NIT Theory and American Karma...

You've heard of string theory. I'd like to propose NIT Theory. N.I.T. - Necessary Initial Toxicity. My theory, not pretty, states that there are certain mass human endeavors that require nasty beginnings in order to get their system going. This negative phase can be the result of ignorance or direct intent. Once the proposed system is underway and functioning, then it can be corrected, elements of toxicity can be removed or whitewashed, reconfigured, or neutralized through a built up tolerance. The way in which the toxic beginnings are dealt with down the line is directly tied to the overall health and sustainability of the culture behind the system. There are many examples of NIT Theory to choose from... Take agriculture/nutrition in the 20th Century.

As the United States and other parts of the world took on the task of feeding their masses (engaged in the industrial revolution and no longer able to farm their own food), pesticides came into wide use. These pesticides were bad for you, some downright deadly, but... They kept the bugs and the diseases away, and places like the United States were able to keep the majority of people from going hungry. As time has worn on, and we have come to see the damage that pesticides can cause, we are seeing a huge resurgence of organic farming and other agricultural/nutritional practices that reflect a less taxing system.

Another example would be energy/automobiles. The gas combustion engine was a necessary evil on the road to our mass locomotion. We now want cleaner energy sources, cleaner cars. We're not there yet, but the issue is on the table. No one can deny the toxic element, it's just a question of how embroiled the archaic system is in our leadership and our national habit/adaptability.

Another example would be the elimination of native people from the land in order to create our present day USA. The indigenous cultures were perceived as threats and obstacles to our forefather's vision of a new world order. Ugly things happened. And yet a very interesting and progressive country was born. How we've dealt with this issue (whitewashing, denial, reparations, reservations, etc.) is arguably connected to much of the way we behave (and suffer our own ignorance) in the world today.

John Wayne, aka The Duke, aka a boy called Marion, thought taking the land away from the Indians was the right thing to do. He was famously quoted in Playboy as saying, "The Indians were selfishly trying to keep America for themselves!" Wow... with that kind of logic, I wonder what John Wayne made of Martin Luther King.

(John Wayne in hot pants w. lady shoes and bag. Correction or Corruption?)