Did sexist gaslighting help spread a 100% FATAL laughing condition that ANYONE can get? (*YT MA*)

[@Vallistic-i5e]

what i love about Mrballen is that virtually anyone can watch his content. I love it and im only 13 but while i was at walmart i see a man in his fifties wearing Mrballen merch. My social studies teacher even played one of your vids in class.

[@brendatomlinson]

Loooove this!!

[@Aquarius444K]

That's amazing!!! I love that!!

[@MrBallen]

So cool!

[@turbo-the-dog]

​@@MrBallenwow MrBallen 😎

[@karlepaul6632]

Yes, "virtually" anyone can 😆

[@brucenaru3020]

I am from Papua New Guinea and I want to thank you John for telling such a wonderful story about my country. Every single context and detail about the story from a Papua New Guinean's point of view is exactly on point. That's why you are the best. I take my hat off to you and keep up the good work.

[@kyliedee6079]

Yes nice to see a fellow Papua New Guinea fan here. Mr B is the best.

[@browndd]

Did you hear about the almost 700 people who just died in Papua New Guinea? Apparently, there was some sort of landslide.

[@KDiamond666]

Would love to visit one day ❤

[@RadenWA]

@@shazam1334it’s wonderful because people decided to change their ways and survived. A scary story with a happy ending.

[@atlasfeynman1039]

Every context and detail about the story is on point? Even the part about eating brains? Cannibalism is common?

[@JennAmazed]

It's nearly a miracle that this autopsy was allowed to take place. Bless those parents who went against all they knew, their customs and rituals. I'm sure that was not easy

[@kennip24]

That’s what I thought too. A culture like this is not one open to change and going against customs. They really saved their entire people by allowing the procedure

[@josephgeorgeejr7039]

Well that's because it was existential to the whole tribe, why not go against traditional thinking if your going be wiped out anyhow!

[@Ibnuoumer823]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4bckoOHjth7ntUsi=e2vkZPRlpicYFCKn

[@jasonmarange5973]

And equally amazing is the fact that they took the advice and quit doing their ritual. A lot of tribes etc throughout history have continued doing rituals detrimental to their existence despite good evidence of them being very dangerous not wanting to potentially upset a higher power or to continue their heritage and ways of life for their future generations. Hats off to em!

[@Cecethegreat425]

WHAT? You understand this is cannibalism? Bless cannibals?

[@grapeape9098]

"Don't eat other people and you'll be ok!" Words to live by indeed....

[@elizabethanthony3916]

😂👏👏👏👏👏

[@Dheimos01]

Skin The skin does not make you sick.

[@beccybaddeley2753]

So that's why I've got indigestion!😅😂

[@patriot4506]

Makes me not want to eat animals either!!!

[@ravagedcore131]

It's gross

[@sandyposs2693]

Ahh, the old "it's all in your head" double-meaning.

[@missxmettastars5740]

all I can say is that guy didn't even try what an a hole

[@InuInugami]

​@@missxmettastars5740 Fr I would have expected anyone trying to study a culture to be ecstatic to has someone of said culture come straight to them after being so isolated but nope.

[@akshayhazari6570]

It was something that couldn't be explained. Like there are unexplained things today as well, poltergeist, reincarnations etc. But what do people say instead of investigating, they just pass it of as something crazy. Then there are many evidences of UFO. People react to it the same way as that guy. The same was happening in medieval times with many other things they couldn't explain. These kind of diseases were not discovered. *The guy was not wrong in thinking it could be Psychosomatic, but you definitely are, in judging him so quickly.*

[@akshayhazari6570]

@@missxmettastars5740 It was something that couldn't be explained. Like there are unexplained things today as well, poltergeist, reincarnations etc. But what do people say instead of investigating, they just pass it of as something crazy. Then there are many evidences of UFO. People react to it the same way as that guy. The same was happening in medieval times with many other things they couldn't explain. These kind of diseases were not discovered. *The guy was not wrong in thinking it could be Psychosomatic, but you definitely are, in judging him so quickly.*

[@akshayhazari6570]

​@@missxmettastars5740 *The guy was not wrong in thinking it could be Psychosomatic, but you definitely are, in judging him so quickly knowing how progressed we are from 1960's.*

[@KanakaBae]

Hi Mr Ballen. 😊 I am from Ibusa, North Fore (fo-rehh) territory. "Kuru" is the Fore word for "sprout", "peak" or "head". In local Austronesian dialects, it means "convulsion"/"trembling", which is a symptom of the Kuru disease. As a child, I heard stories of dying warriors instructing their family members to consume their flesh while they were still alive, because it was believed that the essence (mana) of the warrior is best transmitted when his heart was still beating. I am grateful that there were people who stepped in and convinced our people to take a break and have a look at what it's done. And they eventually made a conscious decision to do away with the practice because it even came to a point where the gender ratio was 3:1, male to female. Our great grandfathers and their brothers brought in women from other tribes to marry and bear them children. According to recent stats, Fore people number around 20,000 today. My clan alone has almost a thousand members (and counting). Thank you Mr Ballen, for your great storytelling. Many have covered the story of the Fore, but you tell it best, because you give life to your stories. Sending love and greetings from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 -Deirdre

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

I am fascinated with personal insight when it comes to cases. Thank you for your post. The translation was most informative.

[@Jan-dk8ud]

Thanks so much! I'm interested in mankind's diversity, never ends to amaze me! Didn't know fact number one about your ppl before this video , I'm ashamed to say!

[@jenme7926]

Thank you for your comment. I hope you are well 😊 greetings from the USA

[@anne-mariebeck2113]

Beautiful insight into your lovely people and culture! Thank you!! ❤❤

[@Sleepingbear2222]

Thank you for sharing your insight about your culture. I wish your community lives long and healthy lives.

[@boink666]

When I was a wee lad in the Military. I remember being told "but this is the way we have always done it" to be one of the most destructive phrases ever. The in-ability to change can kill a person, a group, a species, a nation, can kill a planet. I'm glad the Fore people didn't fall into that trap and accepted outside advice even if it changed their customs. I know they were desperate, but they were also definitely smart enough to accept change.

[@goldenlass9488]

Amen! 👏🏻

[@ciaclark1111]

I've always said that's one of the most dangerous statements to come from a person's mouth.

[@steveanton763]

Seriously? Amen to a comment about changing one's mind for the good of all even if it goes against religious practices. ​ Did being told about evolution get you to stop believing God made people fully formed? Age of the earth etc? @@goldenlass9488

[@woody3476]

I mean it's pretty much Darwinism. Adaptability is crucial to survival.

[@Fire-Fox007]

Intelligence had nothing to do with it or there would exist a witnessed or recorded account of an obvious pattern of progression amongst the people at some point over the many years that incident took place. It was desperation that pushed them to consider change, as they were literally facing the brink of extinction with no notion from them as to what was taking place. It's the difference between the civilized and uncivilized world, as dictated by reality. And reality dictates that humans consuming human remains isn't exactly the best of ideas, for obvious reasons. Had the civilized world not come into their lives, those poor people would have faced a very different ultimate outcome.

[@TheDiplococcus]

I knew in the first few minutes what this story was about. I studied Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Leeds University, One of my professors at the time was Prof. Richard Lacey, one of the first people to identify and work on this disease when the 'mad cow disease' outbreak hit Britain. He gave us all copies of his book and really hammered into us how dangerous it could be to eat cheap, mechanically rendered beef products that could contain brain and spinal cord tissue. He was ridiculed at the time, but he turned out to be absolutely spot on with his warnings.

[@refundreplay]

I heard Papua New Guinea and thought... Wait a minute... Hearing Kuru was just a confirmation.

[@adrianaosorio3756]

What was the name of the book?

[@yuliapanina8815]

Yeah, I am a biologist too and knew kuru right away. Also that it was prions, I remember that the coolest thing about prions was that before that, everyone believed that only dna-rna can spread disease, but prions showed a case in which a pure protein can do that. And that was a huge discovery.

[@xonx209]

The scary thing is the protein cannot be killed by cooking

[@TheMomseloc]

Yeah, but in the 1950's, they didn't.

[@helliomagne9488]

I love how I can just do my chores without the need to look up from them because I can just listen and make up the scenarios as I go every time

[@MinnowCreekGirl]

I am sitting outside listening to this video while i am a patient at a physical rehab center. A nurse just came out of the building and going home. She says "that's MrBallen isnt it?" I said yes. She grinned excited that your most recent video is on youtube now. We both enjoy listening to all of you stories. Thank you for keeping boredom from setting up in my brain while I'm here letting the therapist's work me over!!😅😅😅😅

[@maggiesfarm7970]

Good luck to you!

[@newshodgepodge6329]

Been there!

[@Gigi1111Layna]

I doubt anyone else can do what Mr Ballen does too. It's the way he tells the stories.. super unique only to him. Hope your therapy goes well.

[@newshodgepodge6329]

@@Gigi1111Layna Sounds suspiciously like idol worship.

[@breakfastclosed]

Good luck with your rehabilitation!

[@joejitsuway960]

"Hey we have this cool ritual where people die and we eat them." "Oh yeah, and we also have this weird terrible disease being passed around the village" Doctors: "Damn that's crazy. Those two things definitely don't have anything to do with each other"

[@donotcomply665]

I know. Gross

[@Meganfcampos]

Literally exactly what I thought. I just commented above that I don’t understand why it took a letter from a health agency for Shirley to put that shit together 🤔

[@A-Grammie-On-the-ROCK]

Yes I found out several years ago when I looked up Kuru(because a doctor suggested Hillary Clinton might have it ) that it was from eating and drinking human blood and parts of their body. Very sad . I hope they have stopped .

[@SRose-vp6ew]

As missionaries told people to instead follow Jesus, kuru began to decline long before it was known to be transmissible.

[@thecabbagecartguy7491]

@@SRose-vp6ew Actually, my mistake, he didn't tell Job to kill his family, he just outright allowed them to die, to "test" his faith. An amazing entity to follow isn't He? Doesn't sound very righteous in my opinion.

[@TheOMGdoughnuts]

My husband is in the field of neuroscience and 5m in I knew exactly what was happening based on things my husband tells me about. So when he got home I got to excitedly tell him all about it and how I knew what was going on. Thank you Mr. Ballen, you made my day! My husband was so proud to know that I listen to his medical talk (even though I don’t understand most of it).

[@Creativerapgods]

No one cares

[@EmmBenett]

27 ppl did care, so your comment is pointless 😊🤝🏻 ​@@Creativerapgods

[@MrStrombolisHiddenTruths]

😂lol I knew from the movie book of Eli

[@Rockchick1358]

Dont be dick ​@@Creativerapgods

[@alisha0418]

Wow! Why are so many people just being rude for NO REASON??? It actually took MORE EFFORT to type a reply that NO ONE CARES or to dissuade someone from commenting when they don't understand EVERYTHING, than it would've taken to just continue scrolling... I don't understand why people WANT to make others feel embarrassed or badly for making a comment. I guess misery truly loves company... We need to do better. ALL OF US NEED TO DO BETTER... BE BETTER...

[@ashleya8532]

I can't imagine how horrifying and devastating it must have been to find out how the disease was spreading/what caused it! Those poor people! As if they hadn't been through enough. I'm glad that it was all figured out and that more loss and trauma was prevented :/

[@after9bars]

I genuinely appreciate how empathetic you were in this story + being actually respectful of the practice. As someone with background in anthropology, the one guy who dismissed their concerns is the type of anthropologist who fully gave that profession a rightfully bad reputation for a while.

[@frakismaximus3052]

Anthropology doesn't have a bad name because of one person, it has a bad name because of the majority of them

[@after9bars]

@@frakismaximus3052 that's what i said, the "type" of anthropologist. all too common i fear

[@muddlerminnow]

Actually the anthropologists that give the field a bad name are the ones that are so concerned about not appearing judgmental to other cultures that they failed to make the glaringly obvious connection between the disease and the disgusting practice of cannibalism.

[@petergbrics7260]

I don’t know how anybody can be “respectful” about a fucked up practice. Respect needs to be earned.mr.Ballen is a great story teller,but these people often don’t deserve much respect as far as I’m concerned.PNG is a very primitive place even today

[@tiffanymichaels2429]

Exactly. Ronald never even bothered to learn about the important aspect of funeral practices of the people. Isn't that something that an anthropologist trying to study people would want to know? If Shirley and Michael didn't arrive to actually study and get to know the people they probably would be extinct.

[@ChrundleTGreat]

Kuru is a rare, fatal, and progressive brain disease that affects the central nervous system. It's a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), also known as a prion disease, which occurs when abnormal prion proteins clump together in brain tissue. Kuru is caused by an infectious prion found in contaminated human brain tissue, and is transmitted through cannibalism or contact with open wounds. The disease was first reported in 1957 among the Fore tribes of Papua New Guinea, where it was once common among natives of the highlands. The word "kuru" means "to tremble due to fever or cold".

[@DravenGal]

I thought Mr.Ballen said this was in 1953? Or maybe it just wasn't reported outside of New Guinea until 1957.💙

[@Verschlimmbesserung]

I think this disease was featured in an episode of The X Files season 2.

[@miapdx503]

I hadn't thought of cannibalism, but I wonder about the gene pool. After generations being isolated, aren't they all related? So inbreeding came to mind. 🤔

[@MilkByCow]

Why did I read this comment in full before Mr Ballen finished the story 😭😭😭

[@grumpykitten4890]

At first I thought It was something like meningitis.

[@midevilgirl]

I remember learning about this story as a kid in the 90s. There was a documentary on it. I never forgot it because it was so bizarre but it was a relief that it did have a good outcome and the people survived. Glad you brought it back to light.

[@Scabtina]

I have studied this disease in biochemistry and you handled this topic in a very graceful and respectful way whilst also maintaining a really enthralling story. I loved this video!!

[@7203kt]

I read some of the people from that tribe developed resistance to prion diseases because of that ritual. I can’t recall the source.

[@Rachel_M_]

I read about it in psychology years ago. I'm also British and remember BSE.

[@Sniperboy5551]

@Rachel_M_ Most people (Americans, at least) don’t know about prion diseases. I learned about it through KZbin, but also learned about them in my psychology courses. BSE is just like kuru, you’re right. Brits would know because that was a big scandalous thing a few decades ago.

[@njad3]

False

[@LivingDeadGirl0702]

​@@njad3what's false

[@duckstudios3513]

How heartbreaking for this whole group of people to not knownwhats happening and doing everything in their knowledge to help themselves. Im happy to hear that one family broke tradition to help find the answer and save their way of life and allowed them to survive this. Thanks MrB.Allen for the great docustory!

[@paullowell3342]

Survival of the fittest??

[@Upstaged07]

There is an X Files episode based on this story. It's called Our Town. A small town in Arkansas has an unusually large number of people dying from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is to put it very simply, mad cow for humans. (Prion disease) They can't figure out why it's happening until they realize that the townspeople are killing and eating random outsiders who happen to stop there. And one of the people they killed/ate had CJD. The town is using a cannibalism ritual as a way to prolong their lives. And the leader of the town had spent time in Papua New Guinea about 100 years ago. Cue X Files music. ;)

[@emilybirch2861]

This is how I knew, the second Mr B said Papua New Guinea what this disease was! Thank you to The X files. I can’t tell you how much I learned from the show as a teen!!

[@j.m.marshall669]

I remember that episode, weren't the people they killed also being fed to the chickens which were then themselves eaten? And that would mean those who engaged in those murders and ate the outsiders would eventually die from the same disease right?

[@TwoShedsJackson]

I remember that episode! I haven’t seen it in over 20 years!

[@Upstaged07]

@@TwoShedsJackson There's a random cable channel called Comet that shows X Files reruns (and other sci-fi stuff, like Buffy) 7 days a week. I've had a lot of fun revisiting all the episodes.

[@TwoShedsJackson]

@@Upstaged07 Thanks, I’ll check it out!

[@Jorde-u4u]

I am not a native speaker of the English language and I have learned so much English from Mr. Ballen...his spoken English is very clear and broad..❤❤❤❤🤗 🙏

[@bunbunnio]

smosh’s Reddit stories would also be a good place to learn! the host, Shayne, speakers very clear as well. I can see how much you’ve learned just by your grammar! you’re doing amazing

[@ParchedGoddess]

I worked with a Korean guy who was working on/learning his english from the show 'Friends'... I think your way is much better, lol.

[@_Lucalan_]

That’s so cool!!

[@turquoisetranquility]

I just can’t get over how perfect his storytelling style is! He paints such a clear picture, no misleading, no cheap shots, not too orchestrated either, simple and easy to understand. Holds my attention from beginning to end, no matter how crazy the story can get, absolutely amazing

[@jonslg240]

It is amazing Also amazing is the names. Ahn, Bahn, Dahn😂, Hahn, Jahn😂😂, Kahn.. so many names come from that.

[@Morinth13]

except for the thumbnail lol

[@FirecakePubgm]

Fr, i'm swiss and even i understand everything and can imagine the pictures and scenes when he's telling the stories

[@khironkinney1667]

He's a fantastic storyteller he omits certain details until he's ready for his reveals as he weaves the story.

[@fefyfona4318]

The thumbnails are a bit click baity. But one thing I appreciate is he tells it in his own voice and not trying to sound creepy like some others do

[@4RILDIGITAL]

The desperation and fear they must have felt is indescribable. Truly a medical mystery that makes one reflect on the intricacies of our own health and the lengths we would go to save ourselves or our loved ones.

[@hospitalcakewalk]

not that much fear considering they kept doing it.

[@wm1958]

@hospitalcakewalk except they stopped doing it

[@hospitalcakewalk]

@@wm1958 .... after they were forced to

[@wm1958]

@hospitalcakewalk no after they were told that it was the cause of the feared disease, they even broke tradition many times to get to the bottom of this issue. They could have simply continued after the government banned it.

[@frakismaximus3052]

This is such a ridiculous and virtue signaling comment 😂

[@antonselve2273]

Papua New Guinean here and I've followed Mr. Ballen for years now. Never knew anything about Kuru till today. Big fan right here Mr. Ballen.

[@bernadettekassman4065]

Same! So interesting, asked my aunt and she said when she was a kid this was apparently a big deal

[@DocHolliday1851]

The scary part is, Kuru isn't the only prion illness. We all have prions, but the problem is when we ingest foreign prions. Mad cow disease(I remember the tail end of this as a kid in the 90s), fatal familial insomnia, Creutzfeldt-Jacob, etc. are some famous forms. With the case of mad cow, it started with cows being fed ground remains of other cows unfit for human consumption, then it jumped to humans when people ate the tainted cow meat. We aren't 100% sure if deer, elk, & moose CWD can jump to us.

[@shielakome4484]

I am from Papua New Guinea. THANK YOU for portraying this story the way you did. You are truly remarkable at what you do. I’ve watched you for years and never imagined hearing about my country on your channel. Like my fellow “wantok” said on here, Keep up the good work, hats off to you.

[@eliteagentorange]

Thank you to all the veterans for your service this Memorial Day❤️

[@alexisdouglas4832]

Agreed!!! ❤

[@IIIPUMPERIII]

Amen

[@ADVENT_MarkPtak]

And to Mr. Ballen as well!

[@noahbro8823]

Thank you veterans who sacrificed their lives.

[@Bettinasisrg]

Past and present!

[@PhantoomWriter]

The medical mysteries have to be my favourite. And of course the slogan in the medical mysteries podcast; “From the one place we all can’t escape: Our own bodies”. Certified strange, dark and mysterious

[@MrBallen]

thank you!!

[@charisselinnell-morton4137]

I love the medical stories!

[@_Chaosbubble]

Agreed!

[@WinkyWave]

Right?! I absolutely love that line - it’s the perfect spooky intro! Whoever came up with it needs a raise.

[@stomper2888]

screw the podcast and you us youtube fans are the ones who made him rich and famous

[@robertajameswilliams6862]

My son is going through a really hard time at school being bullied for his autism, he comes home and we watch your channel to feel batter. Thank you John ❤ you don't know how much it means to this family

[@mikimclean3159]

❤

[@chinchillacrystal6899]

My son was bullied in school also, same reason. It’s such a difficult thing to go through. The day after graduation, he declared it was a fresh start. He didn’t have to be around his bullies any more. He got a job, started saving money. He was very overweight and started working on being healthier. He is in his 20s now, and has lost over 100 lbs (worked with his doctor),cares for developmentally disabled young people , and is saving to buy a house. He is dating a very sweet young lady. There was a time when this never seemed possible. Give your sweet boy a huge hug, encourage his dreams, teach him independence, and tell him often those bullies won’t be in his life forever. In fact, from what I’ve seen, many of them can barely function in the real world. Things will turn around! Keep being such a supportive loving momma and be encouraged 🧡

[@majid2533]

put him in MMA classes or something similar, will hugely boost his confidence, as well as teach him discipline and how to deal with his bullies. wish him all the best in his life ;)

[@catdogthing]

​@@majid2533 Nice pfp pic

[@johnlee-k8w]

God Loves him,,,, bless you and hang in there,,, kids are tough on other kids--- it will get better.

[@namastemamallama1076]

My mother in law just passed from this last month. She only lasted 1.5 months with this disease. It is also known as CJD in humans, mad cow disease, and chronic waste disease in deer. Very rare but not at all eradicated.

[@phoenixdavida8987]

Damn. My condolences.

[@penmastery5243]

I'm from Papua New Guinea. Thank you for covering a story from our country Mr. Ballen. I hope in the future we can hear you cover more strange, dark, and mysterious tales from us. Much love from the Pacific and a fan of your videos.

[@Regis-lx4yo]

Wow I never knew anyone from there before what part are you from if you don’t mind sharing

[@JKweez]

I don't understand why the anthropologist guy would slam the door in the tribal woman's face if he had been trying to interview that tribe the whole time..

[@BramsConstructionLLC]

Well, he probably didn’t want to hang out with a cannibal

[@k1llersm0ke32]

That’s one thing.. and the two that found that messed up brain and knew of the rituals, why wouldn’t they immediately think that’s related? Instead of sending it off for tests for a year

[@foxlinker1636]

Cause he was an idiotic asshole

[@laurenmalson5662]

Probably because she was a woman. Hence why he said it was all in their heads/hysteria, he was being sexist most likely

[@sk-ig4wt]

​@@k1llersm0ke32 lets be real here , he was probably scared shitless , he most likely knew that they are cannibals and very dangerous people for a lone guy with no security or gun

[@medbenselem790]

Important notice: never eat the brain of a dead human being

[@susiejones3634]

Yeah, I was not expecting that.

[@Kardinaalilintu]

I think the zombies missed this memo :/

[@jengsci8268]

Dead anything. Lots of bad things live in human/animal organs. Probably shouldn't eat them.

[@donnaboisen6003]

Don’t have to worry about that with me. 🤮🤢

[@annemariemyburgh7252]

It haven't been on my Menu , just thinking about it, makes my stomach turn, it's interesting though to learn about these cultures and their beliefs

[@Vicki-v6v]

Mr Ballen is a wonderful storyteller and keeps you engaged and one of the best parts is his description of the “like” button.

[@jis193]

I actually studied this disease in one of my med classes. The moment I heard kuru I knew it was creutzfeldt - Jacob disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or the mad cow disease in cows) but I still stuck till the end due to your story telling. I really loved it!!!!

[@96Logan]

Same. I already knew what kuru was, but Mr. Ballen is such an amazing storyteller that I had to stick around til the end also

[@zpg90]

Its not, sorry. They are different prion diseases.

[@midwest0pe]

I had an uncle die from creutzfeldt-jacob disease. Horribly nasty business.

[@Ibnuoumer823]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4bckoOHjth7ntUsi=e2vkZPRlpicYFCKn

[@slavicemperor8279]

Kuru and CJD are different but both are prion diseases. Kuru was probably inherited via this ritual after they first consumed the brain a patient zero who passed from sporadic CJD, then they just repeated the cycle through generations. On the other hand vCJD (the type of CJD we can get from ingesting prions) is thought to have technically gone from goats (scrapie) to humans, using bovines as a vector because otherwise goat scrapie is not a threat to humans but can be transmitted to cows and then subsequently to humans. We had a vCJD outbreak around 2000 I believe because in Britain they fed cows bone and blood meals from goats with scrapie that contained nervous tissue

[@loveydovey9733]

Thank god for Shirley! I couldn't imagine how pissed she must have been to have read what Ronald considered about the kuru disease and how he treated them! I'm so glad that her and Michael did a team-up to help them.

[@frakismaximus3052]

Yeah, then there was rain bows and unicorns

[@abedadavids5468]

what an arrogant piece of work that Ronald guy was

[@mariangeerling2950]

My late ex-husband became very ill right after our wedding. He was told it was mono. But it aymptoms continued for YEARS! After being told by doctor after doctor that it was "all in his head," he finally found a doctor who had some idea and sent him to an hepatic specialist. After a liver biopsy and many, many blood tests, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. So it was NOT in his head and the doctors who idiotically said those words to him needed to pull their heads out of asses. If there's no sign of mono but the symptoms persist, INVESTIGATE!! Don't just ignore it & push it aside!

[@ava.artemis]

That sort of thing happens ALL the time. Only Learned Men blow off things as hysterics, anxiety or depression because it doesn’t present as something they are familiar with and they can’t admit they don’t know what’s causing it. I’m sorry it happened to you. ♥️

[@barneyronnie]

Heroin?

[@dylammack]

Most.....typos.... ever. 😂

[@diamondseraph9369]

​@@dylammack I'm assuming they aren't a native English speaker...?

[@GabrielGarcia-300]

It took many doctors to find out I had fibromyalgia and hashimotos disease. All of the doctors in Alaska told me I just had anxiety. Even after being diagnosed with heart disease, other doctors didn't want to believe it. Several doctors in Nevada even told me either they didn't know, one even suggested I was just dehydrated. After 10 years of not getting treatment, a specialist who had fibromyalgia figured it out, and I was already thinking that or MS. He said unfortunately I'm already on the more severe side

[@louisenewson-smith9519]

The image of the boy with persumably his mother holding him in the first half of the video is harrowing. My heart breaks for all of the victims of this disease. So glad they were able to find the cause and stop further deaths

[@suemoo22]

Thank you John and all the other veterans who served our country. 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[@meshootskeet4327]

I was in the U.S. Marines. Yes I did serve, but not for my country, but to invade and exploit the people of Afghanistan and to serve those who profited off of wars.

[@opsecclassified6469]

@suemoo22 memorial day is not for us veterans. It's reserved for the veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives for this country! The living veterans celebrate veterans day!

[@eyesopen66]

I'm sure it's still ok too thank living veterans aswell Sue? Although I'm not American I'm from England UK.

[@LarrySmithart]

You're welcome

[@barneyronnie]

​@@opsecclassified6469Trying to be pedantic, eh? Feel smart?

[@thechrononautswife-dorothy]

It’s MrBallen O’clock!!

[@harriettlee7741]

The best time of the week

[@lindamayambela4672]

🏃‍♂️

[@nikkiroy-beautifulldisasterr43]

😂 that's cute

[@MrBallen]

🙌🙌🙌

[@Randomyoutubecommenter]

You look like kwebblepop female version

[@ClassyRebel]

Mr. Allen, I have no words for how eloquently you told this story. I was taken aback by the cannibalism but you are so empathetic and humble in your delivery, I quickly caught myself and felt sympathy for the community and was hopeful the info would save them, and it it did. Thank you for being well versed and kind when explaining other cultures customs (good or bad).

[@neshamama]

the first doctors i saw when i started struggling to walk told me it was all in my head, and to work on managing my mental health. finally someone begrudgingly ordered an mri, and to their surprise, i had lesions in my brain. i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, another neurodegenerative disease. there is so much more we can do for one another when we simply listen. cuz sure it is in my head...but it's in my spine too!

[@katanaki3059]

Everyone assumes the woman is just crazy

[@Takillama]

My son told me this story a few years back when he really into the science of prions. He dug up so much about it and was especially fascinated with the story of the Fore people. I hope that Berndt lived long enough to feel guilty about turning An away.

[@SkunkApe407]

Why would he feel guilty? He was an anthropologist, not a doctor. If you went to a baker over a head wound, he'd turn you away, too! And he'd have no reason to feel bad. Just because you're near a problem doesn't make you responsible for it, nor does it make you the best person for the job. There were two actual doctors on the island. An should have gone to them, not the random white guy.

[@bumboclat]

He died in 1990 so definitely.

[@SkunkApe407]

Why would an anthropologist feel bad about not identifying a disease? Not his job, buddy. Do you feel bad about not identifying Covid?

[@bumboclat]

@@SkunkApe407 who called Covid psychosomatic and not real?

[@helmutstransky3761]

@@bumboclat Covid came from chinese wizzards, everyone knows that.

[@sharpgirl72]

I have a 40 minute commute to work. Mr.Ballen storytelling is the only way to ride.

[@Witcher14]

The ONLY way ❤

[@jjohnsengraciesmom]

This is a great post.

[@frankkiejo5560]

Yes! Same here!👍🏾❤

[@SimonVanliew26]

Yall are so lame

[@KentuckyLincoln]

Damn right

[@Saiya4779]

I need a Tshirt or even a bumper sticker that says, "I'm a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious in Story Format!"

[@montagmedia]

I’d rock that

[@dinahgraham4964]

"I'm a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious in Story Format!" by a man in flannels and backward trucker hats

[@ov4h]

@@dinahgraham4964who happens to be a former navy seal

[@sofiekarlsson1060]

Best ”story ” teller ever !! Easy to understand, exciting, interesting, perfect information and so on !! He talks like he was there and had seen everything ! About this story tho , how could they not understand and see the connection when the people that died eaten by another woman . But i guess it’s because it was not ok to think for themselves .. oh well !! Hi from Sweden 🇸🇪👋🏼☀️🥰

[@virtuallycomatosed]

I'm 44 and have watched Mr Ballen from nearly the start, about a year ago my 15 year old son came downstairs heard me listening to one of his stories and did a double take and said "oh you listen to him as well? Good init??!!" xx

[@smthnew861]

He sounds very bri'ish

[@Ibnuoumer823]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4bckoOHjth7ntUsi=e2vkZPRlpicYFCKn

[@utmb78209]

⁠

[@vincentfrusci7745]

@@smthnew861because he probably is bri’ish

[@garyeaton3604]

I love how a doctor went to the tribe, interviewed them, recognised it was spreading to close female family members, heard that close female family members eat the deceased's brains and didn't put 2 and 2 together.

[@TheKnoxvicious]

Right? I don’t get it either - seems like common sense but maybe that’s just 21st century minds talking. We probably know more than they did

[@frakismaximus3052]

Anthropologists are a funny bunch with their "we must never judge, only observe. We must not project our Christian belief onto others" BS

[@winstonknowitall4181]

I love how KZbin scientists are so smart they would easily solve medical mysteries for which they have been given only the pre-selected important data together with the solution of the mystery. Well done.

[@garyeaton3604]

@@winstonknowitall4181 it was a joke sweetie pie. 😘

[@winstonknowitall4181]

@@garyeaton3604 Tell that also to the guys above me. Or maybe ponder over the way your're telling jokes.

[@kristinjohnson8350]

The way that you depict how to “like” the video is never lost on me. It’s so original. Everytime. I always wonder what you’ll come up with and I’m never upset - “soooo if that’s of interest to you please offer to dry clean the like buttons laundry but instead of using starch use super glue”. GENIUS.

[@Jenlettautherapies]

How DOES he do it? I notice he has kids… big driver ❤

[@hankbellamy]

It’s annoying

[@divyaa4459]

@@hankbellamy you're boring

[@AmySimpson-no1sv]

I don’t know how I knew, but as soon as you said, we would be surprised at the way it was spread I said out loud, “ They’re eating each other. They’re ritualistically eating their dead.” and frightening enough I was not wrong. That’s absolutely disgusting.

[@sydneyellis2141]

Saaaame

[@fancydeer]

no, it's a different cultural practice and they have a different religion. if you grew up believing that part of the spirit was contained in the flesh and that the only way to keep it safe was for living relatives to consume that flesh you would do the same. Christians believe in consuming the body and blood of Christ and would willingly cannibalize the actual body and blood of a human Jesus given the chance. I see no difference.

[@CarlosAlexDanger]

As soon as he said the disease is in the brain but they don't know how it spreads I was like "Oh they def eating those brains"

[@annthurston9624]

Learned it in microbiology decades ago. Maybe you all did too & forgot

[@sammyjo8035]

I knew from the second the symptoms were mentioned, trying to pay attention through the whole vid while my own brain kept repeating, "ITS PRIONS!! ITS F@!?ING PRIONS NOT PSYCHOSOMATIC!!" Like i was watching a sporting event lol But I didn't even think for a moment that it was gonna be cannibalistic, just something in the local wildlife 😦

[@dimone7077]

There's something you don't hear everyday "Stop eating the dead people, it's killing you"!

[@kcbh24]

You ruined the ending.

[@WhatTheWHAT524]

​@@kcbh24 This is exactly why I always try to wait until AFTER watching the entire video to scroll to far down through the comments!!😅

[@marksmess136]

So, if dead zombies eat living people, will they die from it?

[@angelabarnes1675]

​@@kcbh24 actually no hun. . No one forced you to look at the comments. Instead please wait until after YOU watch the video. Come on man take some ACCOUNTABILITY

[@kcbh24]

@@angelabarnes1675 I ain't your man, Dude.

[@TheGhostOfFredZeppelin]

I love when I know the stories he cover beforehand, just to see how he tells it and how he crafts the reveal and so on. Top tier story teller right here!

[@SomethingInTheGround]

Hey, mrballen, my town just had a couple of tornadoes last night, and it's pretty devastating. Buildings that have been around for generations have been completely destroyed. My family got lucky. We only had the tree in our backyard uprooted. My brothers ex-wife's house is completely destroyed. There is a death toll of 5 so far. Your videos help get me through this hard time. Thank you for everything you do.

[@SomethingInTheGround]

For those that might doubt the authenticity of my situation, look up NW Arkansas tornadoes.

[@brendatomlinson]

I’m so sorry! A week ago there were terrible tornadoes all around me in OKC but fortunately none came near my neighborhood.

[@oldgregg86.]

And papau new guinea has just had a massive mudslide with 600+ deaths, 2000 buried alive and entire villages destroyed.

[@markjackson3531]

where? glad youre ok!

[@markjackson3531]

his EX-wife's house? 😞

[@lariemunoz873]

I can across a short documentary some yrs ago about this tribe and this disease. You are the only person ive come across to talk about it. Thank u !

[@BelhatKapis]

Greetings from PNG...As a Papua New Guinean, the Kuru disease was reported to the outside world in 1957 and had been an "endemic disease" for the Fore people in the remote highlands region for ages, however, after the arrival of the Christian Missionaries, the practice of cannibalism slowly died out. Today cannibalism is no longer practiced in the Fore area, hence, the Kuru disease has virtually disappeared. Thumbs up to Mr Ballen, love all your videos...

[@brendatomlinson]

Thanks for this informative comment! Good to know.

[@frakismaximus3052]

I guess Christianity is not so bad after all...

[@calliopec544]

Can you imagine the poor missionaries. Excuse me. You eat What? Really? The whole thing? After they died of some mysterious illness? Erm. Ok. Here’s a thought….. 😂

[@susanlett9632]

​@@frakismaximus3052you do realize in the Middle ages Christian kings and queens were bathing once every 6 months to once a year was Jews and Muslims were bathing daily. Does that mean that Muslims and Jews are right? It means they're right about that particular thing. Christianity was right about that particular thing. That's all it means

[@Azrahns]

First time I heard of "Kuru" was an episode of "The Love Boat" in the 70's, Gopher was playing sick, asked from what he glanced at a magazine cover on an end table saying "Mystery Illness sweeps over tribes being called KURU" and the episode ran from there. What most don't like to acknowledge is also the similarities between Kuru, and Mad Cow Disease, which when studied they found it was from the feedstock fed to animals involving brain stems. It is a major issue among farmers and others about Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Great story Mr. B. and thank you for announcing the clip at the end :-)

[@TheMomseloc]

Awww. Gopher. He was a sweet character.

[@OuijaSTi]

Who exactly doesn't like to acknowledge the similarities between the two diseases?

[@giannagcg5317]

I've been dealing with a medical mystery of my own this past year. Turns out I have a chronic condition called gastroparesis. I spend alot of time feeling really sick and listening to mrballen and his new podcasts like medical mysteries and run fool have been a top tier form of entertainment for me! It also has given me something to look forward to each week.

[@karenwilson1619]

My husband has that. I completely feel for you 🤗 he started on amitriptyline low dose and stopped getting sick so much, look into it! I was shocked. Went from 5 days a month bedridden to maybe a few times a year

[@Stinger6757]

I’m sorry hope you feel better! My blood pressure has been really bad lately to be honest. And by bad I mean like just over 150. Like when I wake up my throat hurts and feel like I have to spit often and it’s like really bad.

[@The1nvisibleJeevas]

I know what it’s like to have a GI medical mystery too. Mine still hasn’t been solved (and they’ve ruled out gastroparesis) but the symptoms have subsided and I haven’t had serious issues in almost 6 months when before I had them almost every month or even more often than that for about all of last year. Here’s to both of us finding a solution and/or staying healthy! …by any chance you haven’t happened to get covid that ravaged your GI track, have you?

[@RainbowKaraokeJunk-vt9pu]

I have really bad health problems too. I think it’s because I have eaten so much pork and sugar over the years it’s starting to get to me. Being sick sucks and I do have a feeling of dread but sometimes Mrballen keeps me going his videos get me to a point where I’m excited for a new day just to watch them. Sundays are the best days for his videos.

[@llewisdolphins]

You are not alone. I have gastroparesis too. It's not fun. It takes days to digest a meal and the bloating and a dominant pain is excruciating. I feel your pain. I understand how sick it makes you feel. But every morning is a beginning and I hope you see more good days than bad. All we can do is live every good day to the fullest. You are never alone.❤

[@meghannmorris6149]

Thanks for covering this topic, Mr. Ballen. My grandmother died of the non-cannibalistic version of kuru, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She had a brain tumor, then after it was removed, she developed the disease (most likely from inadequately sterilized surgical instruments). It's terrifying to watch it happen to your family. The trembling is very real.

[@arelcrest]

I‘m a survivor of Encephalitis (exactly Encephalomeningitis) and wish the best for every other survivor. Stay strong!! 🙌❤❤❤

[@sassysister8552]

You could talk about paint drying and you'd pull me in - What a gift! I love how animated and excited you are.

[@ThrillSeeker3524]

We learned about this one in Public Health Class at veterinary school. Even by our standards, it still made a bunch of my peers gag.

[@TheElbowMerchant]

Yeah, the revelation of the cause of "Kuru" got me good, and I have a strong stomach. During the episode, I was thinking it sounded like deer wasting disease/prion, but I didn't think I'd be correct in that theory.

[@jjohnsengraciesmom]

Is it a potassium deficiency?

[@ThrillSeeker3524]

@@jjohnsengraciesmom No, a prion

[@jjohnsengraciesmom]

Yikes..​@@ThrillSeeker3524

[@IfonlyIwassmaller]

That’s so crazy! What a wild story. I bet you guys were thoroughly freaked out!

[@milkywayan2232]

Interesting. I read about the Fore people 15 or so years ago. The writing was by an anthropologist named E. Richard Sorenson. He studied preconquest isolates. I don't know if he was with the Smithsonian at that time or not. But he had to be there in the 50s or 60s. Because his writing definitely reflected the Fore had little to no interaction with outsiders at that time. I remember the writing describing a loving, peaceful, industrious group of folks that was more interested in solutions, than the problems. I imagine this is why they were so amenable to following advice of outside folk because they had done everything they could think of, and nothing up till this time worked. Their loving nature for their fellow beings inspired them to try something different. Now I run into The Fore again. I need to dig up that writing. Good job as always Johnny B

[@CrimesAnatomy]

I love the way you told this horrific story so much. Going through the details but still making it accessible to all. You’re amazing Mr Ballen and an inspiration to all us storytellers Feel so bad for this woman who went to seek help

[@TheMichaelStott]

My Dad didn't talk so much about Vietnam when I was a Kid but he was more than happy to tell me stories of his deployments/exercises to PNG from the 60s through to the mid 70s. He taught me Tok Pisin (a trading language used in the region also known as Pidgin). He was in the 1st Field Hygiene Company and they would travel deep into PNG to conduct Malarial Surveys and provide health support to public health support of PNG Administration. I have loads of photos of many tribes, I learned the difference between Pig and Long pig (if you had a few pigs you were rich but never end up being long pig!). My Dad's stories, what he learned and more importantly for me, learning Tok Pisin helped me when I joined the Australian Army and deployed to Bougainville and eventually be part of exercises in PNG as a second generation Supervisor Preventive Medicine. Passing on stories has always been the best teaching.

[@saadia1403]

Doctor here, interestingly First Aid for USMLE has Prions notes in it and there is the mention of the disease Kuru, for which its written: "Acquired prion disease noted in tribal populations practicing human cannibalism."

[@allshookup1640]

I know about Kuru. I have read the case studies on it. I knew what the answer to this problem was, but this was narrated so brilliantly I still had to listen to the whole thing!! Brilliantly done!!

[@CarolineWessonFLGirl]

My dad was a navy captain and doctor, he told me about this disease, can't remember the medical term but he knew all about this and told me about it when i was younger. He was one of the rare people who you could ask "why is the sky blue" and he would literally teach you about it and why. He passed from leukemia october 2022 amd my mom 6 monthe after that. This reminded me of what he told me. Mr. Ballen, i think would have liked my dad, he was also a Vietnam veteran and flew cobra helicopters during it (he was only 18 at the time of doing that).

[@Gigi1111Layna]

❤

[@lisahinton9682]

@CarolineWessonFLGirl So sorry for the loss of both of your parents and so close together, at that. But what a lovely tribute you wrote about your father, and what a good teacher he was throughout your life. Wonderful comment, and I'll bet MrBallen would've liked your dad, too.

[@markjackson3531]

Wow, what a dad! Sorry about your parents!

[@CarolineWessonFLGirl]

@markjackson3531 ty, yeah he was amazing. Uf derm program now has a grant in his name at the spring hill derm location. Teaching medicine was his passion, especially dermatology (not cosmetic derm, but rare skin diseases and cancers)

[@snicky58]

Kudos for telling this story in such a sensitive, respectful way.

[@ceetee6939]

I had gotten septic, and it was so bad i became temp paralyzed. Started seizing & screaming because i was in so much pain and i couldn’t control my voice or anything coming out so i totally scared an entire e.r in bremerton washington. Apperently i couldnt stop yelling and laughing and repeating things til i passed out unconscious . My husband saved my life.

[@patienceadam4779]

I saw Mr Ballens ad on fbk and watched it the first time and just got hooked. Now i have subscribed onto the channel and made it my night time movie routine

[@MrBallen]

Welcome to the Strange, Dark & Mysterious (SDM) community! What was your favorite story so far?

[@beesume1498]

Hi John many thanks for telling a story from my country. I'm Papua New Guinean and have been your #1 fan for almost 3 years and just hearing you tell a story from my country is a very rewarding feeling trust me🎉🎉🎉🇵🇬🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💙🤘🏼

[@MrBallen]

Thanks for watching for so long. My thoughts go out to the victims of the landslide. 🙏

[@beesume1498]

Thank you Sir🖖🏼 means a lot to me and my people🙏🏼💙 always know you are the BEST at what you do. Keep up the good work. Oh, and my country has heaps to offer about the "Dark & Mysterious". Just look at the right places and you'll have more to tell👍🏼 I'm always happy to help👍🏼

[@superleggera503]

MrBallen has got me through the toughest period of my life last year when I was struggling to function properly in my day to day life and being miserable in general because I was struggling make my living and so on. During those days, MrBallen's stories and uploads were the only happy moments during the weekends that I would look forward to and wait for the whole week. Where I could just sit, turn off my brain for some moment, let all the frustration and depression slide away for half an hour and just enjoy his mesmerising story telling. English is not my native, so pardon! I still look forward to the weekends to check up on your channel and I click on the video as soon as I get the notification from your channel. May you and your family have a great life ahead my brother!

[@cassandraunheeded]

Good work. You’re a lovely person. All will be well.

[@furanduron4926]

Same but worse.

[@elleofmusic]

Kuru is such a terrifying and tragic stroke of horrible luck. When doctors call symptoms "psychosomatic" it really just means that they have no idea what's wrong or how to even begin trying to do something about it, and they can't stand to lose face. In truth, psychosomatic conditions are far more rare than the genuine conditions that get misdiagnosed as "all in your head." So even if it means breaking customs, altering lifestyles, and going against social norms, you need to listen to your body and seek answers until you find them. It's easy for us to judge these people for their unusual custom, but were it not for the Patient Zero whose proteins misfolded, they would have remained relatively safe. Prions are the same thing that caused Mad Cow Disease, and Chronic Wasting Disease that's seen in deer. MCD was due to cows being fed parts of other cows that were leftover from meat processing, to save money on feed. So all it took was just one cow to develop prions to infect a massive population very quickly. CWD can be spread even just through saliva, so deer sharing a salt lick can prove disastrous. If there were still a decent amount of natural predators in the wild, CWD would be nearly the problem that it is, because deer showing even the first small symptoms would be easy prey before they had much opportunity to expose other deer. MCD was an anomaly in the way it was able to affect humans, since different species have different kinds of proteins that won't fold each other, so predators who eat a prey species with prions are unlikely to be harmed by them.

[@joshanderson8938]

I do not want to get in a debate about the "rarity" of psychosomatic conditions. I do want to point out that addiction is definitely NOT rare. That said, a lot of the symptoms brought on by withdrawals, are psychosomatic. That don't mean that the individual is faking or that the doctor's don't understand what's going on and therefore need to save face. It means that the root of the symptoms are in the individual's head. Very real pain, nausea, cold sweats, diarrhea, muscle spasms, restlessness, and many many more, that are manifested right there in the mind of the addict in withdrawal. I am a recovered addict. I am just over 3 years clean. I know from first hand experience, the hell that is opioid withdrawal. Trust me, knowing that it's psychosomatic, doesn't change even a little bit of that hell.

[@MelissaThompson432]

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is also fairly well-known in the US because people in some areas who hunt squirrel eat the brains. I think it became known in areas of Kentucky, but lots of people eat squirrel. Most of them avoid the brains these days, though. In fact, that may be the origin of calling mentally unstable people (not ADHD, that's a different thing) "squirrelly."

[@MelissaThompson432]

@@joshanderson8938 I'm not sure that your symptoms were at all psychosomatic. Addiction, as to opioids, is physical; even dependency causes changes in the physical body, especially in neurotransmitters. I agree that physicians don't know very much about biophysics, such as how neurotransmitter fluctuations cause physical symptoms in the individual. I have a genetic condition that affects my ability to synthesize neurotransmitters, and there are myriad diseases associated with it; as well as conditions, tendencies, and susceptibilities, including increased risk of dependency or addiction.

[@tehfuqizg0inon588]

​@@MelissaThompson432is there a medical term for not being able to synthesize neurotransmitters?

[@cuppycakey5013]

Well, I think it’s okay to judge people for being cannibals. No one ever had to teach us it was wrong and unacceptable, but I guess they just had very low intelligence and morals.

[@Angela-qx1zn]

"Don't eat other people, and you'll be ok." 😂😂😂

[@ava.artemis]

I appreciate how you described their customs. 🙏🏽 Very compassionate and respectful.

[@ns4725]

It's evil. They need Jesus Christ.

[@PRACTICALKABBALAH101]

They were stupid customs of stupid people.

[@vistakay]

Absolutely disgusting. Another reason to have white ethnostates

[@HexIsme]

@@ns4725 The irony of invoking the most tolerant persons name in a bid for intolerance is not lost on me

[@johninenglish8236]

​@@HexIsme bruh they're literally eating people

[@little_june_firefly8219]

Since the beginning I was like hmmm sounds like Prion disease… As soon as the autopsy was done I said to myself “I bet there’s holes everywhere”… I’m so glad they managed to save those people from such a horrific fate 😢

[@spintarelli]

Like CJD...cows being fed other cows.

[@emmanuelvalentine747]

MrBallen should win the KZbin Best Storyteller award because his story telling strategy is so good and engaging.

[@Gcool243]

That’s pretty awesome those two anthropologists basically saved an entire group of people

[@rae_halvi6392]

I love how he delivered the story with much respect for what the tribe might have believed that time. I am already saying "omg omg" while watching but Mrballen said "they believe it's an act of love".

[@TheKnoxvicious]

Does that really excuse cannibalism? “They believe it’s an act of love.” So does the pedo who wants a kid. That doesn’t mean it’s right.

[@aliciacorson597]

I love how respectful Mr Ballen is while speaking of other cultures and their beliefs.

[@downbelowu1928]

I know, I would have said well, they stopped eating brains. Now they just rap and like big rims and gucci.

[@brightbubbly8251]

Why would he be disrespectful in the first place lol?

[@itachimistress]

​@brightbubbly8251 there's a long history of westerners exploiting or even denigrating non-western cultures

[@itachimistress]

​@@downbelowu1928 wow... you're so funny 🙄

[@chrisdrews3125]

Not all cultures are equal

[@MrBallen]

Join our Discord for new dedicated episode chats and dive deeper into this story! discord.gg/yVuDQa94

[@swibwi]

i am no oil painting ..... i look like a melting hippo, however my wife's face resembles the last cauliflower in the reduced section of the supermarket but when we watch Mr Ballen.... well we absolutely love it !!! (p.s just subscribed)

[@lindaibarra7281]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE MR BALLEN!

[@wickedwidget3812]

Hey MrBallen there is a really dope underground rap song called MrBallen and is about you and your channel on Spotify. I think you might like it.

[@Onjolichoseok]

One day my comment will be early enough for @MrBallen to see

[@Onjolichoseok]

​@@wickedwidget3812link?

[@MarioBrandone]

What a way to tell a story No curse words Well mannered Kudos to you Mr ballen the 🐐

[@Charliebronson19852]

I can’t believe it took people this long to make a connection between eating people that died of the disease probably made the others who ate them sick

[@Rockchick1358]

Probably thought heat would kill anything. But ya....

[@pauliosantos6379]

@phantagirlable Oh come on dude, it's obvious they just can't breathe... it's disgusting to use any kind of logic, milky devil

[@sidewayssitter]

@phantagirlable Check out how long it took “civilized” doctors to figure out they should wash their hands. Most things seem obvious with hindsight and abstract thinking abilities aren’t guaranteed to save any of us from the next medical mystery.

[@coconyt3623]

All these stories of happenstance encounters between your listeners are so cool and heartwarming. Keep taking over the world! You deserve it many times over.

[@cadancelee1774]

My dad passed from a prion disease called CJD. Although technically not the same as Kuru, I still knew instantly what was happening to them. One member must’ve gotten it sporadically and of course the ritual infected many and so on and so forth.

[@Gentlemutilator]

Ole boy can take any story regardless of the horrific nature of the situation and somehow make it wholesomely entertaining, captivating educational. His non-judgmental approach towards all people and culture is a gift that if contagious would save this world….of course unless you are named the ….like button

[@ljb8157]

When she had time, she took a quick flight and a jaunt through the rainforest! Lol That all sounded so casual lol

[@shanec3098]

10:00 imagine the people you've been wanting to study coming to you and being like "go away you hysterical woman!" Like golden opportunity snubbed.

[@bugstomper123]

right? even if you'e 100% sure it's hysteria, what's the harm in checking her out when he clearly needed help? Need to test theories before dismissing people suffering from whatever it is they're suffering from

[@se7enthsoul]

Ronald is the LVP. LEAST valuable player

[@victoriandino]

Ever since I was a kid I’ve had a weird obsession with and fear of incurable diseases, especially prion diseases like kuru, BSE, and chronic wasting disease. It’s always fascinating to me to hear this kinds of stories even if they do fuel my irrational incurable disease fears lol.

[@WithACynicalSmile]

Aw, I already recognised by the Intro which illness this story would be about, but even stories I already know by heart become a thousand times more interesting when Mr. Ballen is the one who tells it 💜🌻

[@Blue8spiral]

True! Even if I've heard of the story before, it never makes it not worth watching Mr Ballen

[@JamieHenry-u9s]

Ty mr.Ballen for your great story telling and your charity work. I'm proud to have you as a fellow American, you're one of the good one!

[@chibigoji5080]

I'm gonna be totally honest, I was 100% sure that the tribe when told not to eat people, wouldn't stop doing it. Glad they did though

[@frakismaximus3052]

Have they quit though? ☠️

[@TheMfmccarthy]

I mean it's just astounding. Imagine looking at a thing that has a bad thing in it and you don't want that bad thing to get in you, so in response you - not incidentally but purposely, with the objective of not getting that bad thing in you - take the thing that's filled with the bad thing and then you eat it.

[@jenk4653]

Thank you John, for your service and every other person who has served to protect us.

[@SuzannePada]

On this Memorial weekend, deep felt thanks to you, John, and all other veterans for serving our country. Blessings!

[@Unhallowed_Saint]

Memorial Day is for those who died in service, Veteran's Day is when we thank our living service Members. Source: I'm a veteran. Please remember our fallen when you have your BBQ and parties this weekend.

[@chloeevans1928]

Thank you for your service Mr. Ballen and to all other veterans out there! Love all round!

[@SkunkApe407]

Memorial Day isn't for us. It's for those who didn't come home alive. Thank us on Veterans Day. Today your thoughts should be with those who gave their lives on the battlefield. As a veteran myself, let me say "thank you for giving us a reason to serve" on behalf of my fallen brethren. The Navy's motto is "Non Sibi Sed Patriae", which is Latin, and translates to "Not for self, for Country". Every one of us who swears that oath means those words, and is fully prepared to stand between our countrymen and Hell itself. Make sure to say a word or two of thanks to those who payed the ultimate price to ensure that you don't have to fight.

[@Jorde-u4u]

I am not a native speaker of the English language and I have learned so much English from Mr. Ballen...his spoken English is very clear and broad..❤❤❤❤🤗 🙏 I wish he would have the spare time to teach ESL in College.

[@nrjones19]

My mum died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease, which is a very rare (1-2 per million people per year), fatal, prion brain disease in the same family as kuru and mad cows disease but as yet has an unknown cause. There's lots of research happening though. It was a horrific thing to watch, like accelerated dementia.

[@melisentiapheiffer3034]

Your mom probably ate the infected cow meat from decades ago.

[@TwoShedsJackson]

Yeah, I’ve heard people refer to CJD as “Alzheimer’s on steroids.” So sorry to hear about your Mum.

[@snownotwhite]

24:37 "Don't eat other people and you will be okay" 😂

[@SterlingMorgenstern]

I mean, *technically* just don't eat the brain/spinal cord/neurological tissues and you'll be fine but better safe than sorry I guess 🧠🍽☠️

[@SPACEMAN_fkYT]

As soon as I heard New Guinea I knew there will be Cannibalism involved. Another fine story John.

[@TwoShedsJackson]

😂😂😂

[@2serveand2protect]

Wooow! The guy took just a look upon her and despite her symptoms clearly showing up in the form of shakes and affected speech he could already tell "it was ALL psycho-somatic"! KUDOS! Some "Man of Science"!

[@palethreshold]

Thank you so much for tackling this topic! Prion diseases are so scary, and awareness about their sources and epidemiology are so important