The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with author Nathaniel Philbrick on How George Armstrong Custer Became a Martyr Used to Justify Genocide and US Imperialism
The Chris Hedges Report Podcast with author Nathaniel Philbrick on How George Armstrong Custer Became a Martyr Used to Justify Genocide and US Imperialism
Yes, good point, Chris he was one of the celebrities of white settler, colonialism -- the quintessential Aryan.
The velvet uniforms, the long shining yellow hair. One can see him as a bad comic book figure, if he was not so genocidal.
A symbol of American Exceptionalism, up against the collective indigenous, who were little more than vermin to the savage White colonial settlers, Custer remains a hero among the beguiled and bewildered.
Very much like Columbus.
Another in a series of psyops made so popular by American capitalism and propaganda.
Now it is the God ordained March to the East.
Custer's failure and death can be set side by side with the US's failure to win a war since WWII.
Same hubris,same ideology and same sanctioned terrorism against indigenous people.
Now that the reservations have been transformed into Gambling casinos, it is the mining companies that now are looking to extinguish all indigenous that inhabit the planet.
Custer and those like him in American history cannot be understood outside of the White settler colonial system and the individualism of capitalist culture.
There is always alone assassin and a lone hero. Binary thinking and management perception at its best.
Ironically, Custer died in the year that Jack London was born.
Gerald Horne has done a great job on setting the historic record straight on Colonial Settlement in America.
Revoke the twenty Medals of Honor awarded at the Wounded Knee Massacre - time now! It is sickening and galling. Deb Haaland should take the lead on this.
My aunt sent me two small books for my tenth birthday, One about Sitting Bull and the other about Crazy Horse. I do think that it had an imprint upon my life. I do believe that humans develop moral conscience at this age. I do think that her timing was perfect for me. This was 1975, western movies had just officially died out as a thing.
It is great that you pointed this connection out. The colonization of the planet is an extension of the concept of "Manifest Destiny." Many of the same basic persuasion techniques were being used then as now.
Unfortunately the pictograph didn't come out. Can you re post it?
An interesting discussion. However, I take exception to Mr. Philborick's assertion (beginning at the 14:31 mark) regarding Custer's anxiety to engage his yet undetermined sized foe at Little Big Horn. He states: "This was a huge village, 8k-10k Native Americans; unprecedented".
Really?
Apparently Mr. Philbrick has never heard of the Indian city of Cahokia, located very near what is modern day St. Louis, Missouri. The vestiges of this ancient city can still be visited today. The city was settled from approx. AD1050-1350 and was comprised of a mix of Native American peoples estimated to number between 10-20,000, at its zenith. It is theorized that this put Cahokia on a population scale with the city of London during the same time period. Thus it appears disingenuous, at best, to call the American Indian congregation at Little Big Horn "unprecedented". IMO, this comment is disrespectfully flippant and demonstrates a lack of proper context in presenting American Indian history.
There were terrible atrocities done by the government against the native Americans, but today Native Americans total 10 million and preservation of native American culture is promoted and encouraged.
The 1860 census counted about 360k native Americans.
Yes, good point, Chris he was one of the celebrities of white settler, colonialism -- the quintessential Aryan.
The velvet uniforms, the long shining yellow hair. One can see him as a bad comic book figure, if he was not so genocidal.
A symbol of American Exceptionalism, up against the collective indigenous, who were little more than vermin to the savage White colonial settlers, Custer remains a hero among the beguiled and bewildered.
Very much like Columbus.
Another in a series of psyops made so popular by American capitalism and propaganda.
Now it is the God ordained March to the East.
Custer's failure and death can be set side by side with the US's failure to win a war since WWII.
Same hubris,same ideology and same sanctioned terrorism against indigenous people.
Now that the reservations have been transformed into Gambling casinos, it is the mining companies that now are looking to extinguish all indigenous that inhabit the planet.
Custer and those like him in American history cannot be understood outside of the White settler colonial system and the individualism of capitalist culture.
There is always alone assassin and a lone hero. Binary thinking and management perception at its best.
Ironically, Custer died in the year that Jack London was born.
Gerald Horne has done a great job on setting the historic record straight on Colonial Settlement in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODp_yEEK3WA
Who will be the next Custer that Americans will latch on to?
Revoke the twenty Medals of Honor awarded at the Wounded Knee Massacre - time now! It is sickening and galling. Deb Haaland should take the lead on this.
My aunt sent me two small books for my tenth birthday, One about Sitting Bull and the other about Crazy Horse. I do think that it had an imprint upon my life. I do believe that humans develop moral conscience at this age. I do think that her timing was perfect for me. This was 1975, western movies had just officially died out as a thing.
The “American Experiment” is a Savage Nightmare ( https://hcm.sungraffix.net/the-american-experiment-is-a-savage-nightmare/ )
This is a new sensibility. In the before times it would be called winning now it is called genocide. 
It is great that you pointed this connection out. The colonization of the planet is an extension of the concept of "Manifest Destiny." Many of the same basic persuasion techniques were being used then as now.
Unfortunately the pictograph didn't come out. Can you re post it?
Thank you,
Drake Chamberlin
Media & Communication Action Project
https://m-cap.org/
May all colonialists (Israel et Al )have their last Stand soon
An interesting discussion. However, I take exception to Mr. Philborick's assertion (beginning at the 14:31 mark) regarding Custer's anxiety to engage his yet undetermined sized foe at Little Big Horn. He states: "This was a huge village, 8k-10k Native Americans; unprecedented".
Really?
Apparently Mr. Philbrick has never heard of the Indian city of Cahokia, located very near what is modern day St. Louis, Missouri. The vestiges of this ancient city can still be visited today. The city was settled from approx. AD1050-1350 and was comprised of a mix of Native American peoples estimated to number between 10-20,000, at its zenith. It is theorized that this put Cahokia on a population scale with the city of London during the same time period. Thus it appears disingenuous, at best, to call the American Indian congregation at Little Big Horn "unprecedented". IMO, this comment is disrespectfully flippant and demonstrates a lack of proper context in presenting American Indian history.
There were terrible atrocities done by the government against the native Americans, but today Native Americans total 10 million and preservation of native American culture is promoted and encouraged.
The 1860 census counted about 360k native Americans.
Colonization yes, genocide no.