Is history repeating itself?
I was saddened to watch Ken Burns’ documentary about the near extinction of the buffalo and the resulting demise of the Native American plains culture. Between 1800 and 1890 about 13 million buffalo were exterminated wherever they gathered in various parts of the mid American plains to the severe detriment of the plains Indians who depended upon the buffalo for their skins, meat, horns, ligaments and cultural importance. Almost nothing of the animal was wasted by them.
The so-called intrusive, white, “Buffalo Riders” would slaughter the animals by the score, taking only their skins and leaving the rest of the animals to rot on the spot. They broke many treaties with the Indians and invaded anywhere the buffalo herds could be found. It was the moneyed interests who were responsible for the slaughter, as the pelts were valuable as supple leather for clothing and hats, sold to affluent folks and European customers.
In the midst of the program, I realized that a similar process is happening today, except it’s not the buffalo and Native American culture at risk, but our goldilocks atmosphere and all of us humans on the planet that are all at risk of a severe downturn due to climate change. And those who are responsible are the similar moneyed interests, their investors, and the fossil fuel industry whose greed and profits they have prioritized over our welfare. Only it’s a global issue now, and the affluent countries are most to blame for their dominant use of fossil fuels for their industrialization and convenience.
As we already know what we have to do to mitigate this threat, the innovation and technologies needed to cool the planet, we must re-set our priorities before it’s too late to keep history from repeating itself.
John Kennington, Cottonwood Heights
