I remember when someone adamantly tried to tell me that a copy-pasta wasn’t a meme….
And you’d be memeing if you tried to pull that shit on me all “ironic” like.
Hate to break it to you, but a meme, by definition, is political propaganda.
Yes, all those images you've been laughing at these years were part of a political project. They looove hiding in plain sight.
ah yes, the subliminal political message inherent in memes showing what my face looks like when i'm lying in bed and drop mh phone
I guess some white guy on youtube needs to explain it before people will see the connection.
Ah yes the widespread political message that was "me and the boys out at 3am looking for beans"
How could we possibly have missed those political overtones.
Dude you must be on some extremely powerful drugs if you think all memes are political propaganda.
Oh Jesus, it's the same annoying guy that posts the stupid Dale Earnhardt "memes".
This guy would upload the IRS tax handbook as a meme if he could
The bottom picture isn't accurate, I live on a reservation that isn't listed.
If there's one mistake I notice immediately there's definitely more.
Additionally, most of Oklahoma is still various reservation lands. That was a recent court ruling, so I suspect this is a few years old.
There's a ton missing. The point still stands, but the bottom map is more like "places that are 70%+" indigenous people, rather than a comprehensive list. Is mislabeled to make a point, which is a stupid thing to do.
Pretty sure this is saved from an attachment from a forwarded email of a scan of a photo copy of a mimeograph.
Definelty at the very least a copy of a printout of an email attachment that was scanned from a fax...
That's ok, this map of native American lands is definitely outdated. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) lands are much smaller than it should be. As that's the only tribal name I can actually read, I imagine it's a similar story for the other tribes.
Yeah, you can do the same for Russia, China, most European countries. Basically the entirety of Africa.
China/Russia/Europe are largely inhabited by people whose ancestry traces back 1000s of years to the same region. That’s very different from North America, where most natives where killed (either through disease or “policy”).
That’s not to excuse their past behaviour (Europeans started the genocide in North America), but it’s still very different.
Yup. That’s the biggest difference. My ancestors trace back to Beringia (what is now the Bering Strait) but my national leader is an 80 year old European American.
Except for the Han Chinese with the Uyghurs and the Tibetans and the Mongolians.
I suppose you could even add their own people for the Chinese and the Russians when they were starved during the communist times.
How's the genocide of a whole continent "average history"? The magnitude of destruction in the Americas is not common and this downplay of a continent-wide genocide is annoying.
Because there are other examples of continent wide genocide.
Humans are the fucking worst and it isn't unique to one area
because there are other examples
...ok? I guess I don't get why there needs to be any comparison, since it inevitably ends up sounding like "oh, well this one wasn't as bad as that one. Happens all the time."
Other examples existing does not change that it is historically unprecedented and far from the norm. And its just a really strange and pointless thing to point.
Person A: "my dad died in a car bomb" Person B: "ehh, average family death" A: "uhh what?" B: "well, there are other examples of people dying in car bombs, dude! "
The root comment was "average history". I replied to someone suggesting it wasnt, and disagreed with them.
To use your analogy,
"My dad died of old age.
What? That's insane no one dies of that.
No, it's pretty normal"
You're correcting me saying that expelling native populations time and time again from every land they go to, then genociding their entire population to the point of near extinction, using the most horrific methods and over centuries, is more akin to dying of old age than dying by a bomb?
Please read that again and confirm to me that's what you're saying, because it sounds absolutely ridiculous. This scale and this horror are not common historical occurrence.
That's correct, humans have used the cutting edge methods to drive out and destroy native populations in the name of expansion, for thousands of years.
I'm not celebrating it.
I am sorry to restate this again, but the expulsion, genocide on the scale (both in size and horror) is historically unprecedented. You're going to have to prove this to me if you think it's a common occurrence instead of continuing to repeat it.
And for the record, no one here is talking about small scale expulsion. I am talking about expulsion AND genocide on the same scale and horror committed here. Show me that it is a common occurrence and I will concede.
Did they? I was under the impression they came in, did a conquer, and basically left with the conquered understanding that the horde'd be back for their tribute.
Yeah they obliterated smaller outside towns to scare the bigger cities into giving them shit. They killed a lot but I’m not sure it counts as genocide since the eradication of people wasn’t the point.
Tell that to the something like 50 million people they killed while doing so.
You have to be deeply ignorant, or some kind of idiot, to give the Mongols a pass while condemning western Europeans.
I’m not giving anyone a “pass” to genocide, only attempting to be very clear about what the precise definition of it is.
Everyone killing people for their stuff sucks, but humans were doing that shit forever.
Not every generation was loading specific people into trains and camps just to gather them for removal from the genetic code.
The Romans? The Mongols? Mayans? Aztecs? The Spanish conquistadors... C'mon, EVERY empire was created from stolen land.
I think "average history" is getting a lot of up votes because people are interpreting it like I initially did which is to mean, "the average history knowledge everyone learns in school", so it isn't very shocking to all of us like this post expects it to be.
Because you’re lumping in the unavoidable disease transfer of first contact with intentional conquest and violence. Take away that, which was going to happen whenever any Afro-Eurasian community first interacted with people from the americas, and you get a very comparable situation to many things throughout history.
The genocide didn't happen solely after the first contact, the massacre of natives lasted centuries. Many nations were wiped out in the XIX century.
And a quote for you
Proponents of the default position emphasize attrition by disease despite other causes equally deadly, if not more so. In doing so they refuse to accept that the colonization of America was genocidal by plan, not simply the tragic fate of populations lacking immunity to disease.
Professor Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Did disease not account for the vast majority of death? Even still, I never discounted the brutal conquest that was engaged in. My point is that Europeans aren’t special for brutal conquests. Imperial Japan is a prime example this.
You’re also treating a bunch of competing individuals as a hive mind with a coherent plan. I find that “grand scheming entity” kind of narrative to be just as naive as the people buying into racist narratives. It doesn’t make sense when it’s Jewish people and they’re a smaller demographic than “Western European”.
Look, the reality is that disease did kill the majority of natives.
The genocide after that is not made any less horrible by that reality, but it was made POSSIBLE because of it.
If European settlers had to deal with the full original population, things would have been VERY different.
There's strong evidence the disease was on purpos- Ah who am I fucking kidding, the colonizers flat out admitted it.
Never forget? In some states it's downright illegal to teach kids that complex, sophisticated and civilized societies existed here before white people showed up.
I'll never forget being in 2nd grade and being taught that Christopher Columbus brought civilization to "the savages" and when I asked why they were savages, my teacher said, "Because they lived in teepees."
I've been reading 1491 by Charles C Mann and telling my 14yo a lot of what I've been learning, it's a fascinating book. We live in the rural southern Appalachians and I know for damn sure those teachers aren't including nuance with their history.
But you and I did NOT. I see a lot of people online who can't make the distinction.
EDIT: Thanks for replies, all. Some good conversation here
Of course I’m gonna assume good faith from you here, but I feel like some people boil down issues like this to “well I mean I didn’t do it so stop complaining”, and that’s wildly reductive and irresponsible at minimum.
Arguing the situation in this way sidesteps the uncomfortable and inconvenient reality that the United States is yet still occupying native land, whether it be Hawai’i, Alaska, or the contiguous territories. Yes it’s entirely possible that mine or your ancestors didn’t perpetuate these things as immigration is and has always been ongoing, but the point everyone misses is that we are still here.
I couldn’t possibly imagine belittling natives for acknowledging the fact that their land was taken from them by force. Some real colonialist shit.
I feel you, and also acknowledge it is a hairy subject on a grand scale.
I also try to frame the issue in the actual, real moment. I try my damndest to do as little harm as humanly possible to anyone. Should I be forced to give money to someone affected? Land? Should I be punished?
Who benefits? A grandson of someone displaced? A great great grandson? Whole family trees? How do you make shit like this right after so much time?
Mostly, I'm trying to encourage thought and discussion. Fundamentally, I think people should be judged on their own merits and actions, not their lineage.
That will always be an issue until the US government actually has real communication and cooperation with native people.
I don’t necessarily think that citizens of occupied land are automatically responsible for the past actions of a government (not to say that’s what you implied), but said government that committed the atrocities is. As far as the other part of the equation, I suppose the beneficiaries should be determined by the natives themselves.
I like that approach. It's in line with what Amnesty International is proposing for Isreal and Palestine
The way I understand it is that even if we omit any ancestral blame for what happened, the Native Americans are still dealing with the impact while European descendants benefit from it. It's kind of like if I went to school with a very bright kid that was horribly abused and kicked out into the streets, so they performed poorly and dropped out, allowing me to get into the best college possible and have a great career. Why should I have any compassion for this kid if I didn't abuse them myself? Why would I help them get housed and into college? Why would I even acknowledge that they were abused and forced out of their home? I'm one that earned it by working hard to get into college and graduate.
This omits the possibility that this kid might have outperformed me and taken the college spot, leaving me to be in a worse off situation.
Not 1000% on board with your analogy, but I understand and fully agree lol.
I just wish most people had the empathy and mental capacity to understand the intricacies of this stuff. It’s a hell of a lot easier to just say “uH wOw I ain’t payin reparations for no dang indians” than it is to actually think for a minute about and acknowledge the real history of where you live
How far back in time are we going to enact justice? My 36x Great uncle Olaf never got his comeuppance (/s a little)
As far back as required to make those involved feel as if they were compensated. If you feel that 36x Great uncle Olaf's loss affects your Family Today, then you should have your day in Court to make the case. However, as most likely 36x Great uncle Olaf was in fact not involved in anything in a currently oppressed People's past, it'll be a hard case to make.
The outcome needs to be negotiated and yes, the Tax Payer should foot the bill for the redress for the actions of the State and individual wealthy Families should foot the bill for the crimes their wealth stems from. For example: the entirety of Oklahoma's rather impressively inhumane treatment of the Native Tribes needs to be dealt with as the People that profited from the malfeasance are still holding the proceeds of those crimes.
False equivalence, that’s an entirely different historical context. Things can apply to one situation and not another
Explain. How is it a false equivalent? Romans controlled the city / region for over a thousand years and were later conqured, and their land stolen, to use the vernacular of this thread.
You’re oversimplifying in order to compare the two. Wildly different historical contexts with entirely unrelated events. Distilling both down to “area conquered” just so you can make a point is reductive.
Beyond that though, why does it matter honestly? Does the fact that a city was conquered in the 1400s invalidate anything mentioned so far?
we are still here
Yes, people don't leave occupied land. It's never happened historically and certainly won't happen now, that's the point of occupation. People can acknowledge what happened but in practical terms thinking that somehow all native land will be returned is just naive.
Oh well of course, at this point in time it’s been made extremely clear that natives will be getting absolutely no land back, even unoccupied land in the plains for example. There’s no major figures in government even remotely speaking on this stuff in a substantial way, so it may as well never happen. Fucked up stuff on top of all the other fucked up stuff.
And also to be fair, implying that most anyone here believes that all land should be returned is pretty naive in and of itself - there are absolutely more options than ALL OF THE LAND and NONE OF THE LAND
That doesn't mean everyone living on stolen land gets a pass just because they weren't the ones to steal it. They have an obligation to make it right.
Just sayin' but there are still several native tribes still existing across the Americas. We can talk to them.
I'm from a tribe whose ancestral homelands were within the 13 colonies. We have demands and we are not extinct.
I don't think they were trying to downplay the severity. I think they were just pointing out in a snarky way that there were survivors, and thus, we can ask their descendants these questions.
My town just voted to give some land back to native American descendants by buying it from the current owners.
Land shouldn't be owned indefinitely and passed through families. It's not right to have created a dynasty based on one guy in the 1800s claiming everything in sight and having his idiot descendents be wealthy simply based on the fact. They didn't do anything except inherent land.
Land that isn't your primary home should have to be leased and not owned, that way it's being used most effectively and not privatized for the sole benefit of the owner. It leads to land speculation and squatting of land that someone else would like to use.
Additionally, natural resources should also belong to the people and companies should have to pay fair compensation for their extraction.
Yeah but that isn't what everyone is saying. They are saying give it all back to the native Americans and what? Move back to Europe?
Israel is more muddy people have been taking that land from eachother for millenia. Just because after the 2nd world war Israel was re-created after being stamped out prior to that. Who was the aggressor and the victim back then.
TBH, I don't see what's do great about Israel anyway. It just looks like a hot desert area with rocks everywhere.
Both sides must come to an agreement that both agree to, without coercion by sword. All involved.
Right, conquered is worse because it implies it's stolen via violence at a large scale. While just stolen could mean taken quietly and without violence. Thank you for addressing the seriousness of the issue.
If you steal someone's TV and give it to your kid, does that mean the person who it was stolen from shouldn't get it back? Its the kid's now???
Native people's were not completely wiped out, despite euroamerikkkan attempts. Their survival is resistance.
The genocide is still ongoing, they just don't tell you about it. In Canada cops will flat out murder or disappear them right off the streets.
Between 2012 and 2016, the "Starlight tours" section of the Saskatoon Police Service's English Wikipedia article was deleted several times. An internal investigation revealed that two of the edits originated from a computer within the police service
Remember to reference primary sources for this reason!
For those interested, native-land.ca is a collective project to map the ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples.
Are there any good resources to learn more about the vast tribes the North American continent was home to? I've always felt ignorant to the rich history and connection with the Earth that the tribes held and passed down.
Not sure about the accuracy of the top map, but it looks like that format could be a great educational opportunity.
On a lighthearted note, if you're from the bay, give Café Ohlone a visit! I had the pleasure of meeting the two head chefs at an event where they cooked for the audience. They showed how candy cap mushrooms, acorn flour, and a duck egg could be incorporated into a brownie mix. I can't speak for the actual restaurant, but it was delicious what they made :)
Unfortunately, not really for the majority of tribes. What we so know is that by the time Europeans had made real efforts to expand westward in North America, The Great Dying had already killed 75-90% of the native population.
Basically, North America had already endured around 200 years of civilization and population collapse starting in 1450. So even what the tribes know about themselves has to be viewed in the perspective of a people who had just lost 90% of their population in a few generations.
Here is a decent explanation.
People forget that from the time Christopher Columbus arrived to when Europeans began expanding past the Appalachia is a span of 300 years. That's longer than we've been in a country.
American expansion would not have been possible without hundreds of years of what is basically a Continent wide apocalypse. Culture just doesn't survive that level of sustained trauma unchanged.
Check out the book, 'An Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.'
It's claims are backed up w/ extensive citations.
The Canary Effect is an amazing documentary about the genocide of Indigenous peoples in North America. It is free on YT. It was where I first learned how brutal the reality was and how devastating to the population. It also shows how it meets the UN definition of genocide. Amazing how we are raised in the US and this is not only ignored in history class, but is instead framed as Indigenous people living happily in Spanish missions and having Thanksgiving with pilgrims.
If you get a chance to read about John Trudell, he had a fascinating life. He was the spokesman for the American Indian Movement when they occupied Alcatraz in protest of the US breaking their land treaty. The government did not stop terrorizing him and his family after that. There's also an amazing documentary about him but it's been a long time since I've seen it. I think it may just be called "John Trudell."
Both of these will make you walk away angry though.
When it comes to extant tribes, many of them have web pages with info about them. The depth of information varies from tribe to tribe, I think typically encapsulating whatever the tribe feels comfortable sharing publicly. However when it comes to extinct tribes, much of what you'll find will probably be spotty and questionable, as what is known is likely the result of archeology and accounts from nearby tribes.
It's really frustrating how difficult it is to learn about the native cultures as someone on the outside. It gets glossed over in school and what you hear in pop culture is often heavily skewed or butchered to put on a good show for the audience. Then, because of how much of it gets butchered, chopped and screwed, the people who actually know the real stories become understandably protective and reluctant to share them. It'd be nice if there was a central, wikipedia-like site run by the tribes where you could learn about their stories and traditions.
Highly recommend reading the Red Deal, which is written by Indigenous socialists on what they think decolonisation should entail.
https://therednation.org/about-maisha/
Also keep in mind that every Indigenous community has different views on colonialism and the land and sovereignty issue. Some really just want to be left alone on their historical territory, others actively want to work with non-Indigenous people living on and around their ancestral land, and everything in between with tons of nuance. There is no singular "Indigenous attitide" on this though there does tend to be similar schools of thought. The most important thing in decolonization is to listen to all of them and respect their wishes.
This isn't a meme and should be removed but yes agreed this is like common north america histly knowledge
For fucks sake... 1st off, whether or not this qualifies as a "meme", it doesn't fit the accepted norm of what most people expect to see when they click on "memes"
Secondly, and this may sting a little, but peace as we know it is a relatively new thing in world history. I've seen a multitude of other comments here proclaiming all those other genocides were okay because they were thousands of years ago. It's that "in my lifetime" mentality that just fucking grinds my gears. Through thousands of years of history, one genocide is cherry picked and held up as the worst ever, and the citizens who"benefitted" from it are supposed to pick up the tab? My ancestors weren't Spanish or English, and my family has been here for about 130 years having come from Germany in 1890. How much of the tab am I supposed to pick up?
Fact of the matter is, the only constant in human history is war. We're in a (relatively) peaceful era now, and that's taking into account Ukraine/Russia, Israel/Palestine, and probably another 20 or 30 wars I'm not up to speed on because I'm American and our media doesn't seem to actually inform us on world events from countries we don't buy shit from.
Human history is not really a constant war, but that is how Americans have been taught history: as a sequence of wars.
What's relatively new are the concept of mass conscription, economic warfare, and total war. The ability to enact war and destruction on a global and constant level is new. The brief cessations in conflict aren't peace, you're right, but it is also a newer concept that we are constantly in a forever war.
While I mostly agree, I never said constant war, but where I will disagree in a sense is, the prospect of total annihilation would have been a factor millennia ago had the technology been there. Pick your era, the Romans, the various Chinese dynasties, the English, etc... if they had the means, they would have likely used it, having zero regard for the impact it would have later, mostly due to a poor understanding of the technology. I do believe, at least between "the big three", meaning the US, Russia and China, nuclear war is an extremely potent deterrent to all out war. It's the "kids who want to be in the club" that worry me, everyone from NK to Israel. It sucks, but the atomic cat is out of the bag in a world we're all forced to live in, and the polarization of politics and other bullshit only work to drive that wedge deeper and push us closer to... bad shit.
Sure. I get what you mean: greek antiquity has records on the decision to exterminate an entire island of people. The capacity is absolutely there.
But I think a better perspective here is human history is one full of technological and social advances that resolve and prevent conflict. Even, yes, that unbagged atomic cat. It can be power for civilian use or it can be a bomb to burn their shadows into the concrete. War is when the actual prize of humanity: civility, breaks down.
I agree with your points, and yes it's a better perspective, however, that's not the world we're living in. There are some who are hell bent on wiping out continents of people due to any number of reasons ranging from beliefs to the exploitation of natural resources merely for financial gain. I really wish we did live in a world where the word "nuclear" invoked thoughts of clean(er), abundant and cheaper energy vs it invoking dread at the prospect of total annihilation.
I've seen a multitude of other comments here proclaiming all those other genocides were okay because they were thousands of years ago.
Where did anyone say it was okay because it was longer ago? Please point me to it, because I read the entire thread and did not see this once.
The genocide of native new worlders is historically unprecedented and that is fact. I highly doubt that genocides on the same scale, magnitude and horror are commonplace throughout history. I would urge you to support your claim with evidence or examples if you are going to repeat it, otherwise it is entirely baseless.
How much of the tab am I supposed to pick up?
However much it takes to bring up the status of the natives to what it would have been had they not been massacred and expelled, and undo the propping up of Western civilization on their backs. If you'd like more specific examples, I'd be glad to give them to you. Just ask.
We're in a (relatively) peaceful era now
Source? That's a pretty big claim.
As I'm too stupid and it's to early for me to do these inline...
Your 1st point, here's one, had to scroll about 1/8 down the page for. Granted it doesn't explicitly say it was "okay", the point stands:
"China/Russia/Europe are largely inhabited by people whose ancestry traces back 1000s of years to the same region. That’s very different from North America, where most natives where killed (either through disease or “policy”).
That’s not to excuse their past behaviour (Europeans started the genocide in North America), but it’s still very different."
As you also wanted to be pointed to a source for genocides on the same or larger scale throughout history, allow me to search Wikipedia for you:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genocides
As to point 3, who exactly determines who is responsible and who will benefit from this paln to raise up America's indigenous population to their proper station? Are 1st generation immigrants from Ghana going to be required to pay up? How about Natives who's ancestry dates back to a tribe that exterminated another tribe? Surely that should also qualify as genocide?
And as to point 4, we, in the west, as I did point out I was American, are in a (relatively) peaceful time, which implies that throughout history it has not been, but I guess I need to spell it out for some people.
At the end of the day, you're not looking to be enlightened or to learn anything, your post was directed to completely discount my points, or to "troll" I will admit I was getting heated reading some of the off the wall bullshit I was seeing, but superlatives aside, I stand by everything I've posted. I apologize if you TRULY didn't know about other genocides, or if your worldview has jaded you to the point where you don't initially see posts that clearly illustrate what I said, at least in the abstract, and you took the time to go back and reread them and allow it to sink in.
Feel free to pick apart this post, too. Nothing is more entertaining in a meme thread than for 2 idiots, myself included, to argue about genocide.🙂
Your first quotation is not about someone excusing a genocide because it happened a long time ago. They are saying that unlike the US, the current inhabitants in those regions can be traced back to the inhabitants thousands of years ago. Which means there wasn't a major genocide or displacement of people. I am not endorsing this statement btw, I don't know enough to confirm it. But it is not a condonation of genocide. It is in fact remarking that a genocide similar to what happened in North America did not happen in those other regions.
As you also wanted to be pointed to a source for genocides on the same or larger scale throughout history
You provided me a list of genocides on Wikipedia. None of them match the genocide against native Americans. Your link proves my point.
I guess I need to spell it out for some
I didn't ask you to paraphrase or restate your point. I asked you to prove it or provide evidence. But I never expected you to be able to anyways, so don't worry about it.
Ah, the internet...
The phrase "That’s not to excuse their past behaviour (Europeans started the genocide in North America), but it’s still very different" effectively translates to "Even though this happened, this is worse".
If you bothered to look at that list, you'll note the mention of the California Genocide of 1846. Reported casualties between 9,492 and 16,094, with other estimates as high as 120,000. Absolutely fucking horrible and a black mark on American history indeed. However, there are 31 other genocides on that list that are higher in number, with three of those even happening prior to California-
Dzungam 1755, 480,000-600,000 Taino 1492, 68,000-968,000 Albigensian 1209, 200,000-1,000,000
I guess it depends on how you define "genocide", but since Wikipedia is generally using the accepted definition, I feel pretty safe in going with what they say.
And I did lay out proof, you're just too caught up in whatever ideology to see it. Feel free to rebut, down vote, cry or whatever makes you feel better, but my point was the world is a horrible place, and terrible things happen to all kinds of groups of people. The "meme" that started all this IS a cherry picked reference to people who were wronged (I'm not disputing they were wronged, but so were... insert any other group of people here). Throughout history, most civilizations are founded on the conquering of another. As horrible as that is, it's a fact. And after the fact, many of the remaining conqured are treated horribly. Also a fact.
Lay out some real numbers, cite an authoritative source (sources) and then we can talk. Until then, I hope the best for you and really wish we could get past this bickering bullshit. Life is too short, and trying to pin the sins of one's father on the current generation isn't solving shit. Work toward bettering peoples lives without having to exact revenge from people who didn't have fuck all to do with it.
Oh, I stand corrected. A link to a Google doc. Should probably submit that to the Wikipedia article I linked as clearly thier information is flawed. You win an internet today.
It's a link to a specific page of the book "American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World" By David Sannard. It's not a Google doc.
Here is an interactive map that shows current ongoing conflicts around the world.
interfere with history? sorry we don't have time traveling yet. it doesnt matter who knows about the atrocities committed by Columbus n crew its not gonna change anything. especially when utilitarianly speaking we now have a pretty functional society, so many would say it was necessary. i have no opinion either way because i dont really care.
unless ur saying you wouldve interfered because no you wouldnt youre a product of the time. you wouldnt have media to tell you what is good to think. you would just listen to those around you.
youre not him stop acting badass.
To make things right, I think we should give back all the red states.
Who's with me? Show of hands.
Better idea: anyone who thinks he should give land back, can give his land/ belongings to indeginous peope