Read Online Songs of the Dead by Derrick Jensen - Free Book Online

overdressed?”
    â€œGod, yes.”
    She removes her shirt. Her breasts are small, perfect. Her skin is pale. I touch small moles and freckles with my fingertips. She shivers, smiles, says, “I’m so happy.”
    â€œMe, too.”
    â€œNow,” she says, “back to the apocalypse: ‘It is very sad, but the “heroes” of European historiography, the heroes of the history books, are usually imperialists, butchers, founders of authoritarian regimes, exploiters of the poor, liars, cheats, and torturers. What this means is that the wétiko disease has so corrupted European thinking (at least of the ruling groups) that wétiko behavior and wétiko goals are regarded as the very fabric of European evolution. Thus, those who resist wétiko values and imperialism and exploitation . . . are regarded as “quirks,” “freaks” . . . who could never exploit enough people to build a St. Peter’s Cathedral or a Versailles palace.’”
    She’s still on her right side. I say, “Do you mind?” and then I gently push on her left shoulder. She follows my lead and lays back. I slide slightly down, and over, to gently kiss the flat space between her breasts.
    Her answer is a soft, inarticulate sound. I feel her shift as she puts down the book.
    â€œOh, don’t stop,” I say. “More.”
    As she reads, I focus on what she’s saying, and also on the taste and texture of her skin. I feel her belly against my chest, her thigh against my belly. I open my eyes, see the movement of her blood in the soft space just below her sternum. I hear her voice, “‘We must keep all this in mind because if we continue to allow the wétikos to define reality in their insane way we will never be able to resist or curtail the disease.’”
    She stops, takes a deep breath, then continues, “‘I believe that this form of insanity originated long ago in several places, but principally in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Subsequently it appeared in India and northern China and much later in Mexico and Peru.’”
    I move down, small kisses below her rib cage.
    â€œâ€˜To a considerable degree the development of the wétiko disease corresponds to the rise of what Europeans choose to call “civilization.” This is no coincidence.’”
    I turn my face sideways, rest my head on her belly. “No coincidence at all.”
    â€œâ€˜Over and over again we see European writers ranking as “high civilizations” societies with large slave populations, rigid social class systems, unethical or ruthless rulers, and aggressive imperialistic foreign policies. Conversely, societies with no slaves, no distinct social classes, no rulers, and no imperialism are either regarded as insignificant (not worth mentioning) or primitive and uncivilized.’”
    I begin to kiss her again, and again move slightly down, then down farther, then farther still. She rises to meet me.
    I hear Allison flipping pages, then I hear her voice again, slower now, as though she’s having a hard time concentrating, “‘The overriding characteristic of the wétiko is that he consumes other human beings, that is, he is a cannibal. This is the central essence of the disease. In other respects, however, the motivation for and forms of the cannibalism may vary. . . .
    I pull slightly away, stop what I’m doing. “Yes,” I say.
    â€œYes,” she says. “Don’t stop.”
    I start again to softly suck.
    Her voice, slower still, “The wétiko psychosis is a very contagious and rapidly-spreading disease. It is spread by the wétikos themselves as they recruit or corrupt others. It is spread today by history books, television, military training programs, police training programs, comic books, pornographic magazines, films, rightwing movements, fanatics of various kinds, high-pressure missionary groups, and numerous