Lam Cheng

LBST-2102
12/4/16

Cheng 1
Final Reflection

Over the course of the semester weve studied excellent examples of world
change, some positive, some negative. The impact of globalization has spread further
than ever before, and it has had detrimental affects on thousands of cultures worldwide.
For simpler societies such as Native American tribes, globalization meant losing
everything they ever knew. The white men were relentless, prideful, and self-entitled, a
prime example being Christopher Columbus. Modern teachings look at him as the
founder of America, however the reality of what he did can never be forgotten.
Before Columbuss arrival, the Native Americans lived a simple lifestyle, making
use of every resource possible, and wasting nothing. They also had intense interest in
astronomy, spiritual boundaries, and ancestry. Columbus and his followers raped, killed,
starved, intentionally made ill, and pushed away millions of innocent Native Americans.
One example of many is the tribe Schaghticoke, coming from the Algonquian people on
the east coast. Columbus was specifically intrigued by their hard work ethic, and within
only two years 125,000 (half the population) were dead (according to manataka.org, a
website promoting the truth of Christopher Columbus). Young girls from the ages of 9 to
10 were the most wanted by his men for sexual extortion. They did these things in pure
selfishness and greed, and the tribes suffered greatly in every way. Only the most useful
and willing indigenous people could be incorporated into the white culture, and that was
still not what they actually wanted, as they were put straight to work in gold mines, often
later dying of exhaustion and mal-nourishment. Tribe Chieftains tried achieving peace
multiple times, often offering high percentages of their overall land to the impatient white

foreigners. This was not enough to appease Columbus. The indigenous tribes that were
spared were forced to turn their backs on cultural belief systems they had maintained
there whole lives. They were forced to learn a language they didnt want to learn, and
were often made into labor-intensive slaves. All was lost for them, and with that,
centuries of precious culture disintegrated. Justice was never received, nor will it
ever be. What is done is done, and as a wise man named Richard Longworth said, The
Midwests task now is not to try to reclaim what is lost, but to seize the future.
All we can do at this point is learn from our many injustice mistakes our ancestors
made. We as humans need to accept each others complex belief systems, and preserve
individuality at all costs. Globalization is continuous, and even now history is repeating
itself in many places of the world. A recent example is The great leap forward,
orchestrated by communist General Mao Zedong. General Mao set his eyes on
capitalism and expansion at all costs. He worked with many sectors of government
globally to turn many parts of rural China (inhabited by indigenous underdeveloped
populations) into a systematic industrial madhouse. He cut off all food supply for these
innocent people, starving millions to death. An estimated 45 million were killed, all to
pursue money, something indigenous people dont even value. The great leap was more
catastrophic than the holocaust, yet almost nobody even knows it happens. Even in
China, citizens have been brainwashed into respecting General Mao as a great leader, and
nobody dares say otherwise. Raising awareness to problems like this is absolutely vital if
there is any hope for long-term culture preservation in the economically driven world we
live in today.

Academic Integrity:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/maos-great-leapforward-killed-45-million-in-four-years-2081630.html

http://www.heritage.org/research/commentary/2010/02/the-legacy-of-maozedong-is-mass-murder

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/cover_story/2016/01/native_ame
rican_slavery_historians_uncover_a_chilling_chapter_in_u_s_history.html

http://www.victoriana.com/history/nativeamericans.html

https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-died-because-of-ChristopherColumbus-either-directly-by-his-hand-or-by-the-conquests-led-by-him

http://www.cfra.org/blog/2010/09/13/globalization-and-rural-communities

https://www.manataka.org/page2777.html