The adage “History tends to repeat itself” is often presented as a form of wisdom, a sigh of resignation to the laws of human nature. But when examined through the lens of power, the phrase loses its innocence. It begins to sound less like a warning and more like sarcasm.

If a dominant force creates the conditions for violence, and then predicts that violence will return, the prediction is not prophecy; it is a schedule.

To frame oppression as a “cycle” is to absolve the oppressor of choice. It frames the erasure of cultures not as a crime, but as a recurring weather event. The repetition is not inevitable; it is a mechanical process that is chosen, funded, and maintained.