To:
oped@nytimes.com |
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After
reading Patricia
Limerick's
interesting
contribution
in today's NYT
("Live
free and soar"), I am
prompted to
tell you of a fantasy
I had not so
long ago,
about people
from a far
more advanced
civilisation
than our own
visiting Earth
several
hundred years
ago and taking
with them a
number of
native
Americans, who
on one of
their highly
advanced, but
friendly
captors'
planets lived
and multiplied
and learned.
Their
descendents
one day
decided to
return to
Earth to see
how things
were and of
course
discovered how
the country
their
ancestors had
lived in had
been invaded
and conquered
by another
race of people
(Europeans).
Horrified and
indignant at
how their
ancestors and brethren
had been
treated by the
white man,
they decided
to put the
injustice
right. They
had no
difficulty
gaining the
sympathy and
support of
their hosts,
who then sent
a war fleet to
Planet Earth,
landing in
formation on
the Great
Plains, from
where they
communicated
their demand
for all
non-indigenous
Americans to
leave the
country,
giving them 10
years to do so
or be forcibly
removed, i.e.
killed and
eradicated. A
small number
would be
permitted to
stay, but they
would have to
apply to the
native
American
authorities.
The
American
government and
people, of
course, would
not accept
non-Americans
landing
uninvited on
their
territory, let
alone submit
to such
outrageous
demands. But
when
confronted
with the
"visitors"
absolute
superiority
they soon
realised that
they had no
choice: Either
they did what
they were told
or they would
die.
With
military
action not
being an
option, the
government
demanded that
the visitors
negotiate.
"You are
not in a
position to demand
anything",
they were
told. "We
are going to
treat you with
the same
disregard that
you treated
our people. If
you want to
negotiate, we
suggest that
it is with
other
countries
(perhaps those
you or your
ancestors
originally
came from) to
take you in as
refugees.
With
no other
option open to
it, the
government
decides to
enter into
such
negotiations,
but in a threatening
fashion,
demanding
rather than
asking for
millions of
Americans to
be taken in or
simply allowed
to settle in
other
countries.
However, the
visitors - being
very
fair-minded -
make it clear
to the
American
government
that any use
or even threat
of force would
not be
tolerated.
There
are millions
of stories
with which the
fantasy can be
continued.
My
fantasy, of
course, stems
from the
desire to see
a nasty bully
get his just
desserts -
even though
the bullies
are my own
people,
members of my
own race and
culture.
Not
that I would
really want
them (us) to
be so horribly
punished. What
I do want
though is for
us to learn
humility, to
recognise (and
regret) the
terrible
wrongs we have
committed, and
are still
committing,
not least by
plundering
what, after
all, is
not just OUR
planet of its
natural
resources for
the sake of
vainly and grossly
materialistic,
as well as
utterly
unsustainable,
lifestyles and
aspirations,
and to treat
others
(including
coming
generations)
as we would
like them to
treat us (i.e.
not to wreck
the planet for
them).
And
there you have
it . . .
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