An action packed thriller tickles our fear of danger, death, and destruction. In primitive places, there is no theatre, not because they have no sophistication in the art of film; but because they don’t require an imitation of their desires for love and romance, comedy and tragedy- artificially placed in entertainment for the responses they evoke. We won’t seek it elsewhere outside of the community we’re made to abide by and lie to ourselves in. We do not hunt, but in sport. We do not garden, but by hobby. We do not feel, but by simulation. This “society” is a wretched hell against humanity, but greater to the innocence and purity of mother earth.
Artificial imitation is prevalent in scientific experimentation with human experience of copy to reality; belief that fantasy, the false, the future, the non-existent, is an acceptable replacement for the current, real, and existing. It’s an ancient fact of all times in all areas of the world- that we pretend, we act, we’re liars, cheats- this is not bad, no this cannot be a moral infraction, this is the truth and until it’s admitted, it will not be defeated.
Products everywhere: all natural this, all natural that. Are we admitting a mistake? No preservatives! No harmful chemicals! No animal testing! What they’re really saying, “We’re trying to reverse our fuck ups by leaving things alone.”
I like it - it works well as a rant - it doesn’t really lead anywhere beyond itself, but it is a top-notch display of critical insight. I would posit that the all-natural, organic craze is how the market responds to us “admitting our mistakes” (as you say) - it’s not unlike white guilt and the genesis of political correctness - we are comfortable where we are, but we see a problem with how we got t/here - so we do what we can to feel as though we’ve compensated (gestures, at best, usually - band-aids on bullet-holes) without undermining the present level of comfort - a process that generally involves spending more money and a shift in the way we employ certain words.
You ever notice that the healthy stuff with less ingredients and less processing put into it is a crap load more expensive then the “unhealthy” products? Kind of sort of goes against the altruistic, we care about you advertising that is done in marketing these products. They want a healthier world, but, they deny the poorest the ability to buy their products. Kind of fishy don’t you think?
Likewise anything with ‘fairtrade’ written on it is about 75% more. Not that the extra quid or two for a jar of coffee will actually end up in the hands of the producers (which is what’s implied by the tag ‘fairtrade’), but y’know, that’s capitalism. Don’t think for one second they actually give a shit about this sort of thing.
Because I’ve seen the figures, because I’ve worked in grocery retail management. I know exactly where the extra money goes - literally a single digit percentage makes it through to the producers. Which in terms of their lives makes next to fuck all difference but makes the liberal, self-assured tossers at home feel better about living in an utterly corrupt, unjust and unfair system of exchange and property.
I was reading an article, a research article showing that most people are willing to pay top dollar for local fresh produce, the article went on to say this should be able to help some farmers unable to compete with larger corporations or whatever the fuck the article was about.
If a lot of people are willing to pay a high price for a service in which the service-men are having a hard-time coping as is, shouldn’t it be accepted that they sell it like that?
I know grocerystores around here sell local produce and that the people envolved get money for it, the higher the price in the grocery-store the more money these people claim to get back. I don’t know where you live, but you said a single digit percentage? is not like 9-5% pay increase to a check fairly substancial? anyway at least where I live a lot of these people sell the produce directly from stores or have some kind of business for that.
People seem willing to pay for the fresh/healthy food, whats the problem exactly?
I know its hard for poorer people to have a healthy diet, but it can be done to some extent, on a fairly low income per month. I mean you won’t be eating grapes and strawberries, but apples, oranges, and a pile of other fresh fruit/vegetables can be boughten cheaply.
If people are too poor to afford food, people selling the food shouldn’t have to lower prices, the poor people should get more governmental assistance to afford healthy good foods.
Legalize marijuana and the government gains like a 12billion dollar surplus in taxes per year, probably significantly higher in subsequent years as it becomes less taboo to smoke, that kind of money can probably help the poor. (and then millions gained from not locking up nonviolent offenders, probably more money gained somehow in actually having room for prisoners)
It could certainly help schools and hospitals.
The government probably has a lot of other ways to generate money that could be used to address a lot of these problems. Capitalism isn’t exactly my problem, its people who enforce their own brands of law. Like capitalism could easily work to fix a lot of these problems, it doesn’t because of the kind of human-enforcement behind it.
legalize a single crop and you can produce billions and billions and billions within a few years alone, capitalism seems pretty powerful to me, to address the problems of large groups of humans working together, it seems largely that its potential hasn’t been met due to the type of human enforcement behind it, but it has addressed *A LOT of problems.
Though things like gene patenting make me sick. Capitalism can go to far, and there should be a government to fucking hold it back. Though I think congress will eventually come down hard on that.
the fact that someone can own a disease because they unlocked its genome first, and that people wanting to do research on that disease could then be prevented by the owners of that disease, is fucking sick and twisted. its capitalism, at least I think its an issue of capitalism, of the nightmarish sort.
Thats interesting because I’ve seen the figures too, and what you say does not add up. Guess one of us has the wrong information
What I am to undestand about fair trade is that it actually has something to do with a better price over all, but that mainly this price is fixed, which is the problem in alot of developing countries, the producer is at the mercy of a dangerously fluctuating market system, which can mean that some years crops are next to worthless. Now I dont think that anyone is stupid enough to think that fair trade products mean that a producer will make a fair amoun t of money when compared to a western producer, however it does ensure that they will have enough money to live off.
All of that may be true but if people can’t afford to buy at the higher prices then everyone loses. If you have not noticed a simple unorganic head of lettuce is a 1.50 give or take. Potatoes 6$ almost for 10lbs. and that is the cheap stuff. I can afford the higher costs right now but, crap!There are so many that cannot. This will break the backs of many that have up till now avoided food stamps and gov’t help. Not to mention the rise in unemployment…Just how many people are going to be on Gov’t programs by year end?
As far as organic produce goes that has to cost more untill more people buy it. It costs shed loads to run an organic farm and take alot more man power, and as such such farms tend to be alot smaller than a conventional one. Unfortunatly we must buy more of something if we want the price down. Luckily, more products are becoming available as is awareness so more people are buying the products.
If poeple can"t afford it, they can’t make the demand known. As with regular food the price of organics is going up too.
I suffered another round of sticker shock this week while buying groceries, for the past few months every week the prices are rising. I have had to finally break down and start shopping at Wal- mart rather than our locally owned grocery stores. That hurts the economy because so many people I know are having to do the same. Local businesses are getting killed.
Dont do it!! I live basically in a carboard box. We still shop in a supermarket but its not tesco, and its not our equivilant of wal mart (asda)
I know it sucks but organic food will naturally cost more, its logical. More man hours means more pay to workers, and smaller holdings. There is not alot we can do but try to buy the products. Though I admit I rarely can from large retailers, as I am cirtainly not made of money. I do my best to go to farmers markets or buy from friends (obviously farmer friends) I realise I have it quite easy in this respect living in a rural area
Rhino, I have 51 dogs and cats to feed, 3 humans, I have to have cleaning products, food, medicines etc… Local groceries here cost and arm and a leg, almost 5$ for a gallon of milk, over a dollar for butter etcetc… Rhino, you just have your self. I have to buy groceries for a week for 54 beings. Locals will kill me on costs and on gas. I live out in the middle of nowhere it takes half an hour to get to any where significant. I have no choice and niether do the others out here. Most out here have more than the average household to care for. Not just one or two bodies. They have kids animals, stock animals, rleatives that are broke and have to move in. Feeding families cheaply in a hard economy comes first. There are plenty out here worse off then we are. I did not get a garden in this year, I was out of town for too long at the wrong time. No choice.
Wally world and Sam’s club are the only viable alternatives. And cheap produce has to be the route. I buy from neighbors that sell to help them out but, I can’t get all my needs filled through them. Next year we probably will invest in cows and poultry to raise and butcher with some neighbors. It would be cheapest that way. Life sucks but we move on. Organics need to drop alot before the average poor family can afford them.