1491

The main idea in this book is that there were a lot more Indians in the Americas before 1492 than is commonly believed. Also the author argues that the Indians actively controlled and shaped their environment more than has been thought.

But the most controversial and interesting notion in this book appears in its brief last chapter. Here Mr. Mann suggests that the early European settlers in North America admired the freedom, social equality and independence the Indian cultures enjoyed, and that these values became ingrained in Americans and set them thusly apart from their European ancestors over time.

Whether there is such a causal connection has been debated. But it is clear that citizens of the United States do cherish their freedom and independence. This was brought home to me when I once asking a hard-line communist student in Germany what he thought about 'freedom'. He scoffed at this notion with such vituperation it became instantly clear that we perceived society in ways that were utterly alien to each other.

Perhaps the commune worker who also plays a violin in the farm orchestra and the rugged Marlboro man are similar--they are myths, manifestations of an instinctive longing for a golden age, for the good old days.

Many of our founding fathers felt antipathy to a central government. That endures to this day and informs much of the emotional debate around health care reform. We cherish the notion of independence and freedom. Let the government stay out of my affairs! That is, we cherish freedom and independence until we are either old, sick, or have no job--or all three. Then suddenly we cherish social security and medicare--while we still cling to the notion that government is evil and a threat to our independence and freedom. As I see it, the only way for us to have our cake and eat it too is to compartmentalize our thinking. Or even better, substitute the feelings and emotions fed to us by demagogues on Fox News for any rational thought.