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Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel
Mar. 27th, 2009 12:31 pmUnfortunately I didn't finish this book, not because it's bad but because I'd reached my quite low mental limit for nonfiction books(*) (Why yes, this did help make my Phd unbearable) "Luckily" I accidentally arrived at the library 45 minutes before it opened, so spent the time reading the last chapter (having read the first 2 or 3 already) and deciding on bits to quote.
So: this is a very good book, exploring the problems with the global food industry, how it's bad for everyone from farmers to consumers, and how everyone can fix it.
There's a website, which has one of the most important things to take away from it, what to do.
Here's a the full annotated list but in short:
( Read more... )
(*)This being entirely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sanguinity's fault.
So: this is a very good book, exploring the problems with the global food industry, how it's bad for everyone from farmers to consumers, and how everyone can fix it.
There's a website, which has one of the most important things to take away from it, what to do.
Here's a the full annotated list but in short:
- Transform our tastes.
- Eat locally and seasonally.
- Eat agroecologically.
- Support locally owned business.
- Insist that the workers who grow our food have the right to dignity.
- Advocate profound and comprehensive rural change.
- Demand living wages for all.
- Support a sustainable architecture of food.
- Snap the food system’s bottleneck.
- Own and provide restitution for the injustices of the past and present.
( Read more... )
(*)This being entirely
sanguinity's fault.Cultural appropriation and individualism
Mar. 27th, 2009 08:12 amTwo related topics I have strongly held opinions about which I can't quite put into words are cultural appropriation and the flaws in an overly individual focussed point of view.
But as it happens posts on both have come up in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
racism_101 in the last few days which deal with them reasonably well, so here they are, plus some attempts to express myself:
First: A link to, and discussion of, the video "yellow apparel: when the coolie becomes cool", about american appropriation of asian culture (while american and australian attitudes to race and culture differ in some ways, I think the history and treatment of people of asian descent is pretty similar)
It doesn't spoonfeed it's ideas, it's more a series of images and interviews which add up to a pretty compelling experience if you watch it all the way through (thus I included the discussion, for those who can't be bothered. There's also Cultural Appropriation 101, and more cultural appropriation links at my delicious)
Second: Individualism as enabler for racism about the way treating everyone as an "individual" allows people with unfair advantages to avoid taking responsibility for the inequalities of society.
( thoughts on individuality, going more into class )
But as it happens posts on both have come up in
racism_101 in the last few days which deal with them reasonably well, so here they are, plus some attempts to express myself:First: A link to, and discussion of, the video "yellow apparel: when the coolie becomes cool", about american appropriation of asian culture (while american and australian attitudes to race and culture differ in some ways, I think the history and treatment of people of asian descent is pretty similar)
It doesn't spoonfeed it's ideas, it's more a series of images and interviews which add up to a pretty compelling experience if you watch it all the way through (thus I included the discussion, for those who can't be bothered. There's also Cultural Appropriation 101, and more cultural appropriation links at my delicious)
Second: Individualism as enabler for racism about the way treating everyone as an "individual" allows people with unfair advantages to avoid taking responsibility for the inequalities of society.
( thoughts on individuality, going more into class )
Pondering stuff white people like
Jan. 7th, 2009 10:27 amReading the article I mentioned in my last post I was reminded of stuff white people like, specifically this video of the creator talking about his experiences was interesting, the way he went from making a blog for fun to book deal in like a month is intense.
Something he said, which took me a while to realise when I first saw the blog, is that it's not about "white people", it's about upper middle class left wing types and the waythey we see ourselves as free-thinking unique snowflakes1. Really most of the digs are about class not race but since "White people" care more about being seen as non-racist than non-classist2 and are very self conscious about white guilt etc that name is more effective. Kind of annoying for white people who aren't White People and don't get the joke, I imagine.
See for example #62 Knowing what’s best for poor people. I am often amazed at how openly "left wing" people despise the poor. They watch Today Tonight! And have badly dyed hair! And use bad grammar! (Unlike poor people from other countries who are adorably authentic and charming. Unless they chop down trees or eat McDonalds or something)
Also there was a link to this black guy who set up a stall so people could have their photo taken with him, I salute his bravery :)
I've often pondered talking more about class but am worried about (a)Coming up against the fairly unselfconscious classism a lot of people have3 and (b) Collapsing in self consciousness as I ponder my own class.
1)And I think a large part of the appeal of the blog for White People is feeling smug at how much more self aware they are compared to all those other White People.
2)Which is very different from being less racist
3)Cue my friends from the country saying "Bah! You have it easy!" :)
Something he said, which took me a while to realise when I first saw the blog, is that it's not about "white people", it's about upper middle class left wing types and the way
See for example #62 Knowing what’s best for poor people. I am often amazed at how openly "left wing" people despise the poor. They watch Today Tonight! And have badly dyed hair! And use bad grammar! (Unlike poor people from other countries who are adorably authentic and charming. Unless they chop down trees or eat McDonalds or something)
Also there was a link to this black guy who set up a stall so people could have their photo taken with him, I salute his bravery :)
I've often pondered talking more about class but am worried about (a)Coming up against the fairly unselfconscious classism a lot of people have3 and (b) Collapsing in self consciousness as I ponder my own class.
1)And I think a large part of the appeal of the blog for White People is feeling smug at how much more self aware they are compared to all those other White People.
2)Which is very different from being less racist
3)Cue my friends from the country saying "Bah! You have it easy!" :)
What on earth is General Tso's chicken?
Jan. 7th, 2009 09:25 amI keep meaning to post about cultural appropriation since I think it's a really important and interesting issue, but since I'm still figuring it out my ideas never quite coalesce. But in the meantime White American culture is General Tso’s Chicken and Chop Suey.
The video (by Jennifer 8. Lee) is definitely worth watching, about the way that "chinese american" food is as american as beer and pizza and the history of it's invention and misrepresentation.
It's interesting as someone from a different non-chinese country, with it's own different "chinese" food. It took me years to figure out what "egg rolls" and "pot stickers" were :)
The article (by Restructure) is more interested in why this is bad.
Something Restructure brings up in the comments which really pinged for me is that people go on about "authenticity" and it gets this social cache (ie "authentically exotic" food/clothes/music etc as a sign of being cosmopolitan) when what we should worry about is if something is representative.
( my thoughts )
The video (by Jennifer 8. Lee) is definitely worth watching, about the way that "chinese american" food is as american as beer and pizza and the history of it's invention and misrepresentation.
It's interesting as someone from a different non-chinese country, with it's own different "chinese" food. It took me years to figure out what "egg rolls" and "pot stickers" were :)
The article (by Restructure) is more interested in why this is bad.
Something Restructure brings up in the comments which really pinged for me is that people go on about "authenticity" and it gets this social cache (ie "authentically exotic" food/clothes/music etc as a sign of being cosmopolitan) when what we should worry about is if something is representative.
( my thoughts )
On cultural intolerance
Oct. 2nd, 2008 12:34 pm(A follow on from Speaking about bad ideas...atheism and race! since a lot of the same arguments came up in the comments)
Why I see cultural intolerance as racist: VERY few people in polite modern western society are explicitly racist in the "I hate everyone with dark skin" way. I tend to use "racist" to mean any tendency in society which consistently and unfairly discriminates against people of a particular ethnicity, even though most of these justify themselves using cultural rather than explicitly racist ideas. If you scratch the surface, a lot of the time these ideas are being applied arbitrarily or inconsistently and it really is about race after all.
I covered the basic ideas in Why you can't trust your values, so this is just a "few" *cough* extra things.
I mean you can't help but have values and judge other people by them, and since you don't grow up in a vacuum chances are you're going to end up seeing people from your own culture as being (on average) better since they follow your values more closely. But you have to be very careful about thinking about where those values come from, and if you're applying them fairly, and what consequences you bring from them.
Short version:
It's ok to say "I don't understand why more americans don't oppose the death penalty, though I guess I can see how it ties in with the emphasis their society tends to place on justice"
It's not ok to say "All christians are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages, just look at the bible and the way they all support the death penalty"
( Read more... )
Why I see cultural intolerance as racist: VERY few people in polite modern western society are explicitly racist in the "I hate everyone with dark skin" way. I tend to use "racist" to mean any tendency in society which consistently and unfairly discriminates against people of a particular ethnicity, even though most of these justify themselves using cultural rather than explicitly racist ideas. If you scratch the surface, a lot of the time these ideas are being applied arbitrarily or inconsistently and it really is about race after all.
I covered the basic ideas in Why you can't trust your values, so this is just a "few" *cough* extra things.
I mean you can't help but have values and judge other people by them, and since you don't grow up in a vacuum chances are you're going to end up seeing people from your own culture as being (on average) better since they follow your values more closely. But you have to be very careful about thinking about where those values come from, and if you're applying them fairly, and what consequences you bring from them.
Short version:
It's ok to say "I don't understand why more americans don't oppose the death penalty, though I guess I can see how it ties in with the emphasis their society tends to place on justice"
It's not ok to say "All christians are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages, just look at the bible and the way they all support the death penalty"
( Read more... )
