tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538502828554372917.post8311222831138370486..comments2024-03-29T07:50:15.957+00:00Comments on Poul Anderson Appreciation: Dialogue IIKetlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588156788583883454noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538502828554372917.post-87885898808130752042022-03-12T18:52:04.422+00:002022-03-12T18:52:04.422+00:00The fact that malice was irrelevant was my point. ...The fact that malice was irrelevant was my point. I just expressed it inadequately.Jim Baerghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03182949391365921637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538502828554372917.post-61645016535516376562022-03-12T15:56:30.667+00:002022-03-12T15:56:30.667+00:00Kaor, Jim!
Not quite, the LONG isolation of the A...Kaor, Jim!<br /><br />Not quite, the LONG isolation of the Amerindians from the rest of the world (about 17,000 years) made them less resistant to the diseases plaguing Europe/Asia and Africa. No natter who would first "recontact" the Americas, Chinese or Europeans, it was a dead certainty the common cold, measles, smallpox, etc., would devastate the Amerindians in virgin field epidemics. No malice had to be involved, just CONTACT of almost any kind.<br /><br />Ad astra! SeanSean M. Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13973738112230622557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3538502828554372917.post-65086433590783270152022-03-11T18:41:00.071+00:002022-03-11T18:41:00.071+00:00"when the savages did die out, which was not ..."when the savages did die out, which was not always, it was because those who were civilized had:<br /><br />pushed them onto land where they could only starve;<br />forbidden hunters to hunt;<br />or exterminated them outright."<br /><br />Or most importantly carried diseases the 'savages' had no resistance to.<br />I don't think the Europeans who went to Africa were less vicious than those who went the Americas or Australia, but the Africans had been previously exposed to the Eurasian diseases & had diseases of their own to kill off invaders.<br /><br />The disease factor won't be an issue with alien contact unless someone is vicious enough to deliberately create diseases that only affect the other species.Jim Baerghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03182949391365921637noreply@blogger.com