You Might Be A Wetiko If..

I've noted, and will continue to note, much on the Wetiko and the Wetiko culture we appear to be living within. But what, when we use that term, do we really mean by it?

In Columbus and Other Cannibals, Jack Forbes describes the central characteristic of the Wetiko to be “that he consumes other human beings for profit, that is, he is a cannibal”.

I note the masculine pronoun used by Forbes, and heaven knows I've also gone on about how this culture is essentially patriarchal; but really, Wetiko knows no gender. Nor race, nor class nor religion or lack-of-religion. Much like HIV/AIDS, Wetiko is a disease, as well as a shortened form by which we describe all that is worst in humanity for around the last 6-10 thousand years.

I suppose, then, that the one thing we can say about Wetiko disease is that it does not appear to infect any forms of life apart from humankind. It's just possible that there exist non-3D life forms who are also carriers - we would call them demons, evil spirits, or dark forces I suppose.
I don't know, not having had much to do with those beings. And for today, I'd like to look at what some of the distinguishing marks of Wetiko are in humans.

Pstonie has offered his opinion that "..it all stems from unchecked fear" and I think that he's correct. But what is this all we speak of?

So, in the spirit of those ghastly internet memes we all love to groan over, I'm putting together a list of:

"You Might Be A Wetiko If.."

1) Humans, and only the right kind of humans at that, are the only forms of life you consider worthy of the description "living beings".

2) You believe - consciously or semi-consciously - that the amount of money an individual has access to is a direct measure of their worth.

3) Your actions show that you think the planet is here primarily to support human kind.

4) When it comes right down to it, preservation and/or advantage of yourself (or your kind) trumps those rights in every other living being.

5) You engage in retail therapy.

6) You are a firm believer in physical/mental evolution...for human beings only.

7) You propagate those tiresome dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest and it's-a-jungle-out-there memes as justification for your behaviour.

8) You hold up Richard Dawkins/the President of the United States/the super-successful athlete/the thrusting, confident business (wo)man as people to admire; just because of their worldly "achievements".

9) Television programs and Hollywood offerings have meaning in your life.

10) You believe that advertising in the last 50 years is not an unmitigated heap of shit designed to scare you into being a better consumer.

11) You don't see anything wrong with being labelled a consumer.

I'd like to add to this list, but these are just some ideas off the top of my head, for now.

Anyone got some more? Please feel free to append in the comments!

Pic: Wendigo, another name for Wetiko, by hellsama.