Blessed Unrest-Paul Hawken

"Indigenous cultures keenly sense that they are judged by the terms of a Darwinian bias: namely, that there are higher and lower peoples, and that because one's culture is not European or modern, one's history is not as distinguished or valuable." -Hawken. page 94 Blessed Unrest

"Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly expounded by Herbert Spencer, whose ethical philosophies always held an elitist view and received a boost from the application of Darwinian ideas such as adaptation and natural selection."
(http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/eh4.shtml)


What really boggles my mind is why Europeans think that they are so much higher on the totem pole than other peoples. The fact is that all peoples have their strenghts and weaknesses, skills and knowledge that are vital to the area that they inhabit. Some are more inclined to have agricultural skills, knowledge of the seasons, which plants and animals flourish and which perish depending on the weather and other factors, some have knowledege of medicine, whether synthetic or organic, some have knowledge of languages and literature, trade and bartering skills, money skills in general, how to make a profit...there are so many different trades and tricks out there, and it is absolutely amazing how some peoples have adapted to their environment, become so in tune with their surroundings that they are able to tell which times are best to fish judging by the phase of the moon. Europeans and the U.S. enjoyed the benefits of the Industrial Revolution, where we learned to make stronger, faster, more productive equipment, resulting in a more luxurious lifestyle than most others would have (actually we just had more stuff). So my point is this: how are we any better than indigenous people, people with the resourcefulness and perseverance to learn their land and the ways of the environment, to really make a connection with what they need to do to survive? This does not mean that they are superior to us in any way. Americans and Europeans have learned the ways of technology, advanced medicine, mass production, schooling in a multitude of subjects as diverse as psychology, mechanical engineering, biochemistry, sociology, Shakespeare, and women's studies. As a result of our environment, we became who we are today. No one should be made to feel inferior because of who they are, no matter their strenghts or weaknesses. Social Darwinism is a sick joke. The beauty of the human race is our diversity, our utter uniqueness and ability to adapt and change. However, we are all humans, and well all deserve respect and fair treatment. We all share this Earth, for as long as it is here for us.