Iceman Inheritance : Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression [Paperback]

Michael Bradley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Kayode Pubn (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879831007
• ISBN-13: 978-1879831001
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Warmed over Aryanism, July 11, 2010

By 

Thaddeus G. Blanchette (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Iceman Inheritance : Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression (Paperback)

I've recently had cause to read this book as it's come to my attention that it's something of a minor classic among certain afrocentrist scholars. What has amazed me, after reading the book and various reviews of it, is that no one has yet brought up what is probably the most disturbing issue of Bradley's work: it is basically 19th century Aryanism warmed over and with a few of its valences flipped.

Aryanism, as espoused by its key ideologues such as Gobineau, Galton, Grant and Hitler, believed that certain groups of white people were descended from the "Aryan" race: a superior branch of humanity endowed with the unique ability to create civilizations. Aryans, according to Gobineau and his disciples, were a uniquely warlike and creative people who moved out of Central Asia and conquered the "inferior" races in their paths. They would then enslave these peoples and use them as a base upon which they would construct civilizations. Conflict with inferior but supremely parasitic Semitic peoples, however, would inevitably lead to these civilizations' decline as the Semites would infiltrate and corrupt Aryan civilization from within.

Bradley follows a similar sort of line of thought in The Iceman Inheritance, but he rather cleverly inverts the basic valence given to the all-conquering Iceman. According to Bradley's new take on Aryanism, this "special" white retains his ferociousness and essential brutality. Whereas the classical Aryanists saw this as a positive trait, however, invaluable in the supposed Darwinian struggle between the various races of humanity, Bradley turns this around and calls it racist.

But does that mean he's somehow against racism?

A visit to the author's website shows him to be extremely anti-semitic. While casting the Aryan "icemen" as racists, Bradley still believes the classical Aryanist position that white people as a whole are at the mercy of the evil, corrupting Jews. He even goes so far as to suggest that the "non-semitic" peoples of the world should unite in an alliance to save the planet from the Jewish menace.

As other reviewers have noted above, Bradley's work is full of holes and dodges but one thing no one has yet pointed out is that for all of his description of the Icemen's supposedly racist ways, Bradley never out-and-out condemns them. This, combined with his anti-semitism, makes me wonder if the guy isn't, in fact, performing some sort of real life "troll" of certain branches of the black nationalist movement.

I mean, think about it for a minute.

Presume that you are in fact an Aryan supremacist and that you believe that your branch of humanity is infinitely superior to blacks. You also believe, as Aryanists have since Gobineau, that the Semites are your race's main enemy. You are also very aware that most people - white or black - will stop their ears when white guys like yourself come along spouting Aryanist rhetoric, however.

Well what better way to get your ideas regarding Aryan supremacy out there on the market than to disguise them as a lukewarm pro-black and anti-racist screed? If you can whip up blacks and whites against the Jews, why then according to your Aryanist supremacist logic, you'll later be able to deal with the blacks at your leisure.

I think that The Iceman Inheritance is one of the greatest racist Trojan Horses ever constructed and it amazes me that intelligent people of any color would believe that allying themselves with a declared anti-semite who is almost certainly a closet Aryanist will somehow lead to a better or more just world.

It is also extremely dismaying that significant numbers of black intellectuals can be taken in by this sort of rewarmed European gutter philosophy to the point where they are willing to label it "afrocentric".

52 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable contribution to the discussion, July 20, 2001

By 

Greg Logan (Baltimore, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iceman Inheritance : Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression (Paperback)

Michael Bradley, as a member of the Caucasian race, has bravely stepped forward with a valuable contribution to the analysis of Caucasian group behavior, or should I say misbehavior, toward people of color. No matter what your political affiliation or race, anyone who engages in a discussion of race relations is in reality examining why people who call themselves white have such a seemingly inherent animosity to people classified as non-white. Mr. Bradley also asks why Caucasian culture has an adversarial relationship to the planet Earth. It is a rare white person who will even admit the existence of the global system of white supremacy, let alone one who will acknowledge that the group mentality of his race is indeed the source of the racism, pollution, and resource depletion that plague the world.

As part of the system of white supremacy, whites have developed an entire vocabulary (e.g. "affirmative action," "immigration reform," "civil rights," or calling Egypt part of the "Middle East," thereby removing the nation from Africa) which allows them to talk about race without mentioning any explicit racial terms. That way, anyone who speaks candidly about the core of the race problem - white group behavior- can be accused by white people of preaching anti-white racism. I'm sure some Eurocentric people who are only used to receiving "information" that bolsters the white viewpoint will be shocked by some of the things Bradley says; but Eurocentric people need to be shocked out of their extreme xenophobia. I don't neccesarily agree with some of the conclusions the author reaches but I have to commend him for his honesty. Other books that cover the same subject matter but, in my opinion, do a better job of analysis are: The Isis Papers by Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing and, especially, Yurugu by Marimba Ani. I will conclude by saying that anybody interested in truly addressing the problem of white supremacy should include these three books on their essential reading list.

46 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Icy Truth About the Iceman, January 22, 2000

By 

Raymond A. Winbush "Ray Winbush" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Iceman Inheritance : Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression (Paperback)

I first read this book nearly 10 years ago, and am still amazed at its logical explanation about the aggressive behavior of white Europeans. Since my first reading of it, I have yet to find a more plausible theory about why a small group of nomadic people subsequently known as "whites" maintain such dominance over their women and persons with color. Bradley's book will be denounced by many, pooh-poohed by some, but I would challenge any of these persons to find a more relevant theory on the aggressive behavior of Caucasians. I recommend that it be read at least twice in order to grasp all of its meaning.