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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ Upvoted. Here is an answer that involves some research and some consideration, coming to the realization that the existing evidence does not appear to provide a single instance of the Clarke Wrongheadedness Law. The additional point about the tendency of visitors to THINK they've been perceived as superior divinities is extremely valuable. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 9:46
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    $\begingroup$ Just to be clear, the stories I refer to above of long-isolated cultures perceiving ethnically different humans as either gods or devils are actually from the 20th century - or the 21st. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 19:15
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    $\begingroup$ @Lostinfrance And, to clarify this excellent point, let's bear in mind that most of the Mesoamericans with whom Cortes dealt in the brief, annihilating war on the Aztecs, fought WITH Cortes. They too perceived the weapons as fearsome, and saw a grand opportunity to take down the much-disliked Mixica empire. In other words, nobody thought "eek, magic!" or whatever, but rather, "hmm, those weapons they've got are brutal." $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 20:22
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    $\begingroup$ The Cracked article is amusing but too whimsically written to be useful. Like when they say that the one primitive tribe thought helicopters were "giant metals birds" that seek to "avenge the deaths of the last invaders", I'm pretty sure that was just a joke the writer made up, and not based on any actual statements of the people in question. The bit about another tribe thinking a white man was an evil spirit may be something those people said, but it's not clear. Etc. Articles like that can be frustrating when you're looking for solid information. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 31, 2015 at 7:15
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    $\begingroup$ @Jay the Aztecs and cortaze is often used to support the of "wrongheadness law" but actually the that had less to do with there technology and more to do with when they arrived and what they looked like. The Aztec had a prophesy that predicted a coming king that looks so similar to a European that it's creep. The king was supposed to arrive on a giant raft on exact year that the Spanish arrived, it kind of creepy if you think about it. $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 14, 2016 at 13:56