As the world becomes more and more
interconnected, common themes can be seen in how human nature plays a part in
the attitudes and actions of peoples toward other peoples. In our discussion about Columbus and how he reacted
to and treated the Native people whom he encountered on his journey to the
Americas, it is evident that his actions are not dissimilar to those of people
today. People are critical today of Columbus’
actions against the Natives because he did not understand them or go about
treating them the right way. In the same
way, globalization has converged cultures more than ever and has caused the oppression
of certain peoples and cultures by those perceiving themselves as more
dominant. Commonly with human nature
centuries ago and today, people have the tendency to look down upon or treat
negatively other people or cultures they do not understand.
As
Todorov describes in his writing about Columbus’ encounter, he says that being physically
naked, the Indians are perceived by Columbus to be deprived of all customs,
rites, and religion; but that this carries a certain logic in that for a man
like Columbus, human beings wear clothes following their expulsion from
Paradise, which itself is at the source of their cultural identity.[1] Columbus makes the incorrect assumption that
his own culture translates to all other people, even the unknown. This has a negative impact because he then creates
expectations for the Natives in which they cannot follow or know because they are
completely different from Columbus and his European culture. Columbus therefore looks down upon them and
treats them as not on the same level as himself- as not human beings like
him.
Today we look upon
Columbus’ actions and are befuddled by them because we recognize the tone-deaf
approach to how he treats the Natives. However,
this imperialistic approach Columbus had to understanding the Natives is not
much different from how “superior” cultures attempt to relate to “inferior”
cultures today. The United States is repeatedly
accused of this and American imperialism is widely recognized around the
world. This idea does not only happen
large scale like with the United States, but also on a much smaller scale as
well. Human nature plays out in the idea
that people will treat those they do not understand and those that do not have
the same values as themselves inferiorly.
Globalization has not helped this concept either- if anything it has caused
an increase in the intolerance seen today between cultures, though one of the
biggest side-effects of globalization has been convergence of cultures. This paradox can seemingly be solved with the
understanding that human nature has not changed from the time Columbus first landed
in the Americas to modern day when civil war still breaks out between peoples
of the same country over the idea that they are the superior sect.
The recognition
today of the issue that cultures and people still fail to recognize equality
among all is far above that of when Columbus encountered the same issue many
centuries ago. Therefore, although it is
still a glaring issue in the world, more and more attempts are being made to combat
the intolerance among cultures. Unfortunately,
total equality is a hard to reach future goal that cannot be attained until the
recognition is among all people – an almost impossible task in of itself.
[1] Tzvetan
Todorov, The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other. Translated
by Richard Howard. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999, p. 35
I would completely agree that globalization has lead to a development of is what is almost a cultural hierarchy. In my mind their is very little difference between globalization and the general trend of late stage capitalism. In late stage capitalism everything is commodified this includes culture. American culture is largely created through the lens of commercial value. Key elements of american culture like hot dogs and halloween and ideals of hard working being rewarded come from american buisness. Cultures that are focused on the community are seen as "communist" or anti american. Columbus did not see value in the natives due to their lack of faith in the catholic god and Americans do not see value in cultures that are not committed to the supremacy of capital
ReplyDeleteColumbus's actions and prejudices could also be attributed to colonialism. By calling the native population savages, he and other European explorers could justify killing and enslaving the native population. The effects can still be seen today in globalization. the cultures of the world are interacting with each other in ways the could never happen even ten years ago. These cultures that some people consider inferior today are in areas that were once colonized by European countries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt's comment about how harm done to natives was justified. The explorers and conquerers would hide their mistreatment of native people for fear of rebellion or the conqurered land being taken away. But, on the chance that it was caught, the kings and queens who sponsored these expeditions didn't punish due to the fact the accomplished their task of obtaining the land. This can also be connected to events today such as the mistreatment of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay Prison. The terrorists have been captured and are no longer a threat to the people living in the United States so the government doesn't care about torturing them.
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