When people say “colonialism,” most of us think of pirates, plantations, or some dude in a frilly shirt claiming land that already had people living on it. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: colonialism isn’t history—it’s infrastructure. It’s in our laws, our schools, our movies, and our water pipes. I know that sounds dramatic, but stick with me. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

So let’s break it down into bite-sized reasons why colonialism is still alive and why the old ways of storytelling just don’t cut it anymore. We’re going to need new genres—things like Afrofuturism and climate fiction—to even start peeling back the damage. And yes, I’m going to throw in some irreverent humor, because otherwise this gets heavy real fast.

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1. Colonialism Built the World We’re Standing On (Literally)

Every major Western city? Built on stolen land. The wealth of Europe and America? Built on stolen resources and stolen labor. Think about the fact that Jamaica imported twice as many slaves as all 13 U.S. colonies combined—and burned through them like cheap batteries because enslaved people were literally worked to death.

Even the concept of “progress” was built around expansion, conquest, and extraction. Today, we act shocked about environmental collapse, but honestly? Colonialism was the first “climate disaster business model.”

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2. Media Still Tells Colonial Stories on Repeat

Here’s a fun game: watch a blockbuster movie and count how many times the plot boils down to “white savior shows up and saves the day.” From Dances with Wolves to Avatar, it’s the same recycled colonial fantasy of the “civilized” outsider rescuing the “natives.”

It’s not just insulting—it’s brainwashing. When media keeps recycling colonial narratives, it shapes how we imagine the future. If every hero looks the same and every villain looks “other,” that’s not an accident. That’s a colonial hangover.

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3. “Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps” Is Colonial Gaslighting

Ah yes, the bootstrap myth. The idea that if you just work hard enough, you’ll succeed. Except…what if your bootstraps were stolen generations ago? What if you were never given boots at all?

Colonialism created generational wealth for some and generational poverty for others. Today, it shows up in mass incarceration, police violence, and poisoned water supplies (looking at you, Flint, Michigan). Pretending these systems are “neutral” is like pretending Monopoly is fair after someone else started with Boardwalk, Park Place, and half the railroads.

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4. Colonialism Is Global, Not Just History Class

People sometimes think colonialism is just “a European thing” or “something that happened in the Americas.” Nope. Colonialism was—and is—global. Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands—all carved up, exploited, and left with scars.

The kicker? Even after independence, a lot of these countries still pay “colonial debt” or operate in economies rigged by their former colonizers. That’s like breaking up with your abusive ex but still having to pay their rent every month.

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5. Old Genres Can’t Capture the New Struggles

Here’s where it gets interesting: the tools we use to tell stories are outdated. Traditional genres—romance, western, war epics—were invented inside colonial systems. They’re not designed to center the voices of people who were colonized.

That’s why Afrofuturism matters. Writers like Octavia Butler and Nnedi Okorafor reimagine futures where Black identity, culture, and resilience are central—not erased. Climate fiction (a.k.a. “cli-fi”) imagines how ordinary people deal with a world reshaped by climate change—a crisis born out of colonial resource extraction.

If colonialism wrote the old genres, we need new genres to write ourselves free.

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6. Colonialism Still Shapes Science and Education

Ever notice how history textbooks breeze past the ugly parts? “Columbus discovered America.” Really? There were millions of people already there. Or how medical research was often built on experiments performed on enslaved or colonized people—without consent.

Even science has a colonial bias. Western knowledge systems were elevated, while Indigenous knowledge—like sustainable farming, herbal medicine, or astronomy—was dismissed as “primitive.” Yet now, as the planet burns, suddenly everyone’s scrambling to learn what Indigenous peoples knew all along.

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7. Action Is the Only Antidote

Okay, this can all feel depressing. But here’s the good news: once you see colonialism everywhere, you can start fighting it everywhere.

• Support media created by marginalized voices.
• Read Afrofuturism and climate fiction. (Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower should be required reading.)
• Question the “bootstrap” myth every time someone repeats it.
• Learn local Indigenous history where you live.
• Don’t just consume stories—share them, support them, and demand better ones.

The point isn’t to feel guilty—it’s to feel responsible. Colonialism was built on people making selfish choices. It can be undone by people making collective, just choices.

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Final Thoughts

Colonialism isn’t gone—it’s just wearing different clothes. It’s in our prisons, our politics, and our pop culture. But that also means we can fight it in all those spaces. And the first weapon we need? Stories that actually tell the truth.

Because if colonialism gave us myths about white saviors and endless growth, then Afrofuturism, climate fiction, and new genres we haven’t even named yet will give us something better: visions of freedom.

And honestly, that’s a future I’d buy a movie ticket for.

Do you have your own thoughts? Let us know in the comments! Or join our community of successful creators on Patreon!

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