This past Monday Columbus Day was observed. Tomorrow (Oct. 12) is the traditional holiday.
In the past few days there have been many things said about this day being a celebration of his arrival and comparing it to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust. What the so-called political correct among us are really saying is that the Europeans who colonized the Americas were no better than murderers and slavers. It is also said that Columbus did not "discover" America. Yes, it's true that there were indigenous peoples here before and there were also other explorers who had visited North America previously. But what is also true is that Columbus was really the one who opened the eyes of the civilized world to it. What the PC crowd wants us to believe is that western civilization destroyed a land of peace and plenty for the Indians. Were there wrongs and atrocities committed? Yes, but as a people we have grown over time and along the way have become a better society. Not perfect but better. But lets not let the facts get in the way of the PC fantasy world where indigenous society was nothing but Paradise.
Before 1492 this land was inhabited by primarily hunter/gatherers. There were few permanent settlements. The people lived a nomadic existence, living day to day, hand to mouth. Life was hard. There was virtually no change in their lifestyles for thousands of years. Invention was unheard of. As far as the purported peaceful co-existence with other groups, well lets explore that for a bit. War was almost an endless activity for these people. Wars between tribes were some of the most brutal, bloody and sadistic one could imagine. The murder of an enemies children was a normal by-product of battle. The reasoning was that the child will grow to exact revenge for their group. Taking slaves and taking women as sex slaves was also a result of these battles. Blood sacrifice was a central part of pre-Colombian Aztec and Mayan culture. We see this same thing in primitive societies today. No change, no advancement, no progress.
This brings me to why Columbus should be honored and not made out to be a villain of epic proportions. It was his opening the door to civilization and to the ideas and the people who founded this country. The introduction of unheard of benefits. The ideas of thousands of thinkers and inventors were brought. Without the opening of America the thoughts and achievements of greats such as Aristotle, Plato, Copernicus may not have seen the light of day in the New World. If you listen to the PC folk, our society brings absolutely nothing to the table. Only horror, terror and disease. They say the brutal and backward Indian culture holds as much if not more value than ours. In an address to West Point in March of 1974, Ayn Rand said:
"[The Native Americans] didn't have any rights to the land and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights which they had not conceived and were not using.... What was it they were fighting for, if they opposed white men on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence, their "right" to keep part of the earth untouched, unused and not even as property, just keep everybody out so that you will live practically like an animal, or maybe a few caves above it. Any white person who brought the element of civilization had the right to take over this continent."
I'm sure some will say that I'm racist. They say all cultures intrinsically hold equal value. That all cultures are morally equal. Let me ask you...Is a culture that indulges in blood sacrifice equal? Is a culture that practices female genital mutilation equal? Is a stagnant culture better? Are men more equal than women? How about cannibalistic tribes, do they bring equal worth to mankind? The absolute fact is that some cultures are better than others. Western Civilization brings science rather than mysticism, reason instead of tribal ritual. Individualism, ambition and self-reliance are things to strive for. Values that state "All Men are Created Equal".
Look, there were absolutely very serious and horrible missteps made along the way. There is no way around it, no way to sugar coat it. We are still growing and correcting these things. But in the end we should honor our civilization instead of denigrating it. Thing are better now than they were. They will continue to get better. We as humans are better than we were.
It's time we honor our culture, Western Civilization.
It's time we reject this bullshit Multiculturalism. I do.
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2 comments:
it strikes me as off that you would assert that some cultures are better than others, but also reasoning that the "all men are created equal" is a part of the better culture. i get your point, but you seem to water it down in the same post. plus, no one is perfect, but it is usually an afterthought when someone refers to wester civilization as "civilized" as though no one else was. interesting post nonetheless.
Thanks for your comment Pops. As you can probably tell, I'm no writer. These are just my thoughts on things that happen and interest me. As you can also tell, I've a conservative bent. I try to see all aspects but some things I just don't get.
As far as the "all men are created equal" is concerned, I just wanted to indicate that it isn't the culture but the man that is equal. Civilization is all relative. What was civilized 500 years ago is barbaric to us today. We all have a long road to go. I want people to have their own customs. They have their own identity. But I do not want to see this country become just like the "old country" that some come from. After all, most came here to get away from that kind of life and begin anew. I just don't want America, for all it's faults, become some third worlf hell hole.
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