MINDLESS MUSINGS

The finale of the 1992 film Far and Away depicts Joseph participating in the “Land Run of 1893”. Joseph was a dirt-poor Irish immigrant, and the moment he plants his flag into the ground is a moment of great joy for him and his beloved Shannon. They have claimed this land as their own and with hard work they just might make a go of it. Victory!

I’m not saying THEY stole any land per se, but it was stolen land that they ‘won’. In simple terms the US government was running a competition and the prizes being offered were the spoils of invasion and genocide. The desperate competitors would have scarcely considered the plight of the native people; they were too busy trying to lift themselves out of the muck; trying to put a little distance between themselves and abject poverty.

Extra irony points go to a former Irish peasant participating in the contest. A man who would have had personal experience with being subjugated and cheated by the British was now celebrating his piece of the booty pilfered by the very same tyrants! Fucked up shit man.

I suppose that is as good a place to start as any, as I try to unpack the scourge of colonisation that engulfed much of the world. It was always a thing, but with the advances in naval technology this obsession of expansion was now able to cross oceans.

Explorers were globetrotting across the high seas trying to make a name for themselves. “Discovering” new lands was a good way to secure yourself fame and fortune. Most of that was about self-promotion for the explorers and scientists who made the big finds, rather than conquest. It was what the powers that be did with the information brought back that caused all the misery.

“So, you are telling me there is an entire island with no inhabitants?”

“Well, there are some people lurking about, but they are primitive”

“Are they human?”

“Sort of, but they’re scattered and their weapons are crap”

“Do they have houses and castles and shit?”

“No”

“What about agriculture and a functioning economy? Have they even heard of Jesus Christ?”

“Ah, no sir”

“We better send some people to have a closer look”

On closer inspection it was decided that these ‘backwards’ people were wasting the potential of this unspoiled land and that it would be best for them to step aside and let progress take its course. All those pristine lands, waterways and resources, just sitting there being barely molested; only the slightest exploitation. Disgusting! These people are squandering their environment! Let’s get over there and show them how to squeeze the maximum profit out of every asset.

Settlers start tentatively trickling in at first. In some kind of dark cosmic joke, the natives often helped these pioneers survive their first year/s in these alien landscapes; only to be completely over run when the trickle bursts into a relentless stream. If the entire group of first settlers perished, it would have at least slowed things down a bit. The influx was inevitable though, tragically.

One thing the natives could never have comprehended was the enormous population the European continent contained. A great majority living in squalor and/or under some form of persecution. These people were willing to risk their dismal existence in a shithole for even the slimmest chance of a better life.

Another common misconception I notice when colonisation is discussed is that all the invaders made it rich. Yes, many people made fortunes from the rape and pillage of these new found lands. However, the vast majority were just starving plebs trying to escape horrendous living conditions. Sounds eerily familiar to present circumstances, doesn’t it?

Those rich landowners, ranchers and all the other moguls were just the latest batch of opportunists taking advantage of the heist. They rode on the backs of the unwashed masses just as their forebears had. Their money and influence were useless without the dutiful poor people striving for a better life. What better way to conquer land than sending steadfast colonists in search of new homes on ‘uninhabited’ country. These hopeful homesteaders overwhelmed the native population like a plague of locusts.

The sheer weight of numbers was provided by the mass of sheep, not the foxes and lions. As always, the one’s on top convinced the many on the bottom to do the dirty work. Throw them some crumbs and they’re satisfied. These were the soldiers who fought and died; the pilgrims and settlers who ventured into new territories, risking life and livelihood in the hope of a new start. With the military might of the empires backing them up and practically endless replacements they were unstoppable.

Most of the big-shots came in after the smoke settled and sat themselves at the head of the table. Even if they were the pioneer once and that made their fortune; I’d wager any further expansion of their dynasty was headed by someone on a salary. Only the rare Richard Branson trailblazer types would continue the escapades.

As for the monarchs and aristocrats back in Europe, they just sat there in their opulence giving orders and taking tributes. It was the up and comers who took the punt and became pioneers; ambitious social climbers with designs on making it big.

Those monarchs and new land barons rode on the backs of the throng. Their coffers grew fatter from the blood, sweat and death of the downtrodden. These hopeful schmucks gambled their and their family’s lives expanding an empire. Many got a fresh new start in an unspoiled land; many others perished.

The British, Spanish, French, Dutch and Portuguese were so focused on beating each other to claim land, the natives were not more than another obstacle to overcome. There were rules for this colonisation contest, but being created by the empires, the indigenous populations were just part of the game, they were not invited to play.

More on that and other uplifting tales of humanity to come.