Comments on: Slow Food Nation Attracts 50,000 — Beneath The Surface http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:33:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: sadie http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/#comment-27612 sadie Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:15:21 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2865#comment-27612 well there are a lot of other ways to highlight those things than by making sure to identify the black dude by his race. Basically when you identify only the black guy by his race and not anyone else, you're otherizing the black guy and over normalizing the white folks. Which isn't the best strategy for building alliances across racial boundaries. well there are a lot of other ways to highlight those things than by making sure to identify the black dude by his race. Basically when you identify only the black guy by his race and not anyone else, you’re otherizing the black guy and over normalizing the white folks. Which isn’t the best strategy for building alliances across racial boundaries.

]]> By: Deadbeat http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/#comment-27609 Deadbeat Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:59:44 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2865#comment-27609 To answer sadie my guess is that the identification of Van Jones as an "African American" is to highlight the issue of environmental racism and that this Green movement is building alliances across racial boundaries. That is the type of coalition building that is very much needed on the Left. To answer sadie my guess is that the identification of Van Jones as an “African American” is to highlight the issue of environmental racism and that this Green movement is building alliances across racial boundaries. That is the type of coalition building that is very much needed on the Left.

]]> By: sadie http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/#comment-27605 sadie Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:52:54 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2865#comment-27605 interesting that Van Jones is described as "african american" while other people discussed are not identified by race at all. why is that? interesting that Van Jones is described as “african american” while other people discussed are not identified by race at all. why is that?

]]> By: Robert B. Livingston http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/#comment-27602 Robert B. Livingston Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:33:01 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2865#comment-27602 I am sorry-- but I see this Slow Food Nation as just another elitist foray into identity politics-- which requires-- yes, periodic (distraction) organizing with the requisite t-shirts and politically correct commercial sponsorships. I am sorry– but I see this Slow Food Nation as just another elitist foray into identity politics– which requires– yes, periodic (distraction) organizing with the requisite t-shirts and politically correct commercial sponsorships.

]]> By: Matt http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/09/slow-food-nation-attracts-50000-%e2%80%94-beneath-the-surface/#comment-27599 Matt Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:50:45 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2865#comment-27599 I was deeply saddened to read this article. At the end of the day, comments from people like Peter Jacobson and Anna Lappe are so loaded with value-laden judgments of other people's failures that they cross the line. You are neo-imperialists, Mr. Jacobson and Ms. Lappe. Your views are the fantasies of California liberals totally disconnected from what's actually happening out here. Anna Lappe, you must be willfully ignorant to state that "biotechnology neither increases yields or diversity". Record yields in cotton, soybean and other crops have been achieved in the last few years because of biotechnology. Perhaps you cannot afford the time to read news that does not reconcile with your myopic world view. USDA forecasting highest cotton yield in US history: http://westernfarmpress.com/cotton/112807-usda-forecasting/ Slightly more serious academic research says, "the global net economic benefits to biotech crop farmers in 2005 was $5.6 billion, and $27 billion ($13 billion for developing countries and $14 billion for industrial countries) for the accumulated benefits during the period 1996 to 2005." If you care to actually look a little harder, that's work done by PG Economics, http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/. Or you could just consider your water. Biotech is responsible for a reduction in pesticide usage by 224,300 metric tons in a decade. Those of you who drink from the Colorado River and California Aquaduct ought to appreciate that. Perhaps you'd just like to tell this woman she has no right to keep women and families working on their farms instead of suffering economic collapse from lack of productivity, with the alternative of being forced into the ghettos of Lagos or Nairobi. http://www.ahbfi.org/board/florence.htm But then, you don't care much for people having CHOICES to stay on the farm. They don't appreciate much about your fantasy world either, I guess. In that world, serious research says there is not enough arable land on the planet to convert all farming to organic and still feed the world. Then again, my skepticism of your position is sent further to the opposite side of the field by the fact that you assert this agenda on behalf of a $15 billion corporate organic industry. Jacobson calls for 50 million more farmers in the US? What are you smoking out there? One-sixth of the US population should turn back the clock eight decades and be told they were wrong to make their way into cities and suburbs? This is not only sad, it completely misses centuries of social and cultural trends that carried civilization to this point. My family is one generation off the farm in southern Iowa. I have no opportunities in that lovely, familiar town. I, and my four siblings, have moved to cities from Minneapolis to Richmond, Virginia. Thanks for the invitation, Mr. Jacobson, but we are not going back - and, unfortunately for you, I enjoy free will and have my own eyes open to the economic realities of family farms in Iowa. You, clearly, do not, sir. Do any of you wear cotton? Ever? If you really believed this garbage, please donate your cotton garments to someone who actually needs clothing. 80% of the cotton in the US is biotech cotton. I'll bet your tee shirts speak volumes about your hypocrisy. That's what this is really all about. The wildly outrageous, hypocritical fantasies of a bunch of neo-imperialist, white, upper middle class spoiled Generation Xers who have never done any honest labor. Get your hands dirty a little. You might wake up to find the world has moved on without you. I was deeply saddened to read this article. At the end of the day, comments from people like Peter Jacobson and Anna Lappe are so loaded with value-laden judgments of other people’s failures that they cross the line. You are neo-imperialists, Mr. Jacobson and Ms. Lappe. Your views are the fantasies of California liberals totally disconnected from what’s actually happening out here.

Anna Lappe, you must be willfully ignorant to state that “biotechnology neither increases yields or diversity”.

Record yields in cotton, soybean and other crops have been achieved in the last few years because of biotechnology. Perhaps you cannot afford the time to read news that does not reconcile with your myopic world view.

USDA forecasting highest cotton yield in US history:
http://westernfarmpress.com/cotton/112807-usda-forecasting/

Slightly more serious academic research says, “the global net economic benefits to biotech crop farmers in 2005 was $5.6 billion, and $27 billion ($13 billion for developing countries and $14 billion for industrial countries) for the accumulated benefits during the period 1996 to 2005.” If you care to actually look a little harder, that’s work done by PG Economics, http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/.

Or you could just consider your water. Biotech is responsible for a reduction in pesticide usage by 224,300 metric tons in a decade. Those of you who drink from the Colorado River and California Aquaduct ought to appreciate that.

Perhaps you’d just like to tell this woman she has no right to keep women and families working on their farms instead of suffering economic collapse from lack of productivity, with the alternative of being forced into the ghettos of Lagos or Nairobi.

http://www.ahbfi.org/board/florence.htm

But then, you don’t care much for people having CHOICES to stay on the farm. They don’t appreciate much about your fantasy world either, I guess.

In that world, serious research says there is not enough arable land on the planet to convert all farming to organic and still feed the world. Then again, my skepticism of your position is sent further to the opposite side of the field by the fact that you assert this agenda on behalf of a $15 billion corporate organic industry.

Jacobson calls for 50 million more farmers in the US? What are you smoking out there? One-sixth of the US population should turn back the clock eight decades and be told they were wrong to make their way into cities and suburbs? This is not only sad, it completely misses centuries of social and cultural trends that carried civilization to this point.

My family is one generation off the farm in southern Iowa. I have no opportunities in that lovely, familiar town. I, and my four siblings, have moved to cities from Minneapolis to Richmond, Virginia. Thanks for the invitation, Mr. Jacobson, but we are not going back - and, unfortunately for you, I enjoy free will and have my own eyes open to the economic realities of family farms in Iowa. You, clearly, do not, sir.

Do any of you wear cotton? Ever? If you really believed this garbage, please donate your cotton garments to someone who actually needs clothing. 80% of the cotton in the US is biotech cotton.

I’ll bet your tee shirts speak volumes about your hypocrisy.

That’s what this is really all about. The wildly outrageous, hypocritical fantasies of a bunch of neo-imperialist, white, upper middle class spoiled Generation Xers who have never done any honest labor.

Get your hands dirty a little. You might wake up to find the world has moved on without you.

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