Accepting Quote by Wade Davis
“We accept it as normal that people who have never been on the land, who have no history or connection to the country, may legally secure the right to come in and, by the very nature of their enterprises, leave in their wake a cultural and physical landscape utterly transformed and desecrated. What's more, in granting such mining concessions, often initially for trivial sums to speculators from distant cities, companies cobbled together with less history than my dog, the government places no cultural or market value on the land itself.”
About This Quote
The quote critiques how outsiders, lacking ties to a land, obtain legal rights to exploit it, leading to profound cultural and environmental damage, while the state undervalues the land's intrinsic worth.
In simple terms: Exploitation of land by disconnected outsiders.
Key Takeaway
Legal control without cultural stewardship causes devastation.
Themes
colonialism
environmental degradation
cultural erasure
resource exploitation
government negligence
Mood
critical
somber
indignant
Type
political
cultural
environmental
When to use this quote
- granting mining permits to foreign firms
- urban developers buying rural land
- government awarding contracts without local consultation
- corporate speculation in natural resources
Key Concepts
land rights
cultural heritage
economic disparity
environmental ethics
Practical Applications
- policy reform to prioritize indigenous stewardship
- impact assessments before land concessions
Questions to Reflect On
- How can legal frameworks better protect cultural landscapes?
- What responsibilities do governments have to value land beyond market price?
![“[In 1889] the last big tract of Indian land was declared open for settlement, in Oklahoma. The claimants and the speculators mounted their horses and lined up like trotters waiting for a starting gun. The itchy ones jumped the gun and were ever after known as Sooners-and Oklahoma was thereafter…” quote by Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/245/alistair-cooke-9876_bigs_in-1889-the-last-big-tract-of-indian-lan_243366.jpg)
