same pool of air, So we're basically breathing each other's farts in a way. It's a very strong smell according to homeopathy...
I got curious enough to look him up. According to Wikipedia: "Ali became aware as a child that he possessed an unusual gastric ability. He explained in response to audience questions at a performance held at St. Mary's Hospital in Niagara Falls, New York, in May 1926, that while swimming in the Nile as a ten-year-old boy, he naturally discovered that he could swallow a large amount of water and blow it out like a whale spouting. He continued to develop and refine the ability as he grew older.[5] A more dramatic version of these events was provided by Ali's daughter, Almina Ali, in an interview in England after his death. She stated that his abilities were first learned through a single incident: while bathing in the Nile, he inadvertently swallowed a fish and an ample volume of water. Instead of dying, as those present thought he might, Ali simply regurgitated the liquid and the fish without ill effect." He just started trying more and more stuff on the streets. Also: "Physicians of three continents have puzzled over the gastronomical mechanism of this human ostrich without success. X-ray experiments have been made during his exhibition without a plausible explanation forthcoming that satisfies the critical, in fact, the profession of surgery has thrown up its hands in amazement over this human ostrich."
There are still alot of people with conditions that would fit here and basically none of them are on twitch. There is a girl with tourettes syndrom, that streams on twitch though.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how many of these stories are actually really nice and show real acceptance of people who have physical deformities or physical disabilities. I bet that many of their audience members actually learned to be just a little bit more accepting (at least, the kids in the audience probably grew up to be more accepting).
Well done Ol’Chap. Tough topic to cover gracefully but I think you did. I learned some interesting facts about people I had heard of but didn’t have the rest of the story. Thanks again for your work.
Fascinating and yes dark as you say. When I was young in the early 1970s there were still some sideshows allowed. Myself and my girlfriend at the time went to one where they advertised "Dora" the largest woman in the world. We entered a large tent at a fair and were immediately confronted with Dora, a huge woman of about 35-45 y.o. sitting in a large lounge type chair. We were the only 2 in the stifling hot tent, staring at this woman as she stared back at us. No words were exchanged and for a short pause which seemed like an hour but was likely only 2 or 3 minutes we all stared, we at Dora and she at us. Embarrassed by this experience we quickly made our way out of the tent, never to step inside another "freak-Show" as they were known back then. My girl and I came away with a more compassionate feel for people like Dora who were displayed like animals in a zoo for others curiosity. It seems, human cruelty and curiosity often seem to be found on the same page. A sad business.
Hi Julie I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
If I were alive at the time of these I myself would have been in a freak show. Since I had majorly debilitating and deformation of the spine with severe scoliosis on top of my joints being able to contort I would have personally gone to that rather than a permanent hospital life and or a severe down living in a sanatorium. Being the way I was and am today it’s astonishing to me how freak shows worked and how the participants definitely made a better living than they ever would have. I love to learn about stuff like this because even though people saw it as unfortunate it was at least a great way to make a living.
“Last but not least-“ Okay lets see! :D I’ve been able to survive this long not getting my heart destroyed so I can surely “Joseph Merrick ‘The elephant man’” (already tearing up) Oh No
If you *really* want to get turned into an emotional wreck, check out the David Lynch film "The Elephant Man," which features Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Trees and John Hurt as Joseph ("John" in the film) Merrick. It's a superb movie, but definitely a heartbreaker.
Ikr its so sad. You know more recently they actually dressed up this actor to try and make him sound more like how Joseph could of sounded like based on his bones and then they had the actor read out a letter he wrote. It was so sad
I just recently discovered your channel. I love learning & you have such a kind flare when you share information to your audience about delicate subject matter. I love your gentle facial expressions when describing Schlitze. I am enjoying this channel 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. Thank you 😊. Cheers 😉🌷
I've just stumbled onto your channel, and have watched several vids so far. I really appreciate the manner in which you broach sensitive topics like this. Not many people could pull this off with the right amount of humor, empathy, and sensitivity to the topic. Kudos
Dissapointed saartjie baartman wasn't in this. She not only was in a freak show while alive, but her body was displayed for another 150 years after her death.
@@katybug6572 there was nothing wrong with her, per se, she was an enslaved south African with a large rear common among her tribe but because Europeans had never seen such a case she was shipped off to Europe and used as an oddity, treated little more than an animal to ogled at. There's even speculation she was forced into sex work and raped. After he death her body was preserved and further used as an oddity for 150 years before finally being buried in her native south Africa. Like I said, Caitlin Doughty of Ask a Mortician here on TH-cam made an excellent video on her.
Really enjoyed this journey through the life and times of the unfortunate few. Joe, you handled it with just the right degree of sensitivity and frivolity. Very timely considering TV , news and other media have become the universal freak show for the masses.
"the unfortunate few" in the wrong way to view successful sideshow actors. After the Humane Society ended the sideshow in the US, was when the actors became the unfortunate, broke and often institutionalized. Before that most had good lives, worked a few hours a day, while considering the people who paid to view them as the real freaks.
One of the most beautiful movies ever made " Elephant Man " by David Lynch. John Hurt plays John Merrick astoundingly ! He got nominated for the oscars in 1981 as best actor. Extremely moving history. Thanks for the video.
I'm actually glad you did this episode; these people deserve to be known. Even if we may look back with horror at their lives they still (for the most part) enjoyed them. Thank you.
Metric aproximated convertion: Robert Wadlow, at 1yo had 0,91m; at 8yo had 1,80m; at 13 yo had 2,13m; died with 2,72m and his shoe size was 73 (EU). Gen Tom Thumb, had 0,63m (63,5 cm to be more exact) and weight 6,8kg. Your welcome;)
Easily, my favourite human oddity, since you’ve asked, is a fellow named Joseph Scott. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Smart. Does TH-cam videos, but not nearly enough of them.
Joe you always manage to approach subjects like this with grace and the right amount of humor. That said where's all the space and science stuff? They're my favorite subjects that you talk about. That said I enjoy everything you talk about. Cheers from Northern California.
My Nan had a friend called Tim, and once when I was about 7 or 8, Tim showed me a neat trick he could do where he lit a match, held it just above his eyes, pinched his nose, and blew the match out. I was completely fascinated, and he never ever did it again, which was disappointing. The last time I saw him was at my Nan's funeral in 2016. He's a top guy. I wonder if he can still summon the air through his tearducts...
Hi Jason I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Thanks for being respectful of the people you covered while still bringing your usual humor to the table. So many people forget that "freaks" were people too, and that even the ones who were able to embrace their uniqueness and prosper from it were still often heavily impacted by their physical differences in one way or another. Also side note: Cheng and Eng were found to have green blood upon their autopsy, which inspired the green blood of Vulcans in Star Trek.
I have a pretty sweet case of food poisoning, so I was watching this between my bouts of visits to the throne and agonizing pain. I watched this whole episode and felt enlightened. Then I got up to give the porcelain report and my daughter saw me... I have never seen that child look so immensely terrified in her entire life. She looked like she just saw a really fat, hairy, smell ghost. I then thought of the people in this video and how their lives must have been. Funny how things work out.
I’ve been pretty stoic lately like emotionless for a few weeks... have no idea why and I just laughed hysterically for the first time in a long time when you compared the two guys the actor and the circus dude. but yeah still laughing... thank you ! “So ya, the lying continues” hahaha
Thank you Joe! As for the most appealing or remarkable, I would say that all of them had very difficult circumstances and times but were very sturdy and committed to their disabilities to make the best of it. Given that, the one I feal closest to is without doubt Schlitzie the Pinhead, who spread happiness (mostly) wherever he went and probably one of the finest humans even in a huge group of "normal" people.
I appreciate your empathetic portrayal and research.🙏🏽 I think none of us have easy lives and this is a reminder of how much harder our lives could’ve been. No matter what, we all have struggles.
Hi Sarah I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Hi Kimberly I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Don't Do Novacane What would you think, if sometime during the day a young man wearing a burlap bag over his head knocked on your door and asked in a gasping voice, “Good day ma’am, may I interest you in some shoes?”
My mom actually knew a guy who worked in a sideshow when she was younger. He lived in the back of the shop she worked in at the time, but back in the day he did lots of acts like sword swallowing, fire breathing, the tattooed man, and even human pincushion once or twice. He was given speed at one point to drive the trucks at night when they were moving (which he became addicted to sadly) and he described them making the grossest lemonade imaginable (stuff like condensed milk for “pulp” and stirred with a broom when they couldn’t find the normal stirring paddle.) good stuff, lol
“... children with two butts.” That caught me off guard. 😂 Thanks for acknowledging the dark side of the “freak show.” Joseph Merick was an amazing man. So humble. Such a brilliant artist. He is very high in the list of people I wish I could just spend some time with. I can only imagine the wisdom he was able to share with those who saw who he truly was. She was never in a freak show or anything like that, but one of my favorite people in the world was Shiloh Peppin, the “Little Mermaid.” She was born with sirenomelia, aka mermaid syndrome, where the legs never separate during fetal development. Her mother was told she should abort the pregnancy, but decided to give her baby a chance. Sweet little Shiloh lived just over 10 years, and inspired countless people, including me. I owe her my life. Two documentary shows were made about her. If you haven’t seen them, I highly recommend you look them up. You can find them here in TH-cam. Just hearing her laugh will make your day. It just proves that you can never judge the value of a life by appearances.
Oh my gosh, her story made me so sad. So full of life, only to die from pneumonia, I believe. I feel ... sad, and like I would have felt trapped if I were in her body. But people don't understand blindness and other disabilities either, so I guess I'm no different. Sorry for the negative post. I watched one of the documentaries about here. I wish she'd made it.
Hi Carolina I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Hi Totalchaos I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
The first time I watched Joseph's story I really really really sobbed, like after a child has had a fall sobbed. I would have hugged him and thanked him for the honour 💞💞💞💞💞🤗🤍🇦🇺.
I knew about Robert Wadlow, because I live just a few minutes south of Alton IL (across the river from St Louis) my goodness he was a massive man but people said he was one of the kindest people RIP gentle giant!
Mr. Scott, I've been a subscriber to your channel for quite a few years now. I originally saw this "human oddities" video back when it was first published and found it fascinating. I've recently seen it again and I've got to tell you how very respectfully you handled this difficult topic. I've always been interested in this topic since I was a child and my Mom had bought a book about this subject. I was so amazed and inspired by the stories of human courage in the face of very difficult circumstances. Yes, they were horribly exploited but, as you pointed out, this was, many times, the only way people with deformities could survive. Thank you for your sensitive handling of these amazing people's stories. LOVE your channel and I recommend it to everyone. God bless you! :)
I'm glad you pointed out that (especially at the time) many of the "human oddities" made quite a lot of money showing themselves off, and that they would have had great difficulty making a living in any other ways. The other point is that they had essentially a (mostly) supportive family in other circus people. It doesn't make the freak shows entirely harmless and okay, but it's not one-sided either: there were benefits as well as costs to the performers.
I actually watched a documentary some years ago where they interviewed people who had traveled with the circus as "freaks". All of them, every single one, would have done it again and the general consensus was that working in the sideshows was the only time they felt 100% accepted by their peers and didn't have to be anything, but who they were.
Hi Mia Shinbrot I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
I agree & then probably had the choice to stay or go.
❤
I’ve seen 3 videos.
Here’s what I’ve concluded;
This channel is underrated.
지훈 agreed
I highly agree
You’re late! ;-)
I don't get it ?
Raymond Stemmer ~if you’re replying to me, I was just poking fun at “지훈” for having seen only three videos.
That story about Joseph breaking down after the girl shook his hand and smiled made me tear up.
I came down here to comment this too
Sometimes you can go your whole lifetime before you find one decent human being with empathy who will shake your hand and smile as freaky as you might be. Sadly this was the case for the elephant man what a sad life. I am sure his early death was a release from living in society and all the pain and suffering he went through.
That's the average discord mod Saba reddit er nowadays.
that and wanting to sleep like a normal person
Me too. I worked at The London Hospital. His old room was pointed out to me my first week there. His skeleton is in the medical museum at the hospital. I've seen that as well. Poor guy, never judge a book by its cover.
I’m disabled. My little brother was disabled. Many of my childhood friends and many of my current friends are disabled. Plenty of us would have fit into the whole “freak show” category back in the day. As a result, I was very hesitant to click on this video.
But I was pleasantly surprised. Things were handled extremely well. Your jokes were tasteful and you saved nearly all of the “wow were they weird!” type comments for the people who simply had weird skills like regurgitating and playing instruments using their ass. Many thanks for how you handled the topic!
@@geekfreak5100 Genetics are very much like rolling a thousand pairs of dice, and epigenetics, too. It is very well possible that these genetic diseases can be found and permanently fixed if only we had a suitable mechanism for replacing and editing DNA. Once we (as a species) have that technology, its only a matter of having a database of all varieties of healthy genetic code from millions of individuals to choose from. It will be a new and dangerous forefront, but it is very much worth it. Glad ya'll are doing well.
@@Baigle1 I believe that CRISPR is widely used as a form of gene editing. It's being used in some amazing ways however there have been ethical challenges with some scientists as to it's limits of use.
@@veritasetutilitas5432 there's also 2 other problems with CRISPR: It's not as precise as we thought when we first found him (though it is much better than everything else we had) and we have an imperfect knowledge of what messing about with genes will do to a human. So even if we had a perfectly precise gene editing tool, we're still not sure if changing this will only reduce the chance of intestine cancer, or if it will change the size of your intestines so you now have to be a carnivore, because it isn't long enough to properly absorb nutrients from plants.
Gene interaction is much more complicated than people outside the field tend to believe, and while I'm not in the field either, I've listened to some science broadcasters and that's what I've been able to gather
Geek Freak damn I am sitting here with surgical corrected scoliosis and I thought I had it bad. Respect man and hope you can have a good life
PT Barnum, for all his faults, gave a happy life to many in his so called freak shows. They became a family and support structure in a time where ignorance was rampant. Yea, even worse than modern times! Many were shut in and hidden fro, the world by their own families. Some even became wealthy. Most importantly, the best way to eliminate ignorance is just by exposure. People learned that although they may have had a "disability", they were no different than anyone else. Capable of loving, laughing, caring and hurting.
Joe, this is the type of thing that you do best. By that I mean that there really is no one on youtube who could treat a topic like this with just the right combination of humor and respect. Hats off to you Joe!
We should recommend this video to Karl Pilkington.
No, not offended. Like Doug Lee said, you have such a talent, of talking about almost anything with humor and respect.
Agreed! You just wanna eat him up!😉
Doug Lee facts!! 💜✌🏻👍🏻
Agreed. Proper balance of humor and sadness at the exploitation that took place (yet for some elevated them out of poverty). This video informs rather than exploits and lets a normal person learn more about this topic than they would have normally known. Good job.
"She did menstruate from both" Dear god, I can't imagine... I do genuinely feel bad for her
I hurt just thinking about it.
Holy crap that sounds amazingly bad. It must have felt like it was nearly constant i bet! Like it's finally over and 2 days later you're on your period again, jesus christ
Does that means she have two uteri and/or ovaries and hence ovulate two eggs at a time..or it's just that her period have two orifices to come out from.
I read the comments while the video is starting and sometimes I regret it....
@@PungiFungi she would have had 2 uterus', 4 ovaries, and just a guess based on what I know about menstruating, she probably had both periods at the same time.
Imagine the feeling of waking up next to your dead conjoined brother and realizing you have hours to live. Rough.
I am sure he might have regretted not trying separation surgery at that point.
To lighten the mood...
🐌
*A R E Y O U H A P P Y Y E T?*
@@deedeemajerus2356 They definitely would have died.
I'm glad Shlitzie's life had a happy end. He seems like such a lovable sweet natured guy. He's so lucky he didn't end up having to spend the rest of his life miserable and lonely at that hospital.... I honestly wasn't expecting the hospital to end up actually releasing him in his old friend's custody. Mental hospitals - especially back when he would've been in one - were more regarded as "dump sites" for people like him. Really cruel mentality.... he almost certainly would've died a lot younger if he'd stayed there, depressed and sad. But instead he got to die happy, by making other people happy!
His story always makes me smile.
His story restored my faith in humanity 100× over
I want to be friends with him, ngl
@@gayghst2877 we all would, I am not a religious man but he sounded like an angel incarnate
I would love to have known him I think.Someone who existed to make others smile.
Joseph's story makes me cry every time. That man had been through so much in his life, I'm so glad Fredrick and the hospital staff gave him a good life towards the end
Thank you for portraying these people for who they really were - fellow human beings.
"Just face it he's twice the man you are" best line ever
Immediately made me feel a little shortcoming ...
I have seen writing from Joseph and its beautiful. You never would have thought he would have been able to write so beautifully and so eloquently too. His life was so sad but its nice to know he found comfort a friendship towards the end of his life.
I feel so bad for the girl with 4 legs.....periods must've just been a living nightmare
Right? Let's hope she didn't also have twice the amount of blood and that it just somehow split between the 2.
Christina Kohl She probably had two periods. Since two vaginas probably means she also had two uteruses.
@@th0tslay3r44 wouldn't she constantly faint and be ill if she lost twice the amount of blood?
Maybe the hormonal cocktails just evened each other out XD
Christina Kohl that’s not how that works
Guy: Mind if I smoke?
Me: No sure, it's fine.
Guy: *sticks a pipe in his eye*
Me: ...wait no please stop
Nano Glitch lol
I bet he smoked weed
If this was the only way i could smoke... i probably would. Damn nicotine. #2 among the addictive substances in some classifications. Cannabis, on the other hand...🤩
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Me: And now I have to remove My eyes because I can't see You smoking with your eyes Anymore!
Eye-Smoking Guy: Sure, whatever.
You handled this topic very well. You were respectful, the jokes weren't rude, and you never called them weird unless it was a strange talent rather than a disability.
can we please talk about how wholesome it is that lentini bought two pairs of shoes and gave one of the shoes to a one-legged friend
Late to reply but I remember reading about two war veterans that wore the same size and each lost opposite feet so they would meet up every so often and pick out a pair of shoes lol.
Kudos on walking the razor's edge with this video. The jokes were funny without being gawking. Seriously though, Lobster Boy sounds like a real ass (no offense to the Fartist).
Yeah, there were some I thought about including but I didn't like what that would have done to the tone. It was a fine line.
@Joe Scott you had 10k subscriber 2 weeks back but now it's 291k. after that human head video it's the highest bump, what's going on?
@@shibusaurav - You might be mixing up his two channels. I did that once.
Tasty Treats what about gopher boy?
Actually there is a disabled streamer who plays with only his mouth and he is fucking awesome haha
I was pleased that you brought up Joseph Merrick. The elephant man (1980 version), is my favorite movie of all time, and the main song in the soundtrack, "Adagio for Strings", is a song I want played at my funeral.
The film was incredibly moving, as must see for all.
I was born with Treacher-Collins syndrome. The surgeon who pioneered Orbital-Craniofacial reconstructive surgery performed several operations until I became "normal' looking. In my thoughts I still relate to what these people went through. Being stared at and judged over something you have no control over is numbing to the soul.
stephen shults wow
Sorry you had to go through that, friend
God Bless You and I commend you for having the strength to endure so much!
The feels. You are wonderful ^_^
Awe I'm sorry, people can be horrible
From what I have read, Robert Wadlow was by all accounts an extremely genial and polite person who was liked by all who met him. So sad, he just wanted to be a regular Joe.
Yes, he actually was a real life gentle giant.
I saw some interview footage of him some years back, and he was also rather shy.
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns huh. So I'm basically Robert Wadlow but a lil bit smaller.
Who's Joe? (PS. I know this is a serious comment, so please forgive me if you feel offended by my joking attitude)
Not like the horrible lobster boy who got away with murder.
"He wore a sack over his head to avoid scaring people; yeah he still scared people". That was hilarious albeit in a horrible way.
Not hilarious, just sad
It was funny given the source. He has a good attitude about these topics and used humour to make a point about other’s perception of a head covered in a sack 🙂
None of this is funny. It’s disappointing that Joe receives any positive feedback at all in that using the stories of disabilities and differences, which he has identified as “oddities,” is exploitive. These are our fellow human beings. It appears he does this for his own notoriety & perhaps financial gain. To sell merchandise promoting this activity only makes the situation worse. One only has to recognize that more than one individual in this video was displayed in a circus to realize Joe is doing something very similar to these human beings in a misguided attempt at entertainment. Worse, this time it’s done without their consent or renumeration to them or their estates. I will not be watching any more videos from this creator.
@@jacey2c170 lmao
@@jacey2c170 ok, have fun :)
Omg I had no idea that “Siamese twins” was a specific term to those men. I knew it wasn’t politically correct to call conjoined twins that, but now I know why. Thanks for the good content!
I believe there was an episode of House M.D. where House mentioned that.... Did you not watch House?! Jeez..
@GonnaFly I bet your dad gets to third base alot
@@jhyland87 yo my mom LOVES house
@@cliffordbenenati7373 she has great taste in TV shows, then! Lol
@@jhyland87 yup. She felt like crying once she finished House. My dad always turns down watching the shows she watches, but everytime he does, he loves them
I guess people in WWI weren't in the mood to joke about gas.
Wowee.
He could've just told the crowd he never ate mustard.
Lol
That's funny and just plain wrong lmao I don't know if I'm allowed to laugh but I'm going to lmao XD
Sum Duck LMFAO! That's the best comment ever!!!
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with “The Elephant Man.” I would watch every documentary I could find and cry the entire time. I always felt a connection to him, for some reason. Probably because that’s the first time I remember having such strong empathy and sorrow. What a beautiful soul. Rest in peace, friend.
I'm really impressed how well you towed the line between knowing we'd find this interesting, and it being an entirely heartbreaking topic.
I've started to find that if I think something is interesting, a lot of other people will as well.
Schlitze is definitely my favorite! I so rarely get to meet people who genuinely take that much pleasure in making people happy, that’s awesome. Also great video!
You met him?
He was so pure and happy :') agreed
I want to meet him and be pals. Time machine, please. Come on, someone on here must know how. I want a time machine, dammit. I need it.
Ughhh I’m crying from the pure sweetness of Schlitzie
Imagine having TWO periods each month I'd die
I wonder if you would feel double the pain or the area of pain is just bigger
I’d suck that blood up like a vampire ;)
@@bonesthegod585, please no.
Think of the number of tampons you'd have to go through. "Excuse me sir, but I will need that pallet over there please."
Maybe they occur at the same time.
"I wear size 13 Nikes, beat that"
Robert Wadlow: Hold my hyperplasia...
Lola Gray “MENS size 13”
Lola Gray, Men’s size 13.5 and my father wears size 14.5
Is that UK sizes yeah? My family are giants and I always thought that was an average men's shoe size 😂
I wear us size 14 and I'm 14
Women with big feet are sexy af!
Oh god, I got that Meditation ad before this and they lined up perfectly
“Tonight, we go back in time”
“The 1930s was a simpler time”
Great job Joe. As different a subject as this is, you promoted respect, honesty and a level of acceptance that is needed in today’s society. Well done, keep up the good work.
Your humor is just so wholesome and refreshing. I love how goofy it is, plus you provide actual facts in a well-organized fashion.
awww, the Joseph one is sad, especially the mirror part and when he cried cause a lady shook his hand 🥺
I actually live near the town Robert Wadlow lived in, Alton Illinois. There’s a lifesized statue there and a lifesized statue of his recliner and cane also. You can compare your hands to his, your shoes to his, etc. it’s really cool. Feel bad for the dude, though.
I live in Alton, i drive by that statue like 4 times a day (taking my husband to work) #618
Somehow I missed that part of the video. My grandparents used to live in Alton, by the big convent (old school, still wear habits and veils).
@@thecraftycyborg9024
Not sure where that is. I'm not originally from here, I'm from a small river community down the road called Grafton. We had to move after the great flood of 93
Almost cried over the last guy, but that aside, you treated this topic perfectly. Great respect shown, just the right sense of humor, and nothing but reverence for people who weren't once seen as such. Very impressive.
Trace Oglesby if you want to cry for sure, watch the movie “The Elephant Man.” John Merrick’s story is not to be forgotten. And it has a young Sir Anthony Hopkins too.
I just wanted to say that medical oddities have always been a weird interest of mine but I feel that if people (like Joe) don’t talk about these ppl and their stories, they get forgotten about. Maybe it’s a way to honor them and the struggles they went through. I might be totally in the wrong there but I just think that you’re never really gone until you’re forgotten.
Not offended at all Joe.
As expected your class showed through.
Clearly difficult subject to talk about, and it would have been easy to either cause offence, or to go in completely the other direction, and be so very careful that it would be almost pointless making the video.
Nope, you showed a lot if respect, and delivered it with a lot of humour.
I don't know who else could have done this video so well.
That means a lot, thanks!
I realized during a flight a few years ago that when I try to de-pressure my ears or whatever it's called by holding my nose and blowing air out your ears (you know what I'm talking about) that air came out of my eyes if I really went at it. Now I feel I gotta take up smoking through my eye...
Isn't there a song about it: smoke gets in you eyes?
That happened to me to lol. I stopped doing i cuz I was scared my eyes would fall out.
Lol!
yeah that happens to me too when I blow my nose.
I think that John C. Reilly would have made a fantabulous P.T. Barnum!
And let's not forget about John Hurts amazing performance as the heartbreaking and so sad story of Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man.
I remember watching that movie as a kid and was absolutely horrified and cried so very much for the man. 😞
Good stuff Joe!
John C. Reilly's performance in Chicago was amazing, until then I associated him with silly movies that I had no interest in.
@@lisadioguardi5742 sounds like your loss man. You got catching up to do.
About the Freak of those shows. You have to remember that for many it was an sanctuary. They couldn't have lived a "normal life" among the public. They would have been shunned and exiled, discriminated against, they wouldn't been able to get jobs, apartments. As cruel as this sounds to us now, but these side-shows saved many lives. Don't judge without understanding the whole picture.
Also these "freaks" or geeks as they were known then, were very much in control. They had contracts, they got paid, they might leave as show and the show could be ruined. Of course this is not to say that there was no exploitation, sure there was, but so is in every part of our society, always has been and always will be.
Many of these geeks ended up getting married, having families, and many had perfectly normal children, and their offspring walk among us today.
Yup. It's a huge gray area.
He kind of mentioned that in the video
Henri Hänninen 1. what do you work in pt barnum's p.r. department? 2. a geek is not just any freak. specifically, they eat things which aren't edible
Henri Hänninen how is he judging without understanding the whole picture?
@Bruno Kunda lots of these people were treated very badly by the circus staff. And you might not get it but being laughed at and ridiculed by lots of people can be pretty fucking harsh. And i doubt that most of these challanged people made millions by performing in these curcusses.
P.T. Barnum is my Aunt's great Uncle. She's prettier though.
Oh wow!
That makes him your great great grand uncle
That's kinda awesome!
Tawnya Luke, you do know that, that makes him your moms/dad's great uncle also?
Mistress Führer possible half sibling, adoption or divorce could change that
Thank you so much for handling the telling of these people's stories with such tastefulness and caring. You were humorous, but not inappropriately. I think you handled this entire video very well. Thank you.
I will probably misspell their names, but Abby and Brittany, the two conjoined twins from Wisconsin, are so sweet. Not sure how they're doing these days, but a couple documentaries have been made about them.
They have two arms, two legs, one set of reproductive organs. But they have two spines. I don't remember how their other organs are set up.
There's another set of younger conjoined twins in Canada. I can't remember their names, though. Two girls, also seem really sweet and fun-loving.
I could just hug Joseph Merrick... His story makes me so sad.
Joseph Merrick's story always breaks my heart and I can't help but wonder what his life would've been like if his mother had survived ;;
“I’m glad I wasn’t in that pool.” Lmao
“SLuUuuUUUuuRRRrrrrRRPppP...p”
@@Beer-can_full_of_toes 😂
@@Beer-can_full_of_toes yeeeech! Pew!
Well said 💞💯
Well everyone farts,
And we all do live in the same pool of air,
So we're basically breathing each other's farts in a way.
It's a very strong smell according to homeopathy...
Robert Wadlow looks like a good guy. His smile is really nice and I wish I could have been there to meet him.
Holy Crap! the regurgitator guy was insane! That’s a crazyyyy skill lol I dunno how he figured out he could do all that, but props to him! Lol
That would kill a normal human being. What an absolute unit.
You might want to check out videos with David Blaine.
How does one discover this talent? Your like, "ok i can eat quarters and cough them up, let's try flammable fluids next"
I got curious enough to look him up. According to Wikipedia: "Ali became aware as a child that he possessed an unusual gastric ability. He explained in response to audience questions at a performance held at St. Mary's Hospital in Niagara Falls, New York, in May 1926, that while swimming in the Nile as a ten-year-old boy, he naturally discovered that he could swallow a large amount of water and blow it out like a whale spouting. He continued to develop and refine the ability as he grew older.[5] A more dramatic version of these events was provided by Ali's daughter, Almina Ali, in an interview in England after his death. She stated that his abilities were first learned through a single incident: while bathing in the Nile, he inadvertently swallowed a fish and an ample volume of water. Instead of dying, as those present thought he might, Ali simply regurgitated the liquid and the fish without ill effect." He just started trying more and more stuff on the streets.
Also: "Physicians of three continents have puzzled over the gastronomical mechanism of this human ostrich without success. X-ray experiments have been made during his exhibition without a plausible explanation forthcoming that satisfies the critical, in fact, the profession of surgery has thrown up its hands in amazement over this human ostrich."
@@456puff "Thrown up" its hands...lol
And if they were around today they'd be making a killing playing Fortnight on Twitch.
Is Twitch the modern sideshow?
Short answer yes, long answer... definitely
"Fortnite"
There are still alot of people with conditions that would fit here and basically none of them are on twitch.
There is a girl with tourettes syndrom, that streams on twitch though.
Imagine the elephant man stream with ninja and get some FAT dubs
I'm pleasantly surprised at how many of these stories are actually really nice and show real acceptance of people who have physical deformities or physical disabilities. I bet that many of their audience members actually learned to be just a little bit more accepting (at least, the kids in the audience probably grew up to be more accepting).
Well done Ol’Chap. Tough topic to cover gracefully but I think you did. I learned some interesting facts about people I had heard of but didn’t have the rest of the story.
Thanks again for your work.
Thanks!
What he said
P.T. Barnum should've been played by John C. Reilly.
Yassss! Hilarious
Totally.
that'd be great!
That's who he reminded me of. Well done.
Dude, I just had that exact same thought.
Fascinating and yes dark as you say. When I was young in the early 1970s there were still some sideshows allowed. Myself and my girlfriend at the time went to one where they advertised "Dora" the largest woman in the world. We entered a large tent at a fair and were immediately confronted with Dora, a huge woman of about 35-45 y.o. sitting in a large lounge type chair. We were the only 2 in the stifling hot tent, staring at this woman as she stared back at us. No words were exchanged and for a short pause which seemed like an hour but was likely only 2 or 3 minutes we all stared, we at Dora and she at us. Embarrassed by this experience we quickly made our way out of the tent, never to step inside another "freak-Show" as they were known back then. My girl and I came away with a more compassionate feel for people like Dora who were displayed like animals in a zoo for others curiosity. It seems, human cruelty and curiosity often seem to be found on the same page. A sad business.
Thanks Joe. I must confess that the story of Joseph Merrick got to me. I'm an man, cynical and worldly wise, but it brought a tear to my eye.
Yeah, it's a sad story.
Me too, my man. Me too.
"...a hipster vaping outta his eye..." that's funny AF
Hi Julie I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
If I were alive at the time of these I myself would have been in a freak show. Since I had majorly debilitating and deformation of the spine with severe scoliosis on top of my joints being able to contort I would have personally gone to that rather than a permanent hospital life and or a severe down living in a sanatorium. Being the way I was and am today it’s astonishing to me how freak shows worked and how the participants definitely made a better living than they ever would have. I love to learn about stuff like this because even though people saw it as unfortunate it was at least a great way to make a living.
“Last but not least-“
Okay lets see! :D I’ve been able to survive this long not getting my heart destroyed so I can surely
“Joseph Merrick ‘The elephant man’”
(already tearing up) Oh No
If you *really* want to get turned into an emotional wreck, check out the David Lynch film "The Elephant Man," which features Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Trees and John Hurt as Joseph ("John" in the film) Merrick.
It's a superb movie, but definitely a heartbreaker.
Ikr its so sad. You know more recently they actually dressed up this actor to try and make him sound more like how Joseph could of sounded like based on his bones and then they had the actor read out a letter he wrote. It was so sad
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns The Elephant Man is hard to watch, extremely tragic. It's one of the underrecognized gems of cinematic history.
@@forgottengrooves6073 John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins performances were hauntingly beautiful.
Let me just say, Schlitze just made me smile! It's amazing how he just kept going and was so kind! I loved it!
I just recently discovered your channel. I love learning & you have such a kind flare when you share information to your audience about delicate subject matter. I love your gentle facial expressions when describing Schlitze. I am enjoying this channel 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. Thank you 😊. Cheers 😉🌷
I've just stumbled onto your channel, and have watched several vids so far. I really appreciate the manner in which you broach sensitive topics like this. Not many people could pull this off with the right amount of humor, empathy, and sensitivity to the topic. Kudos
Dissapointed saartjie baartman wasn't in this. She not only was in a freak show while alive, but her body was displayed for another 150 years after her death.
christina I like big butts and I cannot lie!
Caitlin Doughty of Ask A Mortician did a video on her, you should check it out if you haven't already
Blep what was wrong w her? Damn that’s so cruel tho, even disrespectful of her life in Death. Uch that’s harsh :/
@@katybug6572 there was nothing wrong with her, per se, she was an enslaved south African with a large rear common among her tribe but because Europeans had never seen such a case she was shipped off to Europe and used as an oddity, treated little more than an animal to ogled at. There's even speculation she was forced into sex work and raped. After he death her body was preserved and further used as an oddity for 150 years before finally being buried in her native south Africa. Like I said, Caitlin Doughty of Ask a Mortician here on TH-cam made an excellent video on her.
th-cam.com/channels/-VY81cp3P3vWVxT5o-MTxA.html
Gotta love the use of the font "Carnival Freakshow" to display all their names. It's the little details that really make the video
Imagine how many times the Fartist shat himself practicing his, ahem.. f... art
I can also do the same “sucking in” in both the pool and with air... but I cannot do impressions...
Really enjoyed this journey through the life and times of the unfortunate few.
Joe, you handled it with just the right degree of sensitivity and frivolity.
Very timely considering TV , news and other media have become the universal freak show for the masses.
Glad you liked it!
"the unfortunate few" in the wrong way to view successful sideshow actors.
After the Humane Society ended the sideshow in the US, was when the actors became the unfortunate, broke and often institutionalized. Before that most had good lives, worked a few hours a day, while considering the people who paid to view them as the real freaks.
that last story was utterly heartbreaking but also heartwarming at how the doctor stepped in to help when the man needed it most :’)
One of the most beautiful movies ever made " Elephant Man " by David Lynch. John Hurt plays John Merrick astoundingly ! He got nominated for the oscars in 1981 as best actor. Extremely moving history. Thanks for the video.
Honestly Joe, this was one of the most interesting videos you've posted in a while. Well done, and I appreciate the candor you used.
I'm actually glad you did this episode; these people deserve to be known. Even if we may look back with horror at their lives they still (for the most part) enjoyed them. Thank you.
Metric aproximated convertion: Robert Wadlow, at 1yo had 0,91m; at 8yo had 1,80m; at 13 yo had 2,13m; died with 2,72m and his shoe size was 73 (EU). Gen Tom Thumb, had 0,63m (63,5 cm to be more exact) and weight 6,8kg. Your welcome;)
Easily, my favourite human oddity, since you’ve asked, is a fellow named Joseph Scott.
Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Smart. Does TH-cam videos, but not nearly enough of them.
My favourite human odfity is me and my how IQ
@@mihael64 What is a "how" IQ? XD
@@someedgyusername low. Sty i just woke up
Thanks Joe you are never depressing to me your wit is equal to the content +#& your delivery is perfect thanks so much your show is too noc.
Joe you always manage to approach subjects like this with grace and the right amount of humor. That said where's all the space and science stuff? They're my favorite subjects that you talk about. That said I enjoy everything you talk about. Cheers from Northern California.
My Nan had a friend called Tim, and once when I was about 7 or 8, Tim showed me a neat trick he could do where he lit a match, held it just above his eyes, pinched his nose, and blew the match out. I was completely fascinated, and he never ever did it again, which was disappointing.
The last time I saw him was at my Nan's funeral in 2016. He's a top guy. I wonder if he can still summon the air through his tearducts...
Ah, the Old Man Trick. Every old man needs an old man trick.
Hi Jason I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
Thanks for being respectful of the people you covered while still bringing your usual humor to the table. So many people forget that "freaks" were people too, and that even the ones who were able to embrace their uniqueness and prosper from it were still often heavily impacted by their physical differences in one way or another. Also side note: Cheng and Eng were found to have green blood upon their autopsy, which inspired the green blood of Vulcans in Star Trek.
I thought this was a lie, but apparently human blood can be green sometimes. The more you know
I have a pretty sweet case of food poisoning, so I was watching this between my bouts of visits to the throne and agonizing pain. I watched this whole episode and felt enlightened. Then I got up to give the porcelain report and my daughter saw me... I have never seen that child look so immensely terrified in her entire life. She looked like she just saw a really fat, hairy, smell ghost. I then thought of the people in this video and how their lives must have been.
Funny how things work out.
69 likes
StaticImage Smell Ghost. 👻
I’ve been pretty stoic lately like emotionless for a few weeks... have no idea why and I just laughed hysterically for the first time in a long time when you compared the two guys the actor and the circus dude. but yeah still laughing... thank you ! “So ya, the lying continues” hahaha
Thank you Joe!
As for the most appealing or remarkable, I would say that all of them had very difficult circumstances and times but were very sturdy and committed to their disabilities to make the best of it. Given that, the one I feal closest to is without doubt Schlitzie the Pinhead, who spread happiness (mostly) wherever he went and probably one of the finest humans even in a huge group of "normal" people.
"I said it now there's porn of it out there"...lol hilariously true
What is that? Rule 34?
Joe Scott no rule 34 is there’s porn if it on the internet this is more rule 35 being if there isn’t there will be soon
Alucard It exists somewhere, I’m sure
Good job presenting some interesting oddities while being respectful of these individuals.
I appreciate your empathetic portrayal and research.🙏🏽 I think none of us have easy lives and this is a reminder of how much harder our lives could’ve been. No matter what, we all have struggles.
Hi Sarah I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
+1 for the Idiocracy reference
Totally agree
It's the best documentary of all time.
Joe broke my house.
Tracy Norrell more impressed by the annie get your gun reference
We do not have to like or dislike, is part of our erality as a species and knowledge does not harm, only its misuse. Very good vintage!
This is the most tasteful and truthful video. Thanks for the tactful way you spoke on this subject.
Hi Kimberly I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
*"Yea, He Still Scared People."*
Omg That Shouldn't Have Made Me Chuckle 😩🤣
Don't Do Novacane
What would you think, if sometime during the day a young man wearing a burlap bag over his head knocked on your door and asked in a gasping voice, “Good day ma’am, may I interest you in some shoes?”
"Ive said it, now there's porn of it out there."
Laughing too hard right now
There is conjoined twin porn out there, too. Like the United Kates of America. Yeesh.
My mom actually knew a guy who worked in a sideshow when she was younger. He lived in the back of the shop she worked in at the time, but back in the day he did lots of acts like sword swallowing, fire breathing, the tattooed man, and even human pincushion once or twice. He was given speed at one point to drive the trucks at night when they were moving (which he became addicted to sadly) and he described them making the grossest lemonade imaginable (stuff like condensed milk for “pulp” and stirred with a broom when they couldn’t find the normal stirring paddle.) good stuff, lol
“... children with two butts.”
That caught me off guard. 😂
Thanks for acknowledging the dark side of the “freak show.”
Joseph Merick was an amazing man. So humble. Such a brilliant artist. He is very high in the list of people I wish I could just spend some time with. I can only imagine the wisdom he was able to share with those who saw who he truly was.
She was never in a freak show or anything like that, but one of my favorite people in the world was Shiloh Peppin, the “Little Mermaid.” She was born with sirenomelia, aka mermaid syndrome, where the legs never separate during fetal development.
Her mother was told she should abort the pregnancy, but decided to give her baby a chance. Sweet little Shiloh lived just over 10 years, and inspired countless people, including me. I owe her my life.
Two documentary shows were made about her. If you haven’t seen them, I highly recommend you look them up. You can find them here in TH-cam. Just hearing her laugh will make your day.
It just proves that you can never judge the value of a life by appearances.
Oh my gosh, her story made me so sad. So full of life, only to die from pneumonia, I believe. I feel ... sad, and like I would have felt trapped if I were in her body. But people don't understand blindness and other disabilities either, so I guess I'm no different. Sorry for the negative post. I watched one of the documentaries about here. I wish she'd made it.
This is one of the best channels on youtube. Thanks for being human.
Joe, congratulations on being the most witty & informative TH-camr! In my opinion. Way to go!
"Freaks" is actually one of my favorite films. It was about 80 years ahead of its time.
Imagine ur conjoined twin dying and you knowing that you're dying too.. 3whole hours of that torture. Esp rigor Morris settling in on your twin..😱😭
i agree - must have been horrid. it’s unimaginable to anyone else.
Probably a cytokine storm once his brothers body started decomposing and trashing his liver.
Morris? Who’s Morris? 😂
Hi Carolina I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
I'm still laughing at the thought of someone blowing out a candle with their butt!! It would never get old lol!!
So showing even today there is an audience for every level of entertainment.
Hi Totalchaos I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….
This video is epic, you clearly did a ton of research and did a great job with it. I look forward to your vids. Thanks Joe
The first time I watched Joseph's story I really really really sobbed, like after a child has had a fall sobbed. I would have hugged him and thanked him for the honour 💞💞💞💞💞🤗🤍🇦🇺.
Ahem...The term is flatulist. Have some respect for the art.
13:33
Who you callin' Pinhead?
omg im late but this comment is amazing
Weevle, heheh
I knew about Robert Wadlow, because I live just a few minutes south of Alton IL (across the river from St Louis) my goodness he was a massive man but people said he was one of the kindest people RIP gentle giant!
6:16
i think the logical explanation is she remarried him for his money
Looks like Barnum should have been portrayed by Quentin Tarantino.
Yup
@@annnee6818 ayup
When Tarantino was once asked who he would choose to play him in a biopic film, he replied Barnum. Fact.
Im sorry but no rowan Atkinson would be the perfect choice theyre doppelgangers
Mr. Scott, I've been a subscriber to your channel for quite a few years now. I originally saw this "human oddities" video back when it was first published and found it fascinating. I've recently seen it again and I've got to tell you how very respectfully you handled this difficult topic. I've always been interested in this topic since I was a child and my Mom had bought a book about this subject. I was so amazed and inspired by the stories of human courage in the face of very difficult circumstances. Yes, they were horribly exploited but, as you pointed out, this was, many times, the only way people with deformities could survive. Thank you for your sensitive handling of these amazing people's stories. LOVE your channel and I recommend it to everyone. God bless you! :)
I loved your Idiocracy reference at 11:00 lol
Edit: I'm very surprised you didn't mention Tarrare, the hungriest man alive
That's interesting, another channel I watch recently made a video including terrare:
th-cam.com/video/CVXsj1sz-Qk/w-d-xo.html
The French butt man and ol Smokey eye are my favorites. Although Mr. Tripod leg is pretty fascinating as well.