"The American people are free to do exactly what they are told."
About Ward Churchill
Ward Churchill — Life and Legacy
Ward Churchill is a prominent Native American scholar and activist, recognized for his critical examination of U.S. policies regarding indigenous peoples. His work, particularly 'A Little Matter of Genocide,' challenges mainstream historical narratives and highlights the ongoing consequences of colonialism. Churchill's key ideas revolve around the necessity of confronting uncomfortable truths about history and power. He famously stated, 'the only thing that can be done is to tell the truth,' underscoring his belief in the power of honesty to address historical injustices. This perspective reveals his commitment to advocating for marginalized voices and seeking justice for indigenous communities. Churchill's critiques often provoke strong reactions, as he confronts deeply ingrained societal beliefs and calls for accountability. His insights remain relevant today, as they encourage a reevaluation of historical narratives and the recognition of the struggles faced by indigenous peoples.
Quote collection
Ward Churchill quotes (page 1 of 2)
29 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Americans ... have wrought a country that has after more than two centuries yet to evidence a single year during which it was not making war upon someone, somewhere, for some reason."
"The desire for a nonviolent and cooperative world is the healthiest of all psychological manifestations. This is the overarching principle of liberation and revolution. Undoubtedly, it seems the highest order of contradiction that, in order to achieve nonviolence, we must first break with it in overcoming its root causes. Therein lies our only hope."
"If U.S. foreign policy results in massive death and destruction abroad, we cannot feign innocence when some of that destruction is returned."
"As to those in the World Trade Center...Let's get a grip here, shall we? True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break. ...If there was a better, more effective, or in fact any other way of visiting some penalty befitting their participation upon the little Eichmanns inhabiting the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers, I'd really be interested in hearing about it."
"A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than anything I've encountered at the university so far."
"I hear Republicans and Libertarians and so forth talking about property rights, but they stop talking about property rights as soon as the subject of American Indians comes up, because they know fully well, perhaps not in a fully articulated, conscious form, but they know fully well that the basis for the very system of endeavor and enterprise and profitability to which they are committed and devoted accrues on the basis of theft of the resources of someone else. They are in possession of stolen property. They know it. They all know it. It's a dishonest endeavor from day one."
"It is the collective responsibility of the citizens in a modern state to ensure by all means necessary that its government adheres to the rule of law, not just domestically, but internationally. There are no bystanders. No one is entitled to an 'apolitical' exemption from such obligation. Where default occurs, either by citizens endorsement of official criminality or by the failure of citizens to effectively oppose it, liability is incurred by all"
"I have never said that people “should” engage in armed attacks on the United States, but that such attacks are a natural and unavoidable consequence of unlawful U.S. policy."
"Among the worst examples is that of the Alberni Indian Residential School (British Columbia) where, during the 1920s, children caught talking Indian suffered the hideous ordeal of having sewing needles pushed through their tongues."
"White domination is so complete that even American Indian children want to be cowboys. It's as if Jewish children wanted to play Nazis."
"Could it be that toxic mimics are toxic because they ignore responsibility, they ignore relationship, they ignore presence, they substitute control for fluidity and choice?"
"One of the things I've suggested is that it may be that more 9/11s are necessary."
"Guess what? By virtue of being American, you are not innocent."
"I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride, and I'm wanted (want-ed...!) dead or alive."
"And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?"
"When you kill 500,000 children in order to impose your will on other countries, then you shouldn't be surprised when somebody responds in kind."
"There's always merit to having a debate."
"I consider PirateBallerina to be the most credible news source in the Denver area."
"There is no consensus, there is no homogeneity, there is no truth."