Problem Attic. Insert witty tagline here.

Western Colonialism vs. The Noble Savage

There are two major extremes regarding Western attitudes to other cultures. These can be basically summed up as:

1. Western culture is far superior to all others. It is our duty and right, therefore, to spread this culture, and make others adopt our culture in place of their own. This is colonialism.

2. All cultures are equally good and valid. No one culture is any better than any other, just different. The concept of the noble savage is probably the best-known example of this position.

So the million-dollar question seems to be: which is more correct a view? The answer is, unfortunately, of the “somewhere in the middle” form.

First, some background. The colonialist view is seen as rather evil at this point in history; and political-correctness and post-modern pluralism favour the “noble savage,” “all cultures are equal” approach.

Calling colonialism evil is a pretty legitimate call. Much of the world is currently suffering the after-effects of the expansion of the British Empire. New Zealand struggles to establish its own identity apart from Britain, and those who had western culture forced on them have still, to a large degree, not successfully integrated with the new culture that has grown up around them. The Australian Aboriginals and the American Indians are both culture who have suffered from colonialism, as westernism has ridden rough-shod over their ways of life.

For further historical evidence, one need not look far to find further evidence of not only the incredible destruction of indigenous cultures, but of the failings of western culture. Plagued blankets, massacre in the name of Christianity, forceful land-grabs — the greatest evils and shortcomings of western culture, ironically, are most to be found in those attempts to bring it as “a gift to backwards peoples.”

Colonialism aside, there are still difficulties to the idea that western culture is somehow better than others. While it is the western world that has established science, technology — and disproportionate wealth — it is still the rest of the world that seems to be most content and happy. Calcuttans are the happiest people in the world, according to a number of studies (Calcutta is sometimes known as “the city of joy”), and some of the world’s poorest, least western countries report similarly high levels of satisfaction and contentment with life. Maybe we’re not as well off as we think we are?

On the other hand, while the “noble savage” worldview is a little less arrogant, and perhaps more well-intentioned, it is somewhat naive. For instance, mainland India has a culture thousands of years old, and which has remained largely tribe-/village- oriented — surely this makes them “nobly savage.” However, the caste system of this culture is only one-step above slavery, and in places even worse. The custom of bride-burning requires a widowed woman to throw herself to burn to her death on her late husbands funeral pyre. There’s not too much noble about that.

All cultures should be respected (I feel), but they should also be critiqued — in some cases, one culture’s practice is better than another’s, and some practices are just plain wrong. However, my conclusion is that change should be effected from within a culture, not from outside of it. You want to change a culture? Become a part of it first.