ivoryst

You obviously have a good grasp of vocabulary, but use it to obfuscate rather than communicate. You could of-course speak plainly about what you really mean, but that would unmask your true prejudices, wouldn't it?

And yes, from the negro burnt to death in the american south; the salem witch-hunts of the early settlers and the same in PNG, it is all barbaric.

Its easy to be a keyboard warrior, and judge others from the safety of your home. Maybe one day you'll be given an opportunity to prove to the world just how brave and courageous you are facing up to "horrible, manovelent criminals" in defense of the helpless. Most of those so called "benign spectators" caught up in such situations are women, children and powerless men trying to stay alive (by not standing up to the savages among them ).

So your friends have witnessed human sacrifice of children? Get real. If you dont want to be taken out of context, dont use colorful anectdotes straight out of a 1850s novel.

Sorry, but what exactly is your point (in plain english)?

And I used the term "outsider" to refer to any perceived differences, whether its race, gender, religion, beliefs etc. And yes, some people condone; while others actively participate.

I'll repeat, as you seem to have missed mine: every culture, modern or historic, has its fair mix nobles and savages. Tagging a whole group of people as savages is just good old fashioned racism.

> That's still opposite the claim that they were good before colonization

What does colonization mean to you? What value did colonization bring (lets talk factual specifics here) that weren't there before.

> They might be better off after a genocide, too

So what exactly are the benefits of a genocide?

> I'm pointing out is that these societies were messed up well before colonization

Using your metric of "messed up society" ie the public, condoned torture and murder of "outsiders", the point am making is that all societies are pretty messed up.

And when you start labelling whole groups of people that way, thats actually step 1 in the plan to exploit, colonize or commit genocide.

>This is Africa we are talking about. An entire continent that is filled with tribes and small villages that at least at one time, were ruled by witchdoctors. Got a plague among you? Sacrifice a few children they say.

Your ideas about africa come straight out of the 1850s, and I'm embarrassed to read these kind of comments here. Atleast the people from the 1850s have an excuse ( no internet, pictures, books, travel etc to get the real facts); but whats yours?

Could the american south of 50 years back included as a "sick society". Just swap "evil witch" with "uppity negro" and exactly the same atrocities were being committed. Labeling whole groups of people as savages or noble is just a lie, and its been used to enslave and dehumanize others through history. We are all capable of being savage or noble, whether you live in a tropical jungle or highrise apartment somewhere.