The Definition of “Savage.”

Something else that irks me about indigenous peoples being oppressed, including the Native Americans, is that they were called “savages.” But just about every definition of that word correctly refers to the oppressors. It’s like someone attacking you, then when you defend yourself you’re referred to as a “savage.” Let’s consider a well-known historical story for a moment. Between David and Goliath, who was the savage? Before David defeated Goliath, the Israelites tried and tried to defeat the oppressors—the Philistines. In this story, it’s clear who the savages were—the Philistines. But Native Americans having defended themselves in the same way the Israelites did, they were the savages? (I recommend the article “Why Were the Philistines and Israelites Enemies?” on dailyhistory.org to understand the story more.) The parallels between the two groups of societies are incredible (history repeating itself). Conveniently, in the more recent entries of the English dictionaries, they tried to change the definition of the word “savage” so it more closely fits “primitive culture,” as in people who don’t have a western way of civilization. Well, that’s not ethnocentric at all (sarcasm, in case you’re wondering). But long before the current western culture (hundreds, thousands of years ago), most people in the world were what Native Americans were at the time of American conquest–hunters and gatherers. So, by calling hunters and gatherers “savages,” you’re in fact insulting all the humans in the generations before western civilization, including your own ancestors. The true definition of “savage” is in actuality attributed to the oppressors, not the oppressed. Really, a savage is someone who lacks morals, is untamed, vicious, and cruel. The key phrase is “they lack morals.” Oppressing an entire society is a major lack of morals. “Savages” are in fact the worst sorts of beings ever in human history, and they are indeed the oppressors in both the past and the present governments throughout the world. Resist the political brain washings, people, and instead speak truths on the matters!