Miniminuteman is a YouTube and TikTok archeology, history and debunking channel run by American archeologist Milo Rossi. His YouTube can be found here
, his TikTok here and links to his other social media here. His most common videos are short reactions debunking conspiracy theories but he also does long form videos, documentaries, interviews archeologists, visits historical sites, does experimental archeology, and discusses archaeology, anthropology, history and antiquity in his videos.
Tropes in Miniminuteman's videos:
- Ad Hominem: Milo’s initial response to a TikToker claiming that we live under a dome is to respond by declaring the guys hair proof that we live under a dome. He does soon get to actual arguments, though.
- Advanced Ancient Humans: Milo regularly points out that while ancient humans did have sophisticated technical skills and civilizations, they weren't in regular contact with extraterrestrials who built everything for them, nor did they build giant light bulbs or create ocean-spanning world-controlling empires or other similar unsupported claims.
- Ancient Astronauts: Debunks such meritless claims, and points out how just about all of them are rooted in white supremacist bigotry that claims people of color weren't able to build or do much of anything on their own.
- A Rare Sentence:Milo: Wow those squirrels are pissed they really don't like me talking about eugenics.
- Artistic License – Biology: Played for Laughs. In the Nebraska Man video he calls Peccaries pigsNote, before lampshading his mistake and saying he wouldn't be caught dead researching a peccary.
- Artistic License – History: Points out the issues with historically faulty claims.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Miniminuteman regularly debunks conspiracy theories regarding historical artifacts, and on one occasion created an entire video dedicated to refuting one particular conspiracy theorist who thinks geographic features (like natural mountains) are melted buildings and proof that ancient Egyptians colonized North America.
- Deadpan Snarker: Particularly when doing a video on a ridiculous conspiracy theory.
- Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Smokes one in his videos on Greenbank's Hollow and the Chazy Coral Reef.
- Facepalm: Some of the more ridiculous claims by conspiracy theorists, especially those that are white supremacists trying to rewrite history in favor of their bigotry, cause Milo to slap a hand over his face.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: In an early episode of Awful Archeology, Milo gets so annoyed at the silliness he was covering that he asks his girlfriend to get him a drink. Since then, he incorporated making and drinking a cocktail as part of the series.
- Insane Troll Logic: Milo is unimpressed with the common conspiracy tactic of seeing something that looks vaguely similar to something else and jumping to the conclusion that this makes these the same thing. For instance the insistence by some that mountains are melted pyramids.
- "No. Just… No" Reaction: Milo’s response to the question of if Lizard Folk exist. Not the start of a debunking short, it is the entire short.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Zigzagged. Milo hates British people aside from Scots but is completely disgusted by genocide and slavery. The entire point of his channel is stated to be a combination of feeling obligated to use what privileges he has to help people learn from the mistakes of the past and crack down on conspiracy theories in order to starve the more dangerous and worse ones.
- Rant Comedy: Milo's usual format is lectures turned disbelievingly amused rants on misinformation and conspiracies, usually archeology based.
- Shout-Out:
- Given his profession as an archaeologist, he makes semi-frequent mentions of the Indiana Jones franchise.
- In his video on the Baghdad Battery, he makes a direct mention of Motel of the Mysteries.
- Video Review Show: When the viewpoints he normally examines and debunks end up on syndicated shows Milo will review the content, and biases, of said shows, like Ancient Aliens.
- Wheel of Decisions: Milo spins a “wheel of pain” at the end of each of his awful archaeology full-lengths to determine the subject of next episode.
