Custom «Lame Deer’s Assertion» Essay Paper Sample

Lame Deer made the assertion that people have built up structures that they call homes, offices or factories, while in the real sense these are but just 'little prisons'. His ideas are mostly based on the lifestyle of the white people. He believes that the way they live has caused changes not only to the environment but also to the people around the world (Fire & Erdoes, 2001).

He deems them as selfish people who have got nothing much that they can give back to the society. For instance, they have turned various places into their bombing sites, not caring about the effects that this would have on the environment and the people there. Sadly, because of their economic status, their culture is adapted people around the world. People no longer care about their own culture. Instead, their lifestyle is all about American. The Americans have changed humans into objects of convenience. Men have been turned into chairmen of boards, office workers, time-clock punchers and many other identities, and they are now similar to marionettes, with the boss controlling how they think, walk and talk! The women have been turned into housewives and according to Lame Deer, the pitiful tar-paper shacks are way better than the American's luxury homes.

According to Fire & Erdoes (2001), another aspect of contemporary Americans' lifestyle that might extend the ''Prison Metaphor'' is the fact that they want to have everything sanitized. They want to change almost everything natural including the natural smell of man. After coming up with the deodorants, they believe someone must rub and spray herself in order to be termed civilized. This requires one to spend so much money, hence caging oneself luxurious responsibilities.

Preparation of food is no longer like in the old days. It is prepared by taking out all the nature part, the taste, the roughness, the smell then the artificial flavor and color is added to it. For example, unlike in the old days, people no longer eat raw liver or kidney, or get milk directly from the cow. There are no farm fresh products. Nowadays, there is powdered milk, dehydrated eggs, pasteurized butter, canned chicken just to name but a few. Nothing naturally fresh exists.

More advanced technology all over the world is influencing people's life. For instance things such as the television and the plane invention that were invented for the betterment of human lifestyles have turned tragic. One simply sits in an airplane, presses a button and drops bombs never minding what is below the clouds, thus harming the environment and its occupants (Fire & Erdoes, 2001). However, Lame Deer hopes and that this lifestyle will someday come to an end. He feels a day will come when nature will stop the electricity from flowing. Things like police without flashlights, beer getting hot in the refrigerators, planes dropping from the sky and even instances where the president cannot call up somebody on the phone. He believes a young man will know how to shut all the electricity will come and even though it will be painful, it is because people are too smart.

Fire & Erdoes (2001) affirm that the machines will stop and they will be helpless because they have forgotten how to do without the machines. Lame believes before the end of this century there is a light man coming, bringing a new light. He will be a man with power to do good things like stopping all atomic power and stopping wars just by shutting the white electro-power off. Even though he is afraid, he hopes to see it happen. He believes we are moving in a spiral or maybe a circle closer to nature again. It won't be bad doing without many things we are used to, things he says are taken out of the earth and wasted foolishly