Ricki Yasha TarrMar 4, 2023
The idea of owning land is so weird. At one point, someone just murdered enough people so that no one questioned them when they said it belonged to them, and we just kept on doing that, I guess.
Show threadDNAvinciMar 4, 2023
@RickiTarr
Most of the basis for wealth in the US Midwest is simply how murderous your great grandparents were until 1880 or so.
Show threadChris
@dnavinci @RickiTarr Well beyond the midwest. All of the Mountain West, SW, CA and PNW as well. See the Homestead Act.
Mar 4, 2023 at 5:55pmWeb
Show threadDNAvinciMar 4, 2023

@chrisboulanger
Yes, I was discussing the homestead act as well.

It's a fine point, but I'll discuss it.
The Midwest is (modestly) separated from the mountain west and the coast by the lack of any other exploitable resource. With few exceptions, murderously gotten farmland is the only thing of value.

Mountain and coastal colonizers had other horrors to enact, but they weren't strictly limited to blood-for-land.
@RickiTarr