BearFed'Civilization' is a point of view, it would seem
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Meme Curator
PugJesushttps://media.piefed.social/posts/wM/OA/wMOA9q2GE9C9a9c.webp
https://media.piefed.social/posts/wM/OA/wMOA9q2GE9C9a9c.webp
Explanation: The European colonial empires of the 19th century often justified their behavior by pointing to the 'uncivilized' nature of the nations they butchered and conquered. However, Europe in the 19th century was... not exactly well-developed on the homefront. Sewage systems, in particular, were a ghastly-late introduction, even in the most advanced towns of Europe.
Almost like the main advantage of European 'civilization' was the gun and the state's ability to marshal the people who use it, not a higher standard of behavior or human development...
Turns out "nasty, brutish, and short" was just projection
That’s Hobbes describing life without government, so I’m not sure that works.
What did he say about people who overanalyze jokes?
Something about a tuna fish sandwich.
I really wanted to defend my home country and point out this was factually incorrect as it only happened once in one city as a result of overflowing sewers.
However, I remembered about an article I read recently that mentioned a slum clearance (quite usual in England in the early to mid 20th century) in St Ives, Cornwall in the 1930s, where effluent was still being emptied into a stream running through the slum.
https://www.penwithlocalhistorygroup.co.uk/on-this-day/?id=187
It was still being allowed less than one hundred years ago.
Not only Africa/British.
I mean who could look at the temples in East Asia and conclude that these are uncivilised people?
I like the Star Trek version critique of this: an alien guy boards the pristine, ultra hi tech Enterprise, and immediately goes: "what's that smell?", to which his alien buddy answers: "Humans. You get used to it."
"Civilization" is a dog whistle for colonialism.
Take that, Sid Meier.
"Sid Meier's Colonization" is 7 bucks on steam right now. And while the name and premise are somewhat less accepted than in 1994, it's still a pretty great game.