Monday, February 27, 2023

1923 on Amazon Prime

 Montana in 1923 reminds me a lot of Montana in 1883 or in 1900. In other words the show with Harrison Ford in it shows just how different things were still in Montana in 1923. You feel in many ways like the Cowboy days were still there then. They also bring in how Native American children died by the hundreds not only in the U.S. but also in Canada. However, this was also true in Mexico, Central and South America too. So, it's important to realize that Native Americans were mistreated (to death) in many cases in North, South and Central America and many died. In fact, in places like Argentina, all native Americans were either killed or driven away into other areas. This is a fact.

So, as bad as native Americans were treated by American white Settlers they were treated worse in other places than the U.S.

There is a word for this "Ethnocentrism" in other words believing that your cultural values and norms are the only one.

Places where you see this the most on earth are China and Russia and the U.S. still.

You don't see this as much along the coasts of the U.S. but you see it where people live far from the ocean and often far from foreigners. This isolation often breeds ethnocentrism and ethnocentrism often kills people of different cultures or races than the predominant one in that area. 

One could even say that the War in Ukraine by Putin is a form of Russia Ethnocentrism of a kind that existed in Russia until the Russian Revolution but somehow it carried on through Communism and the Soviet Union. However, Putin is still a part of someone who believes that the Biggest problem of the 20th Century was the collapse of the Soviet Union.

So, Putin is the biggest proponent of Russian Ethnocentrism of the past with his foray into Ukraine right now.

Democracy and self rule goes against Russian Ethnocentrism of the ancient old style that has been there for 1000 years or more. It has to do with Empire over human rights. So, Putin is an advocate of the Russian Empire no matter how many Russian men die in the process but it has nothing at all to do with Russian Rights or human rights.

Anyway, 1923 on Amazon Prime points out a lot of the problems in Montana that were real problems in 1923 which is now 100 years ago.

Since I am now almost 75 I can identify with the types of people I see in this show because many people were not very different than this in the 1950s when I grew up starting in Seattle and then California by 1952. 

However, for many of you, 1923 might as as alien as being from another world or planet. But, I can tell you there were still people like you see in 1923 alive that I met personally in the 1950s in Seattle and California. The Ethnocentrism was still alive that killed people of other races and ethnicities a lot still in the 1950s even in California.

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