When you think about it, it's no surprise that the European settlers were determined to wipe out the native population from the get-go.
On the one side, you had strict hierarchical regimentation of society. The ubermenschen ate first and ate the most, and the rest of the crowd scrambled for the left-overs.
On the other side, when the hunters brought home a moose or a caribou, everybody in the clan got to eat.
On the one side, even though the word "capitalism" had yet to be invented, the winner-take-all ethos was already well established.
On the other side, a communal ethos had been in place for millenia.
On the one side, rapacious exploitation was the norm.
On the other, sustainability was the norm.
Yes, there was indeed a clash of civilizations.
The folks who had the guns, germs, and steel on their side triumphed.
At least in the short term.
Fast forward a few centuries, and we are witnessing the death throes of this thing we call "capitalism."
It's become a tail-eating monster of a shit-show that feasts on constant expansion and constant war. It holds vast swathes of the so called civilized world in its thrall.
But, in spite of the best efforts of the settlers over these last five hundred blood-soaked years, there remains another side.
The communal side.
If we're to have a future, that's where we'll find it.
No comments:
Post a Comment