Chapter 10 - Life Without Chiefs

I was impressed with Marvin Harris ending paragraphs, that we evolved into the "beasts" (102) we are today. The simplistic civilizations that we can trace our ancestors to were venerable. The generation seen is something that today's society would benefit from. Man has become much more selfish and opportunistic. Eager to impress but unwilling to donate to his brothers. The "Big Man" (Harris 99) and his reciprocity did bring Communism to mind; however, it was a very admirable notion. The way everyone ate and the reasoning was comprehensible. The man who has meat today may not have any tomorrow, his generosity was done as a way to be practical. Redistribution of food is important, as we can see in our own society. We live in a hierarchical society, especially in America where equality is achieved by socioeconomic status. I love today and the America I live in but it is important for us to take a page from history and act accordingly. The homeless beggars and the starving children, of this country and elsewhere, would benefit from !Kung practices of redistribution. And by remaining humble, like Richard Lee (Harris 97) was taught to do, we will be closer to achieving absolute equality; which is better than the stratified form that we have today.

Harris, Marvin. "Life without Chiefs." Conformity and Conflict. 4th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. 2008. pp 95-103.