Response to Chief Seattle reading

At the beginning of this reading Stephen Mitchell asked the question, "Can any decent white American read this speech without great shame?" My answer is, of course I can.

My maternal ancestors were driven from the Ukraine in the early 1900's, many of my paternal ancestors were starved to death during the potato famine in Ireland that was orchestrated and perpetuated by the British. In short, there is no lack of examples of human cruelty, no particular culture that has escaped being persecuted or has in turn done the deed themselves. As a species we have a rich history of preying on the weaker cultures around us and seizing their assets when the opportunity presents itself. Is this an admirable trait? Of course not, but to attempt to illicit feelings of "shame" for the actions of a group of settlers whose existence over two hundred years ago bears little or no resemblance to modern readers is spurious.

There are plenty of current situations around the globe where people are being treated abominably and yet we are not asked to feel shame, in fact most people often simply read the headlines (if they even bother to read a newspaper at all) and then go about their day. Last week five women were buried alive in Pakistan in a so-called "honor killing". This practice was actually defended by a member of the Pakistani parliament as part of the religion and culture of the people, and therefore should be considered acceptable. Literally thousands of women die horrible deaths every year because of these ancient and reprehensible practices. Where are the calls of shame for them?

My point is this: humans are opportunistic and cruel. Furthermore, they often hide behind the guise of religion to sanctify their actions. It is a time-honored trait of our species. There was no more, or no less shame in the actions of the settlers of the United States than there are in the multitudes of crimes we perpetrate against one another today.