Re: Zapatistas -- culture not capitalism
JAMES BENTHALL (st26h@elroy.uh.edu)
6 Dec 1994 00:19 CST
In article <Pine.HPP.3.91.941205085708.687A-100000@gaia.ecs.csus.edu>, gardnerm@gaia.ecs.csus.edu (Milo Gardner) writes...
>What Sub-commandant Marcos holding out for is a broad range
>of political empowerments, beginning with the respect for
>pre-Columbian cultures --
I agree with much of what you said (although I don't know if Marxian economics
were "proven wrong" being that there has never been a country on the planet that
actually *practiced* such--particularly the Soviet Union) but I want to point
out that there are NO pre-Columbian cultures. How can you have pre-Columbian
cultures in post-Columbian times? You can't.
However, many people make this mistake. Westerners, in particular, seem to
look on indigenous communities as if their "ancient relics from the path" that
never changed, timeless people inhabiting a bygone era. PBS recently aired a
film entitled "The People that Time Forgot" (or something like that). This is
a racist belief! People change--ALL people change, no one remains in stasis and
it is incorrect to believe they do. Just my $0.02.
!Vivan los Zapatistas!
james b.
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