Columbus and other cannibals : the wétiko disease of exploitation, imperialism, and terrorism

Celebrated American Indian thinker Jack D. Forbes’s Columbus and Other Cannibals was one of the founding texts of the anticivilization movement when it was first published in 1978. His history of terrorism, genocide, and ecocide told from a Native American point of view has inspired America’s most influential activists for decades. Frighteningly, his radical critique of the modern "civilized" lifestyle is more relevant now than ever before. Identifying the Western compulsion to consume the earth as a sickness, Forbes writes: "Brutality knows no boundaries. Greed knows no limits. Perversion knows no borders. . . . These characteristics all push towards an extreme, always moving forward once the initial infection sets in. . . . This is the disease of the consuming of other creatures’ lives and possessions. I call it cannibalism." This updated edition includes a new chapter by the author. Title Page 3 Dedication 5 Foreword 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 ONE - The Genesis of the Universe and the Creation of Love 16 TWO - Consuming Another’s Life The Wétiko Cannibal Psychosis 21 THREE - Columbus Cannibal and Hero of Genocide 34 FOUR - Deception, Brutality, and Greed The Spread of the Disease 41 FIVE - The Structure of the Cannibal’s Insanity Arrogance, Lust, and Materialism 52 SIX - Becoming a Predator The Process of Corruption 62 SEVEN - The Mátchi Syndrome Fascination with Evil 69 EIGHT - Colonialism, Europeanization, and the Destruction of Native (Authentic) Cultures 80 NINE - Savages, Free People, and the Loss of Freedom 94 TEN - Terrorism A Frequent Aspect of Wétiko Behavior 106 ELEVEN - Male Violence, Female Subordination, and the Perpetuation of ... 125 TWELVE - Organized Crime Planned Aggression, Planned Predation 132 THIRTEEN - If Jesus Were to Return 141 FOURTEEN - Seeking Sanity Reversing the Process of Brutalization 147 FIFTEEN - Finding a Good Path, a Path with Heart 155 The Universe is Our Holy Book 164 Notes 181 Bibliography 200 Credits and Permissions 206 About the Author 208 About Seven Stories Press 209 Copyright Page 210 First published in 1978, Forbes’ history of terrorism, genocide, and ecocide told from a Native American point of view is updated with a new introduction by Forbes and a foreward by Derrick Jensen