Everyone has flaws, but some famous figures have darker sides that often go unnoticed. Though admired by many, a closer look at these celebrated individuals reveals unsettling traits and questionable actions that tarnish their legacies.
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00:00Everyone has flaws, but some famous figures have darker sides that often go unnoticed.
00:06Though admired by many, a closer look at these celebrated individuals reveals unsettling
00:11traits and questionable actions that tarnish their legacies.
00:15Aristotle, renowned for his wisdom, unfortunately shared the common ancient philosopher's view
00:20of women.
00:21He was deeply misogynistic.
00:23Despite his intellectual achievements, his ideas on women were outdated and misguided,
00:28revealing his inability to grasp gender equality, or understand the roles of women in society.
00:38In her essay, Feminist History of Philosophy, Charlotte Witt explains Aristotle's deeply
00:43flawed views on women, which went far beyond the typical sexism of his time.
00:47Aristotle believed women were not fully human, but were merely deformed men.
00:52He even claimed women had fewer teeth than men, which is entirely false.
00:57Despite the biological fact that women give birth, he argued that they contribute nothing
01:01but matter, while men provide the form necessary to create human life.
01:06According to Aristotle, only male children are truly human, with women considered inferior
01:11beings.
01:12This dismissive view shows just how ingrained and extreme his misogyny was, leaving no room
01:17for equality or respect for women.
01:21Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind Apple, revolutionized technology, but his personal character leaves
01:28much to be desired.
01:29As revealed in the documentary, Steve Jobs, The Man in the Machine, Jobs was often harsh
01:35and uncompromising.
01:36He even denied paternity of his daughter for years, cutting her out of his life.
01:41Despite his undeniable achievements, his ruthless side shouldn't be overlooked.
01:51Jobs also partnered with Chinese factories where working conditions were grueling.
01:55The relentless pressure to produce iPads, iPhones and other devices led to extreme exhaustion,
02:01with several workers tragically taking their own lives due to the overwhelming demands
02:06and poor treatment they endured in these facilities.
02:17When a prototype iPhone was stolen, a journalist returned it to Jobs.
02:21Instead of expressing gratitude, Jobs had the journalist's home raided, seizing all
02:26his computers and files.
02:27The response was far from appreciative, revealing Jobs' vindictive side rather than any sense
02:33of thankfulness.
02:39There's no indication if any spare turtlenecks were seized during the raid.
02:43Mother Teresa, canonized as St. Teresa in 2016, is often revered as a champion of the
02:49poor and sick.
02:51However, some reports suggest her motivations were less altruistic than they seemed.
02:55Rather than solely prioritizing aid, critics argue she was more focused on expanding her
03:00faith's reach, sometimes emphasizing religious conversion over improving the immediate conditions
03:07Right from the very beginning, I wanted to serve the poor purely for the love of God.
03:13Mother Teresa's missions often fell short of truly helping the poor and sick regain
03:18health.
03:19Many of her facilities were unsanitary, under-resourced and lacking in medical care, including pain
03:24relief.
03:25Despite these conditions, Teresa viewed suffering as spiritually meaningful, seeing it as a
03:30path to holiness.
03:31Her own words reveal this perspective, suggesting she found beauty in others' hardship rather
03:36than seeking to ease it.
03:37There is something beautiful in seeing the poor accept their lot, to suffer it like Christ's
03:42passion.
03:43The world gains much from their suffering.
03:45This principle didn't extend to Teresa herself.
03:48She received full medical care whenever necessary.
03:54Caravaggio, celebrated as a master of Renaissance art, was also a murderer.
03:59In 2002, new revelations shed light on the true cause behind the 1606 killing of Renuccio
04:06Tomassoni.
04:07While the commonly accepted story was a dispute over a tennis match, the real reason behind
04:12the violent act was far more complex and darker.
04:24New evidence suggests the motive behind Caravaggio's murder of Renuccio Tomassoni wasn't a simple
04:30sports dispute but a love triangle.
04:33Caravaggio had become infatuated with a prostitute named Felidae Melandroni, who was under the
04:38control of Tomassoni.
04:40Feeling dishonored, Caravaggio confronted Tomassoni, resulting in a violent altercation that led
04:45to Tomassoni's castration and death.
04:51Caravaggio's attempt at defending his lover's honor went horribly wrong.
04:55His aim was to castrate Tomassoni, but instead he accidentally severed the femoral artery,
05:00causing his opponent to bleed out.
05:02And that's how Caravaggio, the artist known for his dramatic works, ended up killing a
05:06pimp with a botched castration, which may be one reason he never made it as the namesake
05:11of a ninja turtle.
05:13Walt Disney might have created Mickey Mouse, but that doesn't mean he was a paragon of
05:17virtue.
05:18As Neil Gabler reveals in Walt Disney, The Triumph of the American Imagination, Disney
05:23had a darker side, including deep-seated racist beliefs, far beyond his controversial involvement
05:29with Song of the South.
05:32Walt Disney's prejudices extended beyond racial lines.
05:36He reportedly referred to the Seven Dwarves with a derogatory term and used offensive
05:41language like PIKININI in meetings.
05:43His disdain wasn't limited to race.
05:46He also had a deep mistrust of women.
05:48As his colleague Ward Kimble put it, he didn't trust women or cats.
05:52Keep the faith, sweetheart.
05:55Walt Disney's bias against women was evident when he rejected Mary Ford, who sought work
06:00as an animator.
06:01In his letter, he bluntly stated,
06:03Women do not do any of the creative work, as that work is performed entirely by young
06:08men.
06:09He further explained that women were not considered for the training school.
06:12To add insult to injury, the letterhead featured Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, almost as
06:18if mocking her for daring to pursue a creative career in animation.
06:26Winston Churchill is celebrated for leading the fight against the Nazis in World War II,
06:31but his record is complicated.
06:32He held deeply racist beliefs, with a worldview disturbingly similar to his adversary's, revealing
06:38a side of him that history often overlooks.
06:42We are the chosen few.
06:44In Churchill's Empire, historian Richard Toy reveals that Churchill, as a young officer,
06:50participated in what he called jolly little wars against what he labeled barbarous peoples
06:55in Africa.
06:56He attributed African resistance to a supposed strong Aboriginal propensity to kill, dismissing
07:02any role of British imperialism in their opposition.
07:06Later, as a member of parliament, he pushed for expanded conflict with non-European groups,
07:11asserting that Aryan stock is bound to triumph.
07:14Regarding the Kurds' efforts for independence, Churchill openly supported using chemical
07:19weapons, stating,
07:20I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes, believing
07:24it would spread a lively terror.
07:27His cavalier attitude towards warfare and colonial brutality often sounds as if it were
07:31lifted from the dialogue of a comic book villain.
07:34Oh no, Thundercat!
07:37I am not so eagerly disposed of!
07:42Churchill's disdain for India's independence movement was no secret.
07:46He once remarked,
07:47I hate Indians.
07:48They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.
07:51His hostility toward India persisted, and in 1943, during a devastating famine that
07:56claimed nearly three million lives, he withheld crucial aid, reportedly attributing the crisis
08:02to Indians breeding like rabbits.
08:04This indifference stood in stark contrast to his wartime speeches championing resilience
08:09and survival.
08:10Given such views, it's not surprising that President Obama chose not to display Churchill's
08:14bust in the White House.
08:17All of you will be damned, there is no place in heaven for you.
08:24Mahatma Gandhi, often regarded as a champion of peace, had complexities beyond his political
08:29struggles.
08:30According to biographer Judd Adams, Gandhi wrestled deeply with his own desires, at one
08:34point even leaving his dying father's side to be with his wife.
08:38This event, occurring when he was 15 and she 16, haunted him with guilt and spurred his
08:44lifelong commitment to self-control over lustful love, a vow he kept with some exceptions.
08:50Gandhi's personal battles reveal the complex human side behind his public ideals.
08:55It is time you left.
08:57At 38, Gandhi pledged to live a life of chastity, though he tested this vow in ways that many
09:03found unsettling.
09:04One method involved sleeping naked beside young women, often much younger than himself,
09:09and sometimes with multiple women at once.
09:11This controversial practice, intended as a test of his self-control, has raised ethical
09:16questions about his personal life and choices.
09:20Gandhi held others to rigorous standards of chastity, expecting his followers to avoid
09:25marriage or, if married, to abstain from marital intimacy altogether.
09:30Married couples living on his compounds were separated and instructed to suppress any desires,
09:35with cold baths prescribed as a remedy for unwanted urges.
09:38While Gandhi's leadership was pivotal to India's independence, his strict, often contradictory
09:43views on sexuality, especially in guiding the young women around him, reveal a complex
09:48and controversial side to his character.