In "Iks" by Lewis Thomas, the author describes how a small tribe of hunters in northern Uganda called the Iks try to survive after being forced by the government to 'abandon their homes and living area and move to poor hills and become farmers. Society is extremely harsh towards Iks, causing them to rebel and become abnormal. The Iks were a group of selfish people who only cared about themselves, let their elders starve, and didn't care about the children. They do not share things with each other and find joy in each other's misfortunes. Anthropologists were sent to observe the Iks, one anthropologist described the Iks as ill-mannered fashion. During the two years he studied there, he was constantly harassed and disgraced. After publishing his book, he wrote about how much he despised the Iks. Thomas then added that he now sees similar behaviors involved in nations and cities compared to the Iks, pointing out that the Iks share common characteristics of greed, cruelty and selfishness, just like different nations fighting each other. against each other. I agree with Thomas, people act less well when they gather in groups; like everything happening in Los Angeles County regarding water issues and Hurricane Haiyan which recently hit the Philippines in early November this year; but we also can't forget all the charities and events that raise money for organizations to help people in need in various ways. The California water war has been a great example of different cities fighting against each other since they all share the common characteristics of greed and selfishness. In the 1800s, Los Angeles experienced strong population growth when it finally overt... middle of paper ... conclusion may not always be the case. Like the charities I listed, both demonstrated great effort when it came to group behavior. Considering these points, Thomas's idea is mostly correct, and to some extent there is still hope for groups that do good. The California Water War and Hurricane Haiyan demonstrate that cities and nations can be greedy, selfish, and cruel, proving Thomas's point of view valid. But to some extent, maybe groups aren't always bad. The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are exceptions to Thomas' argument, providing aid, assistance, education and donations to those in need in a variety of ways. Additionally, Iks can be selfish and cruel, behaving badly whether individually or in groups. I believe that Iks can only sometimes be compared to committees, cities or nations, but not all the time..