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A review by labyrinth_witch
Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wetiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism by Jack D. Forbes
5.0
Jack D. Forbes asserts a premise that the wetiko disease (cannibalism) is defined as “the violent consuming of another’s life” and is a disease that is spreading- has been spreading for centuries. He traces the disease as an epidemiologist would- first outlining the symptoms, the rate of spread, and the destruction caused by the disease. He believes that this disease is inherent to colonial/imperialist/European/Christian societies and that they infect whomever they come in contact with.
The 11 symptoms of the wetiko disease include:
1. Greed
2. Lust
3. Inordinate Ambition
4. Materialism
5. Lack of a “true” face (lying)
6. Schizoid (split) personality
7. Arrogance
8. Sadism/cruelty
9. Subjugation of Women
10. Overpopulation
11. Control
If you think, “that doesn’t describe me” you’ll think again after reading this small volume. Forbes does an excellent job of demonstrating how these symptoms play out in our every day lives on a subtle level. You’ll come to realize just how...white you are, how entirely you’ve bought into the wetiko disease.
He asserts that you can’t listen to people who say “this is just how the world works” as if this violent consumption is an axiom. Because they are diseased and you can’t believe the disease.
My take-away? I don’t know how to raise disciplined human beings without coercion. Read any modern, white parenting book and you’ll find a plethora of chapters on rewards and punishments- all part of the wetiko framework.
We are encouraged to reproduce because the system demands “cheap labor and cannon fodder.” A phrase I don’t think I will ever get out of my head. As someone deeply entrenched in reproductive justice, this makes the most sense for the “worldview” of anti-choice advocates.
It is so good, I bought a copy so I can read it again.
Read it and listen.
The 11 symptoms of the wetiko disease include:
1. Greed
2. Lust
3. Inordinate Ambition
4. Materialism
5. Lack of a “true” face (lying)
6. Schizoid (split) personality
7. Arrogance
8. Sadism/cruelty
9. Subjugation of Women
10. Overpopulation
11. Control
If you think, “that doesn’t describe me” you’ll think again after reading this small volume. Forbes does an excellent job of demonstrating how these symptoms play out in our every day lives on a subtle level. You’ll come to realize just how...white you are, how entirely you’ve bought into the wetiko disease.
He asserts that you can’t listen to people who say “this is just how the world works” as if this violent consumption is an axiom. Because they are diseased and you can’t believe the disease.
My take-away? I don’t know how to raise disciplined human beings without coercion. Read any modern, white parenting book and you’ll find a plethora of chapters on rewards and punishments- all part of the wetiko framework.
We are encouraged to reproduce because the system demands “cheap labor and cannon fodder.” A phrase I don’t think I will ever get out of my head. As someone deeply entrenched in reproductive justice, this makes the most sense for the “worldview” of anti-choice advocates.
It is so good, I bought a copy so I can read it again.
Read it and listen.