The following is a reprint of an article I wrote in my newsletter “The Digger” when I was at my old website. It will be in three parts. each to follow on consecutive days. Part two is also a reprint. Part three will be a new article with my prediction of what is coming in the series “The Curse of Oak Island.”
I sit in my man cave, treasure hunting, room. bourbon in hand, screaming at my TV when I watch “The Curse of Oak Island.” And my wife knows when I’m watching it because she'll yell at me. "Are you watching that Oak Island show again?" Then ask. “Why do you watch it if it makes you so angry?” My answer is always the same.
I watch it because I want to see how far the production takes viewers into the realm of idiocy and nonsense. And the more I watch it, the more I am convinced that television today has reduced itself to the lowest form of communication. Television shows like this one have descended into a cesspool of guile and deception.
I want you to know that I am not belittling those who watch the show for entertainment or to see what kind of finds are uncovered. As painful as it is, wanting to see what kind of goodies are located is one of the reasons that I continue to watch it. My bourbon dulls the pain.
Sadly, however, we now live in a world of “nothink .” Common sense and critical thinking are pastimes. We see the brainwashing of citizens everywhere. Advertisements, politics, education, the media, and even the medical field feed us with untruths, myths, and propaganda. And unfortunately, their intention to persuade us toward false narratives seems to be working. It's our fault that as a society we’ve mutated into this mass of “nothink.” We have allowed ourselves to become propagandized due to our inability to properly question what is seen, read or heard...nor do we think logically.
“The Curse of Oak Island” TV show is the result of “nothink.” It is the portrait of propaganda. The show is rich in hyperbole but short on facts. Television and the media sellers love the idea of a "no think" society. That’s because its easier to feed the masses all that tripe and to profit from it.
Attributing a coin found on Oak Island dated during the Roman times does not equate to a massive treasure being buried 180 feet below the ground. Nor do strange symbols carved into rocks mean much. That coin and those carvings only prove that the island was visited thousands of years ago, by different cultures. Common sense explains that. Oak Island Nova Scotia has been in existence since the beginning of earth’s creation. For thousands of years, many societies traveled back and forth to the island. And, common sense tells us, or at least it should, that of course belongings would be dropped or lost by those travelers. Duh!
The producers of “The Curse of Oak Island” have nothing to show in the way of a large treasure, so they feed airtime with small tidbits of finds. They do this to keep the viewers tuned in. If it were not for the expert metal detectionist, LOL (I wonder how many of those finds were planted ahead of time. I know of one.) finding these relics, the show would have folded a long time ago. If people who watch this show would ask themselves a few basic, common sense questions, then I’m sure they would stop watching. And if they stopped watching, then the series would croak, and bury itself, right there on the Island.
For instance, how hard would it be for viewers to ask themselves a few common sense questions such as, “what culture, hundreds, or even thousands of years ago had the technology to dig down 180 feet to bury a massive treasure?” And, “why would they bury it 180 feet beneath the ground?”
I asked those questions 50 years ago when I first read the story about the Oak Island treasure. And, my answer is still the same. There is no massive treasure buried on Oak Island at the 180-foot level. Impossible to do. I’m not saying that I’m smarter than everyone else, but my common sense leads me to that conclusion.
There may well be a massive treasure buried on Oak Island. Treasures are buried all over the world. And, the fact that so many cultures visited the Island, means there is a good chance that some person or persons for whatever reason cached a treasure there.
Ponder this for common sense thinking. Perhaps the idea of the Oak Island treasure being buried at 180 feet was and always has been a decoy to lead treasure hunters in a direction away from where the treasure, if any, is actually buried. Ya, I have my theories about that treasure. But, my common sense tells me something different than what viewers are watching.
I do not like dishonesty, especially when I see it displayed inside the hobby/industry/treasure hunting/ community I love. There have been too many metal detecting/treasure hunting TV shows that have exploited the hobby. The productions should be called out for their deceptions. But, until the viewing public begins to logically question these shows, and stop tuning into them, then we will see more of them.
My metal detecting/treasure hunting TV series, “Exploring History’s Treasures” EHT, was the first REAL, reality, show of its kind. There was no scripting, no planting or salting the ground with finds before we dug them. Exploring History’s Treasures can now be viewed here.
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Great read! I too find the endless episodes a bit grinding. I know there’s a lot of “Hollywood” stuff going on there, for the no-think viewers to salivate over. Any experienced detectorist can see right thru the staged finds, which are mostly attributable to agriculture and shipping of the day (1500-1900). Thanks for the insight!