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You think some mysterious people or aliens built something as technologically complex as a planned urban city, with a clear grid, subdivided districts with scho
by ecocentrik 2y ago
You think some mysterious people or aliens built something as technologically complex as a planned urban city, with a clear grid, subdivided districts with schools and commercial centers... that facilitates the application of human labor, commerce, worship and education and then gifted it to some other people who somehow knew how to use and maintain that technology?
To most Americans today, who have no idea why their country works the way it works, and would rather tear it all down, I'm sure the actions of the last few generations might seem alien.
- beepbooptheory 2y agoWell first of all, I got the city wrong so its really not applicable here. But also more broadly, your point is basically why Teotihuacan is so interesting to me! Not because of aliens, but because its fun to think about how the Aztec/Mexica people were as displaced from the origins of that particular place as much as we are! But yes absolutely with you: even more so than attributing it to a particularly American decadence (which is a little too pat/editorial column to pass my sniff test, but ymmv), the whole impulse to Ancient Alienize things seems to me to be a kind of mystification which sustains, ultimately, racist/colonial stereotypes of ancient non-white people. It clearly serves to sustain a certain idea of civilization, rather than overturn or disrupt it. Either way, its an important point, and happy to be your punching bag so you can make it!
- ecocentrik 2y agoThank you for giving your statement more context. :) Asking the question: "How could they have done that?" is not dissimilar from asking "Why didn't we do that?" so occasionally truly curious individuals do step through the self-soothing cultural narrative.