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clearspira wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:29 pm
Isn't Quadrotricicale from the TOS episode with the Tribbles a GM food? I only ask because it amuses me that we've apparently been having this discussion since the 1960s and we've still got Luddites arguing against it.
Because there was something in a Trek episode back then nothing more needs to be said? 60s Trek also said such foresightful things as women shouldn't be captains.
"Luddite" seems to have become a synonym for "unimpressed by shiny things." Mostly used by people who, when they get their next shiny thing that'll make everything wonderful quickly get bored with it, say it's now hopelessly old and everything will be wonderful if only we can get the next shiny thing.
clearspira wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:29 pm
Isn't Quadrotricicale from the TOS episode with the Tribbles a GM food? I only ask because it amuses me that we've apparently been having this discussion since the 1960s and we've still got Luddites arguing against it.
Because there was something in a Trek episode back then nothing more needs to be said? 60s Trek also said such foresightful things as women shouldn't be captains.
"Luddite" seems to have become a synonym for "unimpressed by shiny things." Mostly used by people who, when they get their next shiny thing that'll make everything wonderful quickly get bored with it, say it's now hopelessly old and everything will be wonderful if only we can get the next shiny thing.
I use the term Luddite to describe a dinosaur scared of progress. Sometimes that fear is justified.
If we're talking about addressing causes rather than symptoms, the cause of most famines is capitalism and imperialism. Until those are gone, we still need to deal with the symptoms so fewer people die from malnutrition. GMOs are another way to address that, and a particularly useful one at that.
"Believe me, there’s nothing so terrible that someone won’t support it."
— Un Lun Dun, China Mieville
Fuzzy Necromancer wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:11 am
*gets my hornet-nest-poking stick*
If we're talking about addressing causes rather than symptoms, the cause of most famines is capitalism and imperialism. Until those are gone, we still need to deal with the symptoms so fewer people die from malnutrition. GMOs are another way to address that, and a particularly useful one at that.
40% of the food in the US is thrown away. Capitalism is directly responsible for that.
At least in the US starvation would not be a problem if you could somehow divert that 40% to the estimated 35 million starving in the US.
Famines are the result of systemic natural disasters accompanied by specific mismanagement by the government to handle problems. That or conventional supply is sabotaged by corrupt governments to control the population... but it's not just from a clogged capitalist pipe that only progressives notice.
The food thrown away by capitalism is a byproduct of the food that industry under capitalism has produced. It wasn't just farmers that had trillions of tons of food on hand, wanted to do some good and feed the whole country, then we came up with the market system that purposefully dumps 40% the food to the side in the pacific and atlantic ocean. We came up with a means of incentivizing and expanding supply hyperbolically, resulting in inefficient development of food distribution but providing comprehensive volumes at the same time.
Fuzzy Necromancer wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:11 am
*gets my hornet-nest-poking stick*
If we're talking about addressing causes rather than symptoms, the cause of most famines is capitalism and imperialism. Until those are gone, we still need to deal with the symptoms so fewer people die from malnutrition. GMOs are another way to address that, and a particularly useful one at that.
40% of the food in the US is thrown away. Capitalism is directly responsible for that.
At least in the US starvation would not be a problem if you could somehow divert that 40% to the estimated 35 million starving in the US.
Selfishness is responsible for that. Not capitalism. That is why greed is a sin.
By that logic of course so is gluttony. God is not going to look favourably upon the obese. And I say that as someone who just got through a McDonalds.
Fuzzy Necromancer wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:11 am
*gets my hornet-nest-poking stick*
If we're talking about addressing causes rather than symptoms, the cause of most famines is capitalism and imperialism. Until those are gone, we still need to deal with the symptoms so fewer people die from malnutrition. GMOs are another way to address that, and a particularly useful one at that.
40% of the food in the US is thrown away. Capitalism is directly responsible for that.
At least in the US starvation would not be a problem if you could somehow divert that 40% to the estimated 35 million starving in the US.
Selfishness is responsible for that. Not capitalism. That is why greed is a sin.
By that logic of course so is gluttony. God is not going to look favourably upon the obese. And I say that as someone who just got through a McDonalds.
Gluttony, no, because that would imply that we don't have enough food to feed people already.
Capitalism is selfish, encourages selfishness, and works on the basis of selfishness. Capitalism needs lots of starving people to encourage the rest to work for a pittance, thereby creating more value for shareholders.
"Believe me, there’s nothing so terrible that someone won’t support it."
— Un Lun Dun, China Mieville
Supermarkets can easily donate food that is about to expire to homeless shelters or set up a program where below poverty level families or person can pick up food.
Capitalism says that 'no they should work for their food' and 'they will expect free handouts now'. Treating them like they are some animal.
Not to mention there are some things where supermarkets can get their money back or at least a portion of it, if it's returned back. So yeah money beats morals.
Fuzzy Necromancer wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:11 am
*gets my hornet-nest-poking stick*
If we're talking about addressing causes rather than symptoms, the cause of most famines is capitalism and imperialism. Until those are gone, we still need to deal with the symptoms so fewer people die from malnutrition. GMOs are another way to address that, and a particularly useful one at that.
40% of the food in the US is thrown away. Capitalism is directly responsible for that.
At least in the US starvation would not be a problem if you could somehow divert that 40% to the estimated 35 million starving in the US.
Selfishness is responsible for that. Not capitalism. That is why greed is a sin.
By that logic of course so is gluttony. God is not going to look favourably upon the obese. And I say that as someone who just got through a McDonalds.
Capitalism my it's very nature encourages greed and rewards the greedy. Capitalism's greatest stan, Ayn Rand, literally had an ethos of "greed is good".