Simon Webb

[[File:Simon Webb2.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Simon Webb.]]
{{youtubenav}}{{bronze}}
{{cquote|The strongest societies and countries are those with no diversity in ethnicity, nationality, language, or religion.|||Simon Webb<ref name="diversity">[https://archive.is/5S8HX The Mad Idea That Diversity is a Strength, Rather Than a Weakness]. lotuseaters.com.</ref>}}
'''Simon Webb''', also known as '''History Debunked''', is a [[British]] [[far-right]] [[YouTube]]r, [[global warming denialist]], and [[pseudohistorian]]. Ironically, despite his YouTube channel claiming to debunk history, it mostly focuses on Webb's stance on modern politics, particularly in regards to the [[Moral panic|decline of British society]]. His content mostly focuses on the problems of immigration, [[multiculturalism]], [[climate change]], the black diaspora, the territorial disputes between [[Israel]] and [[Palestine]], and supposed [[historical revisionism]].<ref>[https://beastrabban.wordpress.com/2022/08/12/explaining-simon-webb-history-race-and-the-manipulation-of-history/ "Explaining Simon Webb: History, Race and the Manipulation of History"], Beastrabban\'s Weblog, 2022 August 12</ref>

Webb has connections to far-right influencers and [[white nationalist]]s. He has spoken at events for the [[Traditional Britain Group]].<ref>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/state-of-hate-2023-v7-1.pdf State of Hate 2023]. hopenothate.org.uk.</ref><ref name="Traditional">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I38k2hzFLvk Simon Webb (History Debunked), TBG Christmas Social]. Traditional Britain Group, youtube.com, 2022 December 19.</ref> He is an opponent of diversity and multiculturalism and has complained about seeing [[interracial]] relationships between black men and white women on British television.<ref name="diversity"/><ref name="BBC"/><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOBnW14SCU History Debunked: Multiculturalism is Not Part of Britain's History -- So Why Do We Pretend It Was?], Simon Webb (History Debunked), youtube.com, 2021 November 7</ref> Unsurprisingly, his video comments sections are rife with racists, [[white supremacists]], [[Antisemitism|antisemites]], [[Islamophobia|Islamophobes]], [[transphobes]], conspiracy theorists, [[anti-vaxxers]], and just about every collective crowd of far-right bigots you can think of.

Prior to his ''History Debunked'' YouTube series, Webb ran a small blog on [[homeschooling]] called "Home Education Heretic". While the blog did detail his experiences homeschooling his children, the vast majority of it was devoted to often-strange criticisms of the very British homeschool movement he was part of, particularly what he saw as its commitment to "so-called autonomous educators."<ref>[http://homeeducationheretic.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-heretic.html "Why Heretic?"], by Simon Webb, Home Education Heretic, 2009 August 2</ref>

In March 2024, in response to this article exposing Webb's racist views, he removed his offensive video "The BBC are obsessed with the idea of black men and white women, preferably blondes…" from his YouTube channel in an attempt to prevent damage to his "reputation", if he had such a thing.<ref name="BBC"/> He also deleted a video he made criticizing [[trans rights]].

==Views==
Several arguments made by Simon Webb in his videos include:
* The idea of pre-colonial [[Africa]]n civilizations is a fairy tale invented in the 1980s to appease the black diaspora.
* The original Africans were white and [[The Great Replacement|were displaced]] and [[White genocide|wiped out by the Bantu in a genocide]].
* The crime statistics committed by black people are [[Post hoc, ergo propter hoc|due to ethnicity]].
* [[Multiculturalism]] is like [[Colonialism|colonialism]].
* Diversity is destroying [[Ireland]]'s identity as a Catholic nation.<ref>[https://www.lotuseaters.com/the-planned-destruction-of-irelands-cultural-identity-3-11-23 "The Planned Destruction of Ireland’s Cultural Identity"] by Simon Webb, LotusEaters.com, 2023 November 3</ref>
* [[Islamophobia]] does not exist.
* Western civilization is responsible for everything.
* [[Climate change]] is essentially a religion among atheists.
* The reasons for the homicide rate in the UK are due to immigration.
* [[Gaza]] is not a concentration camp, because it has luxurious hotels.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlpUnNzFxr8 "The truth about Gaza that you will not see on television or be told about by the newspapers"], Simon Webb (History Debunked), 2023 November 6</ref>

===African history===
{{sbs|title=1|Simon Webb's Video|RationalWiki response}}

{{sbs|1=In the video '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w1UzHVLdk8 Ancient civilizations of Africa]''''', Simon Webb attempts to lay out an argument that combined [[colonialism]] apologia with a selective depiction of African architecture in order to advance the [[racist]] position that "[[African]] culture" is inferior to European culture and that pre-colonial Africa was populated solely by primitive ignoble savages. 

Using [[cherry-picking]], Webb attempts to contrast selective shots of {{wpl|Great Zimbabwe}} with European architecture such as {{wpl|Salisbury Cathedral||,}} as well as contrasting a random small African sculpture with Michelangelo's {{wpl|Pietà (Michelangelo)|Pietà|.}} Webb claims that "the art of Africa" is simple enough to "easily be knocked out by high school people in Britain or America", essentially attempting to argue that European art is superior due to purported greater complexity. In a similar styled argument, Webb also complains that in British education systems, Western {{wpl|classical music}} was being overlooked in favor of teaching "African drumming". 

Next, Webb proclaims that the idea of pre-colonial civilizations in Sub-Saharan Africa was a myth invented in the 1980s. To attempt to prove that claim, he shows a book about ancient civilizations by Arthur Cotterell and claims that African civilizations are nowhere mentioned in the book. 

Webb then proceeds to claim that the [[Mali]] empire was entirely fictional, or at the least, hardly an example of a civilization. To "prove" this, Webb claims that the {{wpl|Great Mosque of Djenné}} is ''not'' an example of {{wpl|Sudano-Sahelian architecture||.}} Instead, he claims that the French colonials were responsible for the mosque's re-construction in 1907. To demonstrate the supposed inferiority of pre-colonial African architecture, he shows a picture of the mosque's remains before it was reconstructed. He then concludes that Sub-Saharan Africa was completely absent of civilization prior to European colonialism, due to the absence of writing and wheels.

Webb repeats many of these same arguments in '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVQqfS3bJ1s Three famous African civilisations]'''''. Additionally, he also disparages sub-Sahara Africa for purportedly not having a written language, roads, buildings with upper stories, or wheels. In addition, he additionally advances his argument that Mali was purportedly uncivilized prior to colonial conquest, claiming that the culture of Mali was not created by black sub-Saharan Africans but by the {{wpl|Berbers}} and Arabs, and also claiming that Mali "did not become important until 600 years after the Arab conquest of North Africa". Webb also poo-poohs claims that Mali's {{wpl|Sankoré Madrasah}} was the "oldest university" as is claimed by some.

In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_2K9KO_AM A brief history of Africa]''''', Webb continues on similar themes. Webb claims that African art was limited to "a few scratches on a rock". Repeating many of the purported lack of technology claims Webb made in other videos, Webb also lists several [[Industrial Revolution]] inventions that Africa lacked until colonization. Webb re-asserts that Africa was, for the most part, purportedly still stuck in the {{wpl|Stone Age}} until colonization.
 
|2=Firstly, as noted, Webb engaged in major [[cherry-picking]]. For instance, in the first video, the images that Webb used of the Great Zimbabwe ruins were of a single wall. This is hardly representative of the entire site as a whole. In addition, Webb ignored many other world-renowned examples of {{wpl|Architecture of Africa|African architecture}} and art, such as those of Ethiopia ({{wpl|Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela}}), the Kingdom of Benin ({{wpl|Benin Bronzes}}) and the Ashanti empire ({{wpl|Asante Traditional Buildings}}). 

Even though Cotterell's encyclopedia did indeed overlook far too many ancient African civilizations (at least in its 1988 edition),<ref>Cotterell, A. [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofan00cott/mode/2up "The Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations"], Penguin Books, 1988, digitized at the Internet Archive</ref> the book ''does'' includes a whole section on ancient [[Egyptian]] civilization — which, of course, was in Egypt, an African country. 

The omission of the rest of Africa from Cotterell's encyclopedia has a simple explanation. When the first edition was published in 1980, Western scholarly research was ''very'' limited on Africa. This was undoubtedly much due to the [[colonialism]] prejudice of the historians of the past. For example, in 1963, English historian {{wpl|Hugh Trevor-Roper}} insisted to listeners of his BBC radio series on world history that one needn't consider Africa as "there is only the unrewarding gyrations of barbarous tribes in picturesque but irrelevant corners of the globe."<ref>Stahl, Ann Brower. “Africa in the World: (Re)centering African History through Archaeology.” Journal of Anthropological Research 70 (2014): 5 - 33.</ref>

Webb's claims about the diminished influence of classical music in British academia in favor of "African drumming" is made without evidence. A glance at a sample structure of the music curriculum at the {{wpl|University of Oxford}}<ref>[https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/music Music, course structure, Oxford University, 2023 November 30]</ref> suggests that Western classical music still is a major portion of the curriculum at one of England's top tier universities. Webb's appeal to complexity argument ignores aspects of African art that have their own unique complexities, such as the polyphony and polyrhythms found in traditional African music. These elements have even been admired by Western classical composers such as {{wpl|György Ligeti||.}}<ref>Taylor, Stephen Andrew. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/41700061?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents Ligeti, Africa and Polyrhythm.]” The World of Music, vol. 45, no. 2, 2003, pp. 83–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41700061. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.</ref>

Multiple historians have done extensive documentation on pre-colonial African civilization, <ref name="ehrethistory"/><ref>John Iliffe, [https://books.google.com/books/about/Africans.html?id=bNGN2URP_rUC "Africans: The History of a Continent"], Cambrige University Press, 2007</ref> including the Mali empire that Webb claims does not exist.<ref name="mali">Patricia McKissack, Pat McKissack, Fredrick McKissack [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Royal_Kingdoms_of_Ghana_Mali_and_Son.html?id=Pk-bZMS_KdUC "The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa"], Macmillan, 1995</ref> It's pretty obvious that Webb's claim that there is "no evidence" for the Mali empire is 100% [[bullshit]].
 
It is true that the current Mosque of Djenné, originally built in the thirteenth century, was a reconstruction built in 1907. Little is known about what the mosque actually originally looked like before the reconstruction; the mosque underwent severe decay in the 19th century due to the conquest of Djenné by {{wpl|Seku Amadu||.}} However, contemporary historical accounts are skeptical that the French had much, if any, involvement in designing the new mosque. Most sources credit the design of the mosque to Ismaila Traoré, who was the head of Djenné’s mason guild at the time the mosque was built.<ref>Bourgeois, Jean-Louis. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3336477?origin=crossref “The History of the Great Mosques of Djenné.”] African Arts, vol. 20, no. 3, 1987, pp. 54–92. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3336477. Accessed 13 Feb. 2024.</ref>

Independent invention of writing is rare in human history. A common consensus is that a full writing system was independently invented only four times in human history: {{wpl|Cuneiform}} (Sumeria), {{wpl|Egyptian hieroglyphs||,}} {{wpl|written Chinese||,}} and {{wpl|Olmec hieroglyphs}} ({{wpl|Mesoamerica}}).<ref>Chen, Kuang Yu. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/27123424 TIME AND LANDSCAPE AT THE BEGINNING OF CHINESE WRITING.]” Journal of Chinese Linguistics, vol. 48, no. 2, 2020, pp. 323–41. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27123424. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref> It seems strange to try to make the claim that a lack of an independent writing system proves that Africa was a backwater; the European continent he champions also lacked such.

Most of Webb's other technical superiority claims are simply [[bullshit]]. To give just a few examples: pre-colonial {{wpl|Bokoni}} society in [[South Africa]] notably had networks of stone-wall lined cattle roads.<ref>Widgren, Mats, et al. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/44296868 Precolonial Agricultural Terracing in Bokoni, South Africa: Typology and an Exploratory Excavation.]” Journal of African Archaeology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2016, pp. 33–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44296868. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref> The Ashanti Empire had {{wpl|Roads of the Ashanti Empire|an extensive road network}} prior to colonization.<ref>Wilks, Ivor. Asante in the nineteenth century : the structure and evolution of a political order / Ivor Wilks Cambridge University Press London ; New York 1975</ref> Multiple European visitors to Africa prior to full colonization have documented the existence of multi-story buildings — among them {{wpl|Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park}}<ref>Hinchman, Mark. “House and Household on Gorée, Senegal, 1758-1837.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, vol. 65, no. 2, 2006, pp. 174. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/25068263. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref> and {{wpl|Thomas Edward Bowdich||.}}<ref>Bowdich, T. Edward. [https://ia904506.us.archive.org/28/items/missionfromcapec00bowd/missionfromcapec00bowd.pdf Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a statistical account of that kingdom, and geographical notices of other parts of the interior of Africa.] London, J. Murray, 1819. pp. 306</ref> While the general lack of wheeled transport in much of sub-Saharan Africa pre-colonial history is indeed a notable curiousity, the technology was known to Africa through trade contacts, and was used some in {{wpl|Dahomey}} and a few other locations.<ref>Law, Robin. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159117?read-now=1&seq=6#page_scan_tab_contents Wheeled Transport in Pre-Colonial West Africa.]” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, vol. 50, no. 3, 1980, pp. 249–62. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1159117. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref>

The Mali Empire was founded by a West African ethnic group called the {{wpl|Mandinka people||;}} his insistence on an "Arab conquest" bringing about Mali's importance is unclear and seemingly unsupported by the country's actual history.<ref name="mali"/>

Technically speaking, Sankoré Madrasah was not a "university" in a modern Western sense. It was a {{wpl|madrasa||,}} and reflects Islamic teaching traditions, which tend to be individually driven rather than institutionally driven. The "university" nickname has been applied by some people merely to reflect the relatively advanced nature of scholarship that was occurring there.<ref>Hunwick JO. Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa’di’s Ta’rikh Al-Sudan down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents. Brill Academic Publishers; 2003. pp. lviii</ref> While Webb might be "technically correct" that Sankoré Madrasah is ''not'' what would be commonly thought of as a university, it still is a fine example of a historical non-European educational institution.

Regarding metalworking, there is good evidence that as early as 2000 BC, the {{wpl|Agadez Region}} of Niger learned how to work with copper.<ref>Herbert, Eugenia W. Red Gold of Africa: Copper in Precolonial History and Culture. The University of Wisconsin Press, 2003.</ref> Even more striking (as it conflicts with the stereotype of Africa being a passive receiver of inventions that Webb promotes), while the exact details remain complex and difficult to determine, the current historical consensus suggests that at least two parts of sub-Saharan Africa, northern Nigeria and the African Great Lakes region, appeared to independently invent at least some aspects of the smelting and forging of iron as far back as 1000 BCE.<ref name="ehrethistory"/><ref>Stanley B. Alpern (2005). Did They or Didn't They Invent It? Iron in SubSaharan Africa . History in Africa, 32, pp 41-94 doi:10.1353/hia.2005.0003</ref> After these developments, ironworking spread throughout the continent of Africa.<ref name="ehrethistory"/> This contradicts Webb's claim that Africa generally was mostly using stone tools.

It is worth nothing that there are other technologies that Webb ignored where Africa played a significant early role. For instance, cotton weaving began along the middle reaches of the Nile River around 5000 BCE.<ref name="ehrethistory"/> An earlier textile technology, that of weaving {{wpl|Kuba textiles|raffia cloth|,}} appears to go further back then that.<ref name="ehrethistory"/>

Now, it is very true that Africa has not been much of a factor in developing any of the technologies of the [[Industrial Revolution]] so far. However, this does not mean that Africa in the future will ''never'' play any role; it can take time for technology to spread. The Industrial Revolution started exclusively in [[Britain]] in the late 1700s, eventually spreading into the [[United States]] and Western Europe in the mid 1800s. Then, other Western colonies (such as [[Canada]] and [[Australia]]) along with [[Japan]] and [[Russia]] picked up on these technologies in the late 1800s. In the 1960s and 1970s, {{wpl|Pacific Rim}} countries (including [[China]]) industrialized. In the 1990s, [[Turkey]], [[India]], and parts of Latin America (such as [[Brazil]]) industrialized.<ref>Stearns, P. N. (2018). The industrial revolution in world history. pp 2 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429494475</ref> Some countries (e.g. Japan) that at one point had a reputation for being shoddy producers of copycat junk eventually became known for high-quality manufacturing.<ref>Ozawa, Terutomo. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/2642684 Japan’s Technological Challenge to the West: At a New Crossroads.]” Asian Survey, vol. 14, no. 6, 1974, pp. 578–87. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2642684. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref> It is worth noting that many historians and others in similar fields believe that "de-industrialization" was an aspect of [[colonialism]], e.g. the impact of colonialization on the colony's native industries was quite negative.<ref>Prabirjit Sarkar (1992) De-industrialisation through colonial trade, Journal of Contemporary Asia, 22:3, 297-302, DOI: 10.1080/00472339280000211</ref> While Africa has lagged in contributing to the Industrial Revolution of the past (perhaps in part due to leftover colonial headaches), some analysts see a bright future for Africa regarding their contributions to the Industrial Revolutions of the future.<ref>[https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-and-digitization-will-transform-africa-into-a-global-powerhouse/ "The Fourth Industrial Revolution and digitization will transform Africa into a global powerhouse"] by Njuguna Ndung’u and Landry Signé, Brookings, 2020 January 8</ref>}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89zkZOSq9jQ Aksum, an ancient kingdom in Africa]''''', Webb argues that the existence of the historical {{wpl|Kingdom of Aksum}} (in what is now modern [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]]), despite clearly being an ancient civilization located in Africa, is actually purportedly ''not'' an ancient indigenous African civilization. According to Webb, this was because Aksum was colonized by Semites from [[Yemen]], thus purportedly making the Aksum kingdom a mere colony of these regions. Webb then attempts to support his argument by explaining that even though he knows no words of the {{wpl|Tigrinya language||,}} he came across an article describing the {{wpl|Beta Samati}} excavation, and believes that there are [[Hebrew]] influences in that name. Somewhat off topic, Webb also insinuates that "most educated Ethiopians don't think much of African languages", stating (without evidence) that educated Ethiopians look down on the {{wpl|Oromo language}} (favoring the {{wpl|Amharic}} or Tigrinia languages) simply due to its purported African origins.
|2=It is true that Aksum, prior to its foundation as a kingdom, did have significant Semitic influences, notably from the {{wpl|Sabaeans||.}} However, this did not negate Aksum from being an African civilization. According to Ethiopian historian Dr. Stuart Munro-Hay, the Sabaean influence was more one of "cultural sympathy" — there was significant mutual links between the Sabaeans and indigenous Ethiopian rulers, but there is no evidence for Sabaean political dominance, and Sabaean influence was restricted to a limited geographical area. <ref>Munro-Hay, S. C. (Stuart C.), 1947-2004. [https://archive.org/details/aksumafricancivi0000munr/page/62/mode/2up "Aksum : an African civilisation of late antiquity"]. Edinburgh University Press, 1991, pp 62-66. Access at the Internet Archive on 2024-02-13</ref>

It is true that the Oromo language is looked down upon by at least some of those historically in power in Ethiopia, but in such cases, it would be more likely due to a century-long conflict with the {{wpl|Ethiopian Empire||.}} The state of {{wpl|Oromia}} was once independent, but was then brutally conquered by Ethiopia (then Abyssinia) in the late 19th century.<ref name="hassenoromo">Hassen, Mohammed. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/41931279?read-now=1&seq=8#page_scan_tab_contents Conquest, Tyranny, and Ethnocide against the Oromo: A Historical Assessment of Human Rights Conditions in Ethiopia, ca. 1880s-2002.]” Northeast African Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2002, pp. 15–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41931279. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.</ref> In particular, the brutal dictatorship of {{wpl|Haile Selassie}} sought a policy of "Amharization", with the goal of ensuring the dominanc of {{wpl|Amharic}} culture and the power of the Amhara elite. To implement this, the Oromo language, along with multiple aspects of Oromo culture and identity, were banned entirely.<ref name="hassenoromo"/> Due to this violent suppression, the {{wpl|Oromo Liberation Front}} was formed in 1973. The following year, Selassie's government was overthrown, replaced with a military junta known as the {{wpl|Derg||.}} Throughout their rule, the Derg fought with the Oromo population (along with ''many'' other insurgencies).<ref>Jacob Wiebel (2022) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2021.1992928?scroll=top&needAccess=true "Atrocities in Revolutionary Ethiopia, 1974-79: Towards a Comparative Analysis",] Journal of Genocide Research, 24:1, 134-147, DOI: 10.1080/14623528.2021.1992928</ref> Conflict continues in the Oromo region as of May 2023.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/21/ethiopia-oromiya-oromo-amhara/ "Rebel or bandit? His life illuminates Ethiopia’s hidden insurgency."] by Katharina Hourald, Washington Post, 2023 May 21</ref>

Although Oromo is part of the {{wpl|Cushitic}} language family, and Amharic and Tigrinia are part of the {{wpl|Semitic languages|Semitic}} language family, both Semitic and Cushitic languages fall under a wider umbrella of languages known as {{wpl|Afroasiatic languages||.}} No consensus exists on the origin of proto-Afroasiatic languages, albeit somewhere in the Middle East or Africa is most likely.<ref>Frajzyngier, Zygmunt; Shay, Erin (2012). "Introduction". In Frajzyngier, Zygmunt; Shay, Erin (eds.). ''The Afroasiatic Languages''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 13–14.</ref> Nonetheless, it is strange to try to imply that one Ethiopian language is "African" (and thus [[racism|inferior]]) and one is not (and thus superior). Ultimately, all three aforementioned languages are part of the same language family and thus have the same point of origin, regardless of where it was.
}}

{{sbs|1=In the videos '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYO-Fj4WRTI&t=361s What do we mean by 'civilisation'?]''''' and '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2O0n0g1CGI Were Benin and Great Zimbabwe African civilisations?]''''', in response to the release of a PBS series called ''{{wpl|Africa's Greatest Civilizations||,}}'' Webb claims that double standards are being applied to Sub-Saharan Africa in regards to the concept of cities and civilizations. He cites Great Zimbabwe and Benin as prime examples of African societies being erroneously categorized as cities and civilizations, while also citing several superficially comparable sites such as the {{wpl|Tower of Jericho}} (which Webb insists is "more sophisticated" than Great Zimbabwe), the pre-Roman ''{{wpl|Oppidum}}'' settlements and {{wpl|Jarlshof}} as examples of settlements not classified as cities to back up his claims of African double standards.

<br><br>Webb declares that the term "civilization" should encompass several criteria, [[PIDOOMA|at least according to him]]: a written language; a substantial populace living in cities; roads; and political structure. Citing Roman poet {{wpl|Claudian}} and his depiction of [[Britain]] in Roman times as savage barbarians,<ref>Carlson, David R. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/24560485|CLAUDIAN’S BRITAIN AND EMPIRE, 395–402 C.E.]” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 134, no. 2, 2013, pp. 305–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24560485. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.</ref> he concludes that since pre-Roman Britain lacked what he considered to be the criteria for cities (depicting such settlements as a "collection of huts... all surrounded by defensive palisades, earth banks and ditches"), similar civilization structures in Sub-Saharan Africa shouldn't be considered cities, either. He further elaborates that since both Great Zimbabwe and Benin purportedly lacked both written records and political structure, this too exempts them from any merit of being categorized as cities. He also claims that the reasons for the double standards are due to historians expanding the definition to African settlements to avoid causing offense to the black diaspora.

|2=As perhaps clearly demonstrated by the pseudohistory of Webb, the term "civilization" has historically been used in problematic ways. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the term "civilization" was used in Europe and America to justify a separation of countries into "civilized" societies, and "savage" or "barbarous" societies. Naturally, using [[racialist]] [[social Darwinism]] tinged reasoning, "savage" and "barbarous" people (including not just Africans, but [[Asians]] and [[Native Americans]]) were treated as "unequal" to the supposedly superior "white race". This ethos was used to justify [[colonialism]].<ref name="Heraclides">{{cite book |last1=Heraclides |first1=Alexis |last2=Dialla |first2=Ada |title=Humanitarian Intervention in the Long Nineteenth Century: Setting the Precedent |date=2015 |publisher=Manchester University Press |pages=31–56 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1mf71b8.7 |chapter=3 Eurocentrism, ‘civilization’ and the ‘barbarians’|doi=10.2307/j.ctt1mf71b8.7 }}</ref>

By the 1960s, many historians saw the problems with the loaded nature of previous definitions of "civilization", and sought to come up with categorizations that were non-judgmental and merely descriptive characteristics.<ref name="csbhistory">[https://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/6.3/brown.html "What Is a Civilization, Anyway?"] by Cynthia Stokes Brown, World History Connected, 2009</ref> "Big History" historian and educator {{wpl|Cynthia Stokes Brown||,}} for instance, came up with the following short list of characteristics in 2009:<ref name="csbhistory"/>

* Surplus food
* Density of population
* Stratified social ranks
* Coerced tribute
* State systems
* Accumulated learning

Even within this list, Brown acknowledged that a civilization did not necessarily have to contain all the bullet points on the list to be called a civilization.<ref name="csbhistory"/>

The exact definition of "city" has proven to be even more difficult for historians to come up with. As classical scholar {{wpl|Moses Finley}} noted in an essay on [[Greek]] city states, "neither geographers nor sociologists nor historians have succeeded in agreeing on a definition. Yet we all know sufficiently what we mean by the label, in general terms".<ref>Finley, M. I. (1981a) ‘[https://archive.org/details/economysocietyin00finl/page/4/mode/2up The ancient city: from Fustel de Coulanges to Max Weber and beyond’, in Finley, Economy and society in Ancient Greece.] Ed. with an introduction by B. D. Shaw and R. P. Saller. London, 5-6.</ref> Urbanism has many faces depending on the culture, and perhaps the only characteristic that can be universally used to describes a city is that it is relatively large and relatively dense.<ref>1. Zuiderhoek A. [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/ancient-city/introduction-the-ancient-city-as-concept-and-reality/D8D0CB3F238E0C66623D6C93A8F033EE Introduction: The Ancient City as Concept and Reality.] In: The Ancient City. Key Themes in Ancient History. Cambridge University Press; 2016:1-19.</ref> Historians do not exclude cities based on a lack of writing, political structure, or the "wrong" kind of building architecture.

Thus, there are many examples of communities that ''actual'' historians would consider "civilizations" and "cities", while failing to meet Webb's narrow criteria. A prominent example of such a civilization is the {{wpl|Inca Empire||.}} By "classic" standards, the Inca empire lacked many of the customs and standards of European civilization. The Incas lacked wheels, animals to ride and plow, a system of writing, and knowledge of iron and steel. Nonetheless, the empire had surplus food; huge flocks of domestic animals; many towns and settlements; a 38,600km highway system; excellent gold, bronze and silver metallurgists; and a sophisticated political and economic structure. Anthropologist Gordon McEwan characterized the Inca empire as "one of the greatest imperial states in human history" due to the above.<ref>McEwan, Gordon F. [https://archive.org/details/incasnewperspect0000mcew_s0b8 The Incas: New Perspectives.] New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. pp 3-5</ref>

Even the civilizations and cities Webb disparages certainly would qualify as such by most historians. The {{wpl|Kingdom of Benin}} had advanced political structures, urbanized lifestyles, monumental architecture and sculpture, and an extensive trade network (including trade with Europe.)<ref name="ehrethistory">Christopher Ehret. The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800. 2nd edition. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016.</ref> Greater Zimbabwe was a complex of stone-walled structures that probably was the largest settlement in sub-Saharan Africa before European colonization, with a population of between 12,000 to 20,000. The city contained monumental architecture, a distinct social structure, marketplaces, many artisans, extensive wealth, and an extensive trade network (including trade with Europe).<ref>Ndoro W. The preservation and presentation of Great Zimbabwe. Antiquity. 1994;68(260):616-623. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00047128</ref><ref>Pikirayi, Innocent. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/43491297 Great Zimbabwe in Historical Archaeology: Reconceptualizing Decline, Abandonment, and Reoccupation of an Ancient Polity, A.D. 1450-1900.]” Historical Archaeology, vol. 47, no. 1, 2013, pp. 26–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43491297. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.</ref>
}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4olddwkE0f8 Rhodesia and Zimbabwe; the end of colonialism in Africa]''''', Webb states that Rhodesia was living a significantly more prosperous life than Zimbabwe and that the reasons for the latter's collapse is primarily attributed to the new government's reluctance to utilize economic complexity, due to animosity to the ideas of the white population. He then concludes that the unwillingness to economically plan ahead and delaying gratification, which he describes as "white ideas", are what led to the purported "failure" of most Sub-Saharan African countries since the end of colonialism.
|2=There is little question that the rule and policies of [[Robert Mugabe]] were a disaster for [[Zimbabwe]]. However, Webb fails to provide any historical context beyond his ill-thought out [[racist]] interpretation. 

Prior to 1965, Rhodesia was a colony of the [[United Kingdom]]. In 1962, the right-wing white minority-rule anti-decolonization {{wpl|Rhodesian Front}} political party took over the government. This party was distinctively more populist than previous governments, characterized by fierce anti-[[communism]], [[nationalism]], a viewpoint that Britain was in decline, and more than a whiff of [[white supremacy]]. In defiance of London, in 1965, the Rhodesian Front issued {{wpl|Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence||,}} signaling their intention to unilaterally break from the United Kingdom. What the Rhodesian Front didn't count on was that such an announcement would also radicalize the two Zimbabwe nationalist movements active at the time, {{wpl|Zimbabwe African People's Union}} (ZAPU) and {{wpl|Zimbabwe African National Union}} (ZANU), the later which was led by Mugabe. Denied a peaceful route to power, the Zimbabwe nationalist movements resorted to using violence. This resulted in a protracted, extremely bloody, and cruel conflict between white Rhodesians and the black nationalist movements in the late 1960s and 1970s. ({{wpl|Rhodesian Bush War}}) The Rhodesian Front's reign in power (and the Bush War) ended when all sides agreed to hold an election in 1980. ({{wpl|Lancaster House Agreement}}) Mugabe won the election and became the first prime minister of Zimbabwe.<ref>Lowry, Donal. “The Impact of Anti-communism on White Rhodesian Political Culture, ca.1920s–1980.” Cold War History 7 (2007): 169 - 194.</ref><ref name="onslowmug">Onslow, Sue, and Sean Redding. “[[https://www.jstor.org/stable/43134191 Wasted Riches: Robert Mugabe and the Desolation of Zimbabwe.]” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 10, no. 1, 2009, pp. 63–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43134191. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.</ref>

It is worth noting that Webb's inference regarding the purported poor economy of ''all'' sub-Sahara African decolonized colonies from a single example is a [[hasty generalization]], and that Webb's conclusions are overly simplistic (and [[racist]] to boot). It is true that until 2000, the economic performance of post-colonial Africa overall was sluggish. But it is also true that no other continent experienced colonialism to such a far-reaching degree as Africa did.<ref name="eercolonial"/> In 1867, {{wpl|Dadabhai Naoroji}} came up what is now known as the "drain theory", which characterized the economy of a colony as one that primarily exists to transfer ("drain") capital to the colonizers.<ref name="eercolonial"/><ref>J. V. Naik. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4411389 “Forerunners of Dadabhai Naoroji’s Drain Theory.”] Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 36, no. 46/47, 2001, pp. 4428–32. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4411389. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.</ref><ref>Dadabhai Naoroji. [https://archive.org/details/povertyandunbri00naorgoog/page/n12/mode/2up “Poverty and un-British rule in India.”] Delhi : Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1962. Digitized at the Internet Archive</ref> Some studies have quantified that at least some of Africa's sluggish growth can be explained by the challenges transforming an economy from a colonial based one (that exists solely to be exploited by a colonial master) into an economy of an independent state.<ref name="eercolonial">Bertocchi, Graziella & Canova, Fabio, 2002. "[https://www.crei.cat/wp-content/uploads/users/pages/colmagro.pdf Did colonization matter for growth?: An empirical exploration into the historical causes of Africa's underdevelopment]," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1851-1871, December.</ref> Despite these challenges, post-independence growth in many African countries exceeded pre-independence growth after independence.<ref name="eercolonial"/> In present times, growth in Africa has improved. Between 2000 and 2010, real GDP in Africa grew at an average rate of 5.1 percent. Although growth slowed between 2010 and 2020 to 3.3 percent per year, several individual African nations' GDP nonetheless managed to continue growing during that period at an average rate of between 5 and 10 percent.<ref>[https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/reimagining-economic-growth-in-africa-turning-diversity-into-opportunity "Reimagining economic growth in Africa: Turning diversity into opportunity"] By Mayowa Kuyoro, Acha Leke, Olivia White, Lola Woetzel, Kartik Jayaram, and Kendyll Hicks, McKinsey Global Institute, 2023 June 5</ref>

In Zimbabwe, one key issue highlights the challenges involved in de-colonialization: land. Despite being a small minority, whites dominated the commercial farming business. In 2000, whites owned 70% of the most fertile land, despite being just .6% of the population.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/692638.stm "Britain's troubles with Mugabe"] by Emma Batha, BBC, 2000 April 3</ref><ref name="onslowmug"/> This injustice was created through a long series of racist land ownership laws going as far back as 1930, when the British colonists of Rhodesia passed the {{wpl|Land Apportionment Act of 1930||.}} This act allocated over half the land in Rhodesia to colonists, making it explicitly illegal for natives to purchase.<ref>Victor E.M. Machingaidze. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/219092? Agrarian Change from above: The Southern Rhodesia Native Land Husbandry Act and African Response.]” The International Journal of African Historical Studies, vol. 24, no. 3, 1991, pp. 557–88. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/219092. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.</ref> During Mugabe's 37 years at the top of Zimbabwe's government, Mugabe made many economic mistakes, and displayed a propensity for political thuggery, which perhaps to a degree reflects his original background as a nationalist revolutionary.<ref name="onslowmug"/> Mugabe's violent land seizures in the early 2000s, which were partially done for political reasons, is considered one of the more important factors that triggered Zimbabwe's economic meltdown in the mid-2000s.<ref name="zimbmelt">Moss, Todd. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/45289693 Zimbabwe’s Meltdown: Anatomy of a Peacetime Economic Collapse.]” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, vol. 31, no. 2, 2007, pp. 133–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45289693. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.</ref><ref name="onslowmug"/> Unfortunately, Mugabe's economic disaster helps enforce a glamorized, whitewashed, ''cause célèbre'' narrative for [[white supremacists]] on Rhodesia and the Bush War, in a manner reminiscent of the [[Lost Cause of the South]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/magazine/rhodesia-zimbabwe-white-supremacists.html "Rhodesia’s Dead — but White Supremacists Have Given It New Life Online"] by John Ismay, New York Times Magazine, 2018 April 10</ref><ref>[https://time.com/6180611/white-power-mercenaries-fighting-the-lost-cause/ "The White Power Mercenaries Fighting For the Lost Cause Around the World"] by Brian Castner, Time, 2022 June 1</ref> More sober analysts, however, tend to recognize that Zimbabwe's past injustices harm the present economy, and that while Mugabe's forced land reform policies were very harmful to Zimbabwe, implementing some sort of land reform is necessary to help undo a harmful artifact of Zimbabwe's colonial period.<ref name="zimbmelt"/>
}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USUstWcr7As Rudyard Kipling; the archetypal British imperialist]''''', before reciting ''{{wpl|The White Man's Burden}}'' by Rudyard Kipling, Webb claims that Sub-Saharan Africa (including countries such as [[Nigeria]] and Ghana) was still in the Stone Age prior to European arrival, and that the cities and infrastructure throughout the continent was entirely the work of British colonialism, while also stressing his patriotism towards the British Empire.

|2=The arguments that Webb uses are not untypical of those who defend colonialism. Colonialism apologists tend to promote the paradigm that pre-colonial colonies were backwaters with no culture, education, commerce, craft, or serious agriculture, and that the colonizers actually provided great benefit via the spread of "civilization" and the benefits of the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Such viewpoints tend to be Eurocentric, and also ignore the wide variety of trade, craft, and culture that was occurring in pre-colonialization countries.<ref name="nexploit"/> It is no surprise that Webb is fond of Kipling's ''The White Man's Burden'', which even at the time of publication in 1899 was widely seen as pro-[[imperialism]] and pro-[[white supremacy]], and was subject to numerous parodies by those opposed to such.<ref>Brantlinger, Patrick. "Kipling's "The White Man's Burden" and Its Afterlives." English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, vol. 50 no. 2, 2007, p. 172-191. Project MUSE, https://doi.org/10.1353/elt.2007.0017.</ref>

<br><br>Historians who are critical of colonialism argue that although European colonial powers (such as the British Empire) were indeed responsible for the abolition of slavery in the colonies and the development of infrastructure, by and large they did not come to Africa with the specific intentions to import democracy or end famines and epidemics. Rather, they came to Africa to exploit the continent's natural resources, while also drawing artificial borders to the present-day states with complete disregard to ethnic and religious boundaries.<ref>Griffiths, Ieuan. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/634762 The Scramble for Africa: Inherited Political Boundaries.]” The Geographical Journal, vol. 152, no. 2, 1986, pp. 204–16. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/634762. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.</ref><ref name="nexploit">[Fálolá, Tóyìn. “https://archive.org/details/britainnigeriaex0000unse/ Britain and Nigeria: Exploitation or Development.]” (1986).</ref><ref>[https://aeon.co/essays/the-british-empire-was-built-on-slavery-then-grew-by-antislavery "The emancipated Empire"] by Padraic Scanlan, Aeon, 2021 October 22</ref> In fact, some historians have gone further and argued that despite the infrastructure advancements, colonialism overall resulted in economic ''underdevelopment'', as such infrastructure's purpose was exploitative and was entirely done for the economic benefit of the colonizing countries, with little benefit for the native population.<ref>Rodney, Walter. [https://archive.org/details/how-europe-underdeveloped-africa-pdfdrive.com How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.] Verso Books, 2018.</ref>
}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWoO-xSGCpo What did colonialism do for Africa?]''''', Webb claims that European colonialism is being unfairly denounced before stating that Africans would not have progressed beyond spears and harpoons had it not been for the introduction of schools, hospitals and infrastructure by European colonials.
|2=Webb seems to associate colonialism as being synonymous with technological advancements, without considering consequences of colonialism, such as exploitation of economic resources and implantation of settlers into conquered territories. In addition, his statement about the history of technological development among Africans is erroneous, as various African nations also developed swords, knives, axes, crossbows and other advanced tools.<ref name="ehrethistory"/> For newer technologies, just because European colonialism was responsible for much of the continent's Industrial Age infrastructures and modernized cities doesn't mean that the process was necessarily good for the indigenous peoples. One thing Webb seems to ignore is the various atrocities committed against the African population by the Europeans. Examples of such include Belgian king Leopold II's "voracious" administration over the [[Congo Free State]] ({{wpl|Atrocities in the Congo Free State}})<ref>Viaene, Vincent. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/591110 King Leopold’s Imperialism and the Origins of the Belgian Colonial Party, 1860–1905.]” The Journal of Modern History, vol. 80, no. 4, 2008, pp. 741–90. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1086/591110. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.</ref> and the [[Herero and Nama genocide]] committed by the [[German Empire]].<ref>Haussler. Herero Genocide: War, Emotion, and Extreme Violence in Colonial Namibia. Berghahn Books, 2021</ref> For a comparable example, [[People's Republic of China|China]]'s justifications for annexing and occupying [[Tibet]] include the notion that it helped modernize the country by peacefully liberating it from the [[Dalai Lama]]'s theocratic, socially backward regime in which high-ranking monks exploited their serfs and deprived them of their wealth.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080515222305/http://english.gov.cn/official/2005-07/27/content_17564.htm "Tibet's March Toward Modernization"], Official Web Portal of the Chinese government, November 2001, archived on 2008 May 15</ref> The Tibetan government-in-exile's position on the PRC's stance is that the PRC was responsible "for bringing more suffering in the name of liberation", and the Tibetan people are quite capable of reforming their society without foreign aid. Another position of theirs is that China's occupation of Tibet is illegal regardless of the PRC's "peaceful liberation" position, as international law does not allow a nation "to invade, occupy, annex and colonize another country just because its social structure does not please it".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080410151700/http://www.tibet.com/WhitePaper/white4.html "Traditional society and democratic framework for future Tibet"], Office of Tibet, 1996 February 2, archived on 2008 April 10</ref>}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0M6kCmU1A0 Exploding the fairy tales of medieval civilisations in West Africa]''''', after a silly non-sequitur about a book titled ''Don't Touch My Hair'' by {{wpl|Emma Dabiri||,}} Webb analyzes the veracity of its claim that Benin City had public street lighting by lamps powered by palm oil. He then reads a book about Benin city published in 1903,<ref name="rothlamp">Roth, H. L. (1904). [https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/greatbeninitscus00roth Great Benin: its customs, art, and horrors.] The Geographical Journal, 23(3), 374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1775003</ref> citing that the book only revealed that the lamps were decorated around the king's palace during times of human sacrifices and did not reference anything about street lighting. He also claims that the lamps were introduced by the Portuguese in the 19th century and concludes that West Africa did not host any urbanized cities prior to European colonialism.|2=Even if it was true that Benin City lacked public street lighting and that the idea has been exaggerated, this does not negate the idea that West Africa had urbanized cities prior to European arrival. Other examples of West African cities aside from Benin City include {{wpl|Kumasi||,}} {{wpl|Abomey||,}} and {{wpl|Ifẹ||,}} all of which predate the era of European colonialism. 

While the history on how Benin acquired oil lamp technology is obscure, it is puzzling to be certain that the technology was acquired from Portugal in the 19th century, as Webb claims. {{wpl|Oil lamp|Oil lamps}} are one of humanity's oldest technologies; oil lamps have been found in many cultures (such as Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Tunisian, etc.)<ref>ROSENTHAL, RENATE, and RENEE SIVAN. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/43588148 ANCIENT LAMPS IN THE SCHLOESSINGER COLLECTION.]” Qedem, vol. 8, 1978, pp. 3–179. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43588148. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/collections/arch-anth/highlights/ancient_oil_lamps.html "Ancient Oil Lamps"], Archaeology and Anthropology Collections, Wesleyan University</ref> and have even been found in Stone Age cultures.<ref>ROBSON, HARRY K. et al. “[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-prehistoric-society/article/light-production-by-ceramic-using-huntergathererfishers-of-the-circumbaltic/C78FF12F0F2E2B59BCF8C585BF8E8F49 Light Production by Ceramic Using Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers of the Circum-Baltic.]” Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 88 (2022): 25–52. Web.</ref> Due to the wide variety of possibilities, without further evidence, the source of knowledge for constructing Benin's large palm oil lamps cannot be conclusively pointed towards any single culture.}}

{{sbs|1=In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7SJY0t9Ao We were kings...]''''', Webb argues that the Islamic settlements on the East African coast were not cities built by indigenous Africans, but rather Arabic slave ports established for the Indian Ocean slave trade, while also detailing the linguistic influences of Arabic on the Swahili language. He also claims that Sub-Saharan Africa lacked other stone structures.|2=It is incorrect to call the settlements of the {{wpl|Swahili coast}} at the zenith of its non-colonial period (approx. 900-1500) Arabic. The root of Swahili coast culture was the indigenous {{wpl|Bantu peoples|Bantu}} ethnic group. However, this group had significant Arab influences due to trade and immigration. It is important to note that Swahili coastal culture was more of a "melting pot"; while Arabs did immigrate to this region during this period, they largely adapted to existing African culture rather than imposing Arab culture on the Swahilis.<ref>Harries, Lyndon. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/1158023 The Arabs and Swahili Culture.]” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, vol. 34, no. 3, 1964, pp. 224–29. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1158023. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.</ref><ref>Pouwels, Randall L. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3097619 Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean to 1800: Reviewing Relations in Historical Perspective.]” The International Journal of African Historical Studies, vol. 35, no. 2/3, 2002, pp. 385–425. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3097619. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.</ref>   The first group who colonized these settlements were the Portuguese, who conquered the region in the early 1500s. The first fully Arabic influence came from the {{wpl|Omanis|Omani Arabs,}} who seized the Swahili Coast settlements from the Portuguese in the late 1600s.<ref>Boxer, C. R., & De Azevedo, C. A. (1961). Fort Jesus and the Portuguese in Mombasa 1593-1729. The Geographical Journal, 127(1), 104. https://doi.org/10.2307/1793219</ref>}}

Several of Webb's videos regarding the black diaspora involve him linking black crime statistics with ethnicity and accusing others of historical revisionism involving African history, where he claims that the concept of pre-colonial civilizations in Sub-Saharan Africa is merely a myth invented to appease the black population. In a now-deleted video, he also claimed that indigenous Africans were originally white.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20231112223601/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKeAKJC-i6k "Were the first Africans white?"], Simon Webb (History Debunked), Youtube.com, 2023 October 5</ref> Ironically, despite citing the "myths" of pre-colonial African civilizations like Great Zimbabwe and Benin as well as the Bantu expansion, he also claims that nothing has changed in Africa for the past 20-30,000 years.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_2K9KO_AM "A brief history of Africa"] by Simon Webb (History Debunked), youtube.com, 2021 April 20</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdDGp5Pj9Q8&t=3s "There is always something new out of Africa"] by Simon Webb (History Debunked), youtube.com, 2022 February 11</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13D2rocqOcU&t=70s "In sharp contrast to Europe, nothing has been invented in sub-Saharan Africa for 35,000 years"] by Simon Webb (History Debunked, 20203 June 19</ref> Several of his videos on African history were put under heavy scrutiny in history-oriented social media for cherry picking historical accounts to downplay the significance of African achievements and to preserve the [[Scramble for Africa#The "Dark Continent"|"Dark Continent"]] trope.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210427191710/https://www.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/ikxmpj/racist_arguments_about_african_civilizations_mali/ "Racist Arguments about 'African Civilizations': 'Mali didn't exist'."], r/badhistory, Reddit, 2020 September 1, archived on 2021 April 7</ref>

===African American history===
Unsurprisingly, Webb's [[cherry-picking|cherry picked]] [[white supremacist]] tinged viewpoint of history extends to [[African-American]] history too. In '''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4VL6tnLyBw The truth about the Tulsa race riot]''''', Webb tries to whitewash the [[Tulsa Race Massacre]]. 
* In the initial build-up to the riot on May 31, 1921, Webb significantly downplayed the role of the white lynch mob that surrounded the courthouse in instigating the riot. Webb suggests, without evidence, that the mob was unarmed, and that "the affair might very possibly have just died down" were it not for the initial arrival of approximately twenty-five (Webb incorrectly states fifty) armed African-Americans to offer their assistance in defending the accused teenager in the courthouse ({{wpl|Dick Rowland}}) from the mob. While these armed African-Americans indeed did electrify the white mob, there is no reason to suggest that the mob would've calmed down without their appearance. Indeed, without the commendable police protection of Rowland by sheriff Willard M. McCullough, it stands to reason that a lynching would have happened in a very similar manner to the then-recent 1920 Tulsa lynching of {{wpl|Roy Belton||.}}<ref name="tulsastart">Ellsworth, Scott. Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. "[https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf "Tulsa Race Riot"]. February 28, 2001. pp 60-63</ref> 
* After the arrival of the first group of armed African-Americans, Webb suggests that guardsmen "were called in to look after the black teenager, and things calmed down again". This is untrue. Some guardsmen were called to protect an armory that the mob was attempting to break into. By 9:30PM, the white mob outside the courthouse was 2000 strong and became increasingly tense. Rumors of the white mob storming the courthouse caused a second group of 75 armed African-Americans to show up; it was sometime after this point when the initial shot was fired, starting the riot.<ref name="tulsastart"/>
* Webb falsely claims, unsurprisingly, that it was the black men who were the first to open fire. The reality is far more nuanced. The initial shot was fired during a physical confrontation between an African American veteran and a white man of the mob. It is unclear whether or not whether this first shot was unintentional. What is clear that after the first shot, almost immediately, members of the white mob opened fire on the African American men, who returned volleys of their own. Webb also claims that this initial conflict caused the deaths of eight white men and two black men, which [[racism|for some reason]] he emphasizes as a key talking point. In reality, the exact number of deaths (let alone their racial composition) is not known.<ref name="tulsastart"/>
* Webb summarizes the riot by suggesting that the number of deaths was "probably 30 or 40 people" with a third of them being white, so "it wasn't really a racist massacre". This number only relates to the ''confirmed'' deaths of 36.<ref>Snow, Clyde. Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. "[https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf "Tulsa Race Riot: Confirmed Deaths"]. February 28, 2001. pp 114-115</ref>  Counting estimates of unconfirmed deaths, some sources have calculated that the true death toll is as high as 300. In addition, Webb mentions nothing about property damage. Over 1,000 residents were burned in the riot, and another 400 looted. <ref>Brooks, Robert and Witten, Alan H. Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. "[https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf "Tulsa Race Riot: The Investigation of Potential Mass Grave Locations for the Tulsa Race Riod"]. February 28, 2001. pp 123</ref> The largely African-American community of Greenwood in particular was almost completely destroyed.<ref>Ellsworth, Scott. Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. "[https://www.okhistory.org/research/forms/freport.pdf "Tulsa Race Riot"]. February 28, 2001. pp 87-88</ref>

===Climate change===
Webb also made a series of videos attacking the [[climate change]] [[Scientific consensus|consensus]] and downplaying the alarming effects of climate change, such as claiming that the majority of wildfires worldwide are attributed to arson. He also compares the climate change consensus to a religious cult, claiming that the consensus lacks any scientific basis and is more based on a spiritual phenomenon.<ref>[https://www.lotuseaters.com/how-climate-change-became-a-religion-for-young-atheists-28-07-23 "How Climate Change Became a Religion for Young Atheists"] by Simon Webb, LotusEaters.com, 2023 July 28</ref>

===Criticism of interracial relationships===

Webb dislikes [[interracial]] relationships between black men and white women, claiming there is an "agenda" by the British media to push these relationships which he considers "odd" and not reflective of typical relationships found in British society.<ref name="BBC">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih_myZVEKzA The BBC are obsessed with the idea of black men and white women, preferably blondes…], Simon Webb (History Debunked), youtube.com, 2024 February 5.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQHkAWNiS_w "The black man and white woman meme; a universal motif in modern Britain"], Simon Webb (History Debunked), youtube.com, 2024 January 1</ref> He has made a video complaining about the [[BBC]] promoting such relationships, "The BBC are obsessed with the idea of black men and white women, preferably blondes".<ref name="BBC"/> He says relationships between black men and white women are rare in society and questions the motives of the media for promoting such relationships on the television.<ref name="BBC"/>

On his video, 'On the nature of inter-racial relationships in modern Britain and their depiction in the media' which he released on the 9th of June 2024 Webb maintained that during his lifetime he had been in a long-time relationship with an Indian woman and also had dated a black woman. He however then went on to compare women in inter-racial relationships to French women who slept with German soldiers in occupied France in World War Two.

===Criticism of LGBT===

Webb dislikes [[LGBT]] and is a proponent of the [[homosexual agenda]] conspiracy theory. He has criticized [[transgender]] surgery and has complained about seeing rainbow flags at a railway station.<ref>[https://www.lotuseaters.com/is-transgender-surgery-the-new-lobotomy-26-01-23 "Is Transgender Surgery the New Lobotomy?"] by Simon Webb, lotuseaters.com, 2023 January 26.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lf1nVp65A "Can rainbow flags really make us safer in a railway station than we would otherwise have been?"]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 2024 January 30</ref>

One of his videos was titled "How ‘trans rights’ infringe upon, and interfere with, the rights of the other 99% of the population".<ref name="trans">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRgTv1Ofi9s "How ‘trans rights’ infringe upon, and interfere with, the rights of the other 99% of the population"]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 2022 July 22</ref> In March 2024, Webb deleted this video.

===Opposition to diversity and multiculturalism===

Webb is an opponent of racial diversity. He claims that the strongest societies and countries have no diversity.<ref name="diversity"/>

He is an ardent opponent of [[Multiculturalism|multicultural]] education, claiming that it is primarily used just to appease other groups of people and that [[Appeal to emotion|it harms children]], while also calling it "colonization" against western civilization.

==Links to the far-right==

Webb is a supporter of the far-right English Constitution Party and tells his followers to vote for them.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ctg4JGniY4 Vote for Colin Birch of the English Constitution Party]. youtube.com.</ref> The group has been described by [[Hope not Hate]] as promoting conspiracy theories and "[[antisemitic]] statements on social media".<ref>[https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-english-constitution-party/ English Constitution Party]. hopenothate.org.uk.</ref> The English Constitution Party have attended anti-refugee rallies alongside [[Patriotic Alternative]] (a neo-Nazi group).<ref>[https://archive.is/SAyr0 What vile racists said and did during anti-refugee Holiday Inn rally in Rotherham]. examinerlive.co.uk.</ref> He has spoken at events for the [[Traditional Britain Group]].<ref name="Traditional"/>

Webb has been interviewed by white nationalists, so he obviously has no issue associating with racists.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1BSFWpVdH8 The DISSIDENT Historian | Simon Webb]. The Jolly Heretic. youtube.com. 2023 December 25</ref> In April 2022, Webb made a video criticizing the far-right group [[Patriotic Alternative]]'s methods as too extreme and stated that the group was destined to fade into oblivion.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFLK2beW3wg "Why the Patriotic Alternative is destined to fade into oblivion"]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 2022 April 30</ref> Since that time he has softened his opinions about members of the group and released two videos defending [[Sam Melia]] of Patriotic Alternative who was convicted in January 2024 for distributing material intending to stir up racial hatred.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkAD6hFrp5Q "The Patriotic Alternative and the trial of Sam Melia in Leeds"]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 24 January 20</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViHI4vsCYyY "Tommy Robinson on trial and Sam Melia convicted of distributing material to stir up racial hatred"]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 2024 January 28</ref><ref>[https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/far-right-organiser-found-guilty-intent-stir-racial-hatred-through-distribution-stickers "Far-right organiser found guilty of intent to stir up racial hatred through distribution of stickers"], Crown Prosecution Services (cps.gov.uk), News, 2024 January 24.</ref>

Webb has said that he agrees with the anti-immigration policies of the [[National Front]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWHhDatxKhg What, if anything, was wrong with the policies of the National Front fifty years ago?]. Simon Webb (History Debunked). youtube.com. 2023 October 4</ref> His books have been positively reviewed on white nationalist websites such as [[Counter-Currents]].<ref>[https://counter-currents.com/2022/01/simon-webbs-the-forgotten-slave-trade/ Book Review: "Simon Webb’s The Forgotten Slave Trade"]. Spencer J. Quinn. Counter-Currents. 2022 January 25</ref>

==Response to RationalWiki==

On March 5, 2024, Simon Webb uploaded a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WEoey2LFMk&t=132s video] to his channel in response to his [[RationalWiki]] article. In the video, Webb [[RationalWiki:Pissed at us|accuses RationalWiki]] of being a left-wing wiki using [[McCarthyism]]-esque smear tactics against right-wing opponents like him via [[Guilt by association|guilt by association]]. He then accuses the page of attempting to incite violence against him by citing the caption below an image of himself featured in the article: "''Simon Webb displaying his resting 
bitch
 
{{wpl|Dudley Do-Right|Dastardly Whiplash}}
 
extremely punchable
 "smarmy git" face''".{{efn|While hardly at an "inciting violence" level, Rationalwiki concurred that the "snark" in the caption was in poor form and subsequently removed this text from the caption.}} Afterwards, he responds to the article's points about his opposition to interracial relationships and LGBTQ+ rights and dismisses them as lies. He then cites the article's points and dismisses its claims that he only associates with far-right groups, as he states that he also attends meetings with far-left groups as well, such as the Workers' Liberty and Solidarity group and a left-wing conference in Berlin in 2019. Webb concludes that RationalWiki has slandered him for his supposedly exclusively far-right agenda when he attends meetings with anyone on the political spectrum.

Webb doesn't explain why his entire YouTube uploading history consists of him complaining about immigration, Islam and attacking black history. For example, within 48 hours of uploading his response to RationalWiki he uploaded a video calling black history a "scam" and another criticizing a Muslim war memorial.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KGa4YxjWSs Working the ‘black history’ scam; how it is undertaken without anybody challenging what is said]. youtube.com.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUUGyWPmd0Y Why should £1 million of our money be spent on a ‘Muslim’ war memorial? Jeremy Hunt explains]. youtube.com.</ref> His uploading history reflects that of a far-right extremist, not an individual who shares left-wing viewpoints.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/@HistoryDebunkedsimonwebb/featured Main account] at [[YouTube]]
* [https://www.simon-webb.com/ Main website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/SimonWebbYT Account] on [[Facebook]]
* [https://www.lotuseaters.com/author/simon-webb Account] on [https://www.lotuseaters.com/ Lotus Eaters]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Simon}}

[[Category:Anti-LGBT bigots]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Bloggers]]
[[Category:British right wing]]
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Nationalist pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Pissed at us]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory promoters]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:YouTube]]

Categories: Anti-LGBT bigots, Authors, Bloggers, British right wing, British people, Conspiracy theorists, Fascists, Global warming denialists, Journalists, Living people, Nationalist pseudohistory, Pissed at us, Pseudohistory promoters, Pseudoscience promoters, Racists, Right-wing activists, YouTube