John Deer : Assertion Analysis #5

         We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves. Civilized is something that describes us human beings as in having manners, following laws, utilizing silverware, actually having a law set in place that helps with criminals. Yet human beings are far from “civilized”, some people don't even act as human beings leaving a man/women/child in need to fend for themselves when they can't even protect themselves with basic needs. John Lame Deer uses satire, irony and non-examples to prove the fact that they as Natives were civilized before the white men showed up showing them the true meaning of “civilized”.

        John Lame Deer explains his view of the Natives before the white men came to make them “civilized”. He sarcastically states, “We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don't know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society.” In the previous sentence he had used non-examples to explain this statement, "We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property." He was sarcastically stating that they were uncivilized even though they had much more freedom and humanity in them then the Europeans. He was also explaining how all of the characteristics that the Europeans brought from their world were irrelevant and selfish. They had a different mentality that was full of greed, unlike the natives that had much love for their own people and helped them out. Ironically he knows the European ways were just uncivilized and severally wrong. The natives were able to survive for hundreds of years with out the "fundamental things that are so necessary for a civilized society."

                 To close, I would like to say that I agree with what John deer is saying. He states it without completely criticizing the people who destroyed his culture, that the reason for being told that their way of life was "uncivilized" was was for the very reason that they were more advanced and civilized people who didn't need these ways of life as in greed and selfishness, property owning, to keep them in tact, because they were already living a perfect life before being forced to leave their culture and change their way of life by the real "savages". I feel that if the Europeans would have stopped being so selfish and self centered and considered that maybe the peaceful way of life the Natives were living and harmonious our world wouldn't be the messed up and greed full place that it has turned into till this day.