Exploits of the Noble Savage

April 2023May 12, 2023By Pedro Gonzalez

Modern grievances are, at heart, about competition for resources, prestige, and power. All that has changed are the myths used to mask the claims and obscure reality . . .

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Comments (13)

Totally agree. I was just thinking earlier for no particular reason that Machiavelli is my favorite political philosopher, in part because his work is based largely on empirical reality. Most everything is about power, especially general claims of victimhood, but society and individuals, arguably especially a passive strain of Republican, fall for these claims frequently. And, yes, American Indians were neither overwhelmingly peaceful nor created an Eden. In fact, the term savagery applies especially in certain instances to their methodologies. That said, I do sympathize with American Indians more than any other “victim” group in America. They did not deserve to get shunted off to reservations and be forced to be treated, literally, as members of an alien country even today in America. While they are not, contrary to various victimology, the original Americans, or “Native Americans,” they were overwhelmingly here first.

April 4, 2023 Michael Kaiser Reply
To Michael Kaiser: keep paying attention to the latest archeo/anthropological findings, especially the controversial, “alternative” ones. I’ve read about some reports of Australian Aborigines, and Africans coming to the Americas before the so-called “Indigenous Americans”. Also findings of pottery sherds like those of an early group from the Japanese Islands (Jomo, or Jomono culture I believe they were called). Also the Ainu (from the Japanese Islands) may have come before the “Indigenous” Americans. There are some findings that Neanderthals may have been here also, waaay before any of these more current groups. And Europeans may have been coming here also, well before Columbus or the Vikings. All were apparently immigrants from the “Old World” and even that may come into question eventually. What is really a mind bender is Michael Cremo’s book “Forbidden Archeology”, the title referring to findings that clearly contradict the “Established Order” in the science of Archeology. All groups have evidence of savage practices. What is clear, is that hunter-gatherers, pastoral folks, agriculturists, and miners & manufacturers cannot use the same piece of land as they wish. Accommodations will have to be made, and there is little chance of free-ranging cultures gaining any foothold in modern societies of huge populations. The beat goes on, and conflict continues.

April 24, 2023 Larry Bowen Reply
Torturing males and taking women as sex slaves from rival tribes was common up and down the Great Plains. Commanches were the most brutal and merciless group I have heard of. These tribes also burned the land yearly to produce more grass land for buffalo. They pushed back the forests to the East because trees were a hindrance to their way of life.

https://thecrosssectionrmb.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-ethics-of-liberty-human-rights-as.html

April 24, 2023 RMB Reply
The lion pounces and devours the antelope. One nation or race conquers another. The lions and stronger nations and races are evil because…they are stronger? Well, so say the antelopes and weaklings. So say modern Americans and Westerners–many of whom, like the Pope, call themselves Christian. My having been conquered, ruled, oppressed, or exploited (in short, controlled) indicates not innocence or virtue but weakness and inferiority. It requires some magic or alchemy that we can call religion—say, Christianity’s “blessed are the poor” (which actually mean blessed are those who are not NOW blessed)—to render weak and inferior GOOD, or less evil than the strong and superior. This is how minorities, particularly blacks and Indians, in the US have been rendered exceedingly (egregiously) more VIRTUOUS than whites: by being weak, “oppressed,” “exploited,” and inferior (for centuries). Non-white races have never lacked the evil; they have only lacked the organization, means, and opportunity. But Aframericans are now getting plenty of opportunities thanks mainly to the Democrats. Reparations…and then…
Is power per se evil? Is weakness per se good? The Omnipotent, God, is then evil. What a tyrant? No, I say: Weakness corrupts; absolute weakness corrupts absolutely.
Finally, to reinforce Pedro Gonzalez’s coda:
The weak call the powerful “evil.” And what is their motive for doing so? To become weaker? The weak call the powerful evil (or racist, tyrant, etc.). That is their way of ATTACKING. They are weak; not innocent or good. They are resentful and hateful, not loving.
They wield criticism only because they cannot wield the cudgel. But more and more the cudgel is at their disposal: for their masters, the Bidens, Pelosis, Obamas, grant them the cudgel and prosecute even our VERBAL self-defense as supremacy, racism, and violence. Even our silence is now illegal.

April 24, 2023 Nick Reply
Reparations…and then…? Who doubts their malice, resentment, and vindictiveness? Those are not impotent.

April 24, 2023 Nick Reply
“…modern grievances are all about…competition for resources, prestige, and power.”

Whether in the forests of Eastern North America or the Great Plains centuries ago on the one hand or the executive offices of multi-national corporations and the court houses and legislatures of modern times—it has always been thus.

April 25, 2023 Hans Bosse Reply
“Weakness corrupts; absolute weakness absolutely corrupts” is a persuasive play on Lord Acton’s words as deployed on the power struggles of our cultural life. All in all, a substantial and witty op ed response. Perhaps Governor Newsom could make a hearty breakfast at the French Kitchen a part of every reparations package.

April 25, 2023 Brent Mikesell Reply
Make that “French Laundry”

April 25, 2023 Brent Mikesell Reply
Oops, Make that “French Laundry not Kitchen”.

April 25, 2023 Brent Mikesell Reply
I have always found Americans to be “hopelessly romantic”. They believe in some magical goodness esp in the weak. In general, people act the same when placed in the same circumstances. If native’s had the technology and power they would have captured Europe and wiped out the Europeans. Europeans won because they were stronger, natives should have incorporated into the white society and prospered instead of living in reservation.

April 25, 2023 Mansour Reply
Black-on-black crime at preposterously (I mean, expected) high levels…and someone doubts what would happen if they had the power and opportunity to be in every White suburb? Hmm. Then I surmise South Africa is only my hallucination!

April 25, 2023 Nick Reply
Amen to all that–let us not praise those who bend the knee to “victim” groups

April 29, 2023 David Reply
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May 29, 2023 Chance Shettle Reply