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YouTubeHas anyone else read this? I just finished it, and depending on your worldview, it's either:
a) a scathing indictment of the meat industry in the U.S.
or b) another attempt by liberals to force their skewed agenda on the rest of the country.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Books
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
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mitchellosu
Merion Village
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It's probably both.
I love his works and I've been on an "farming industrial complex" reading spree lately, so I'll probably pick it up next.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Schoolboy
Columbus
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certain practices need to be outlawed in the animal raising industry, i'm all for that...
but before that happens, americans will have to be limited on the number of children they are allowed to have
face it, animals are raised the way they are to feed our locust like numbers and hunger
most people don't want to talk about that though, instead they attack results of the true problem... over population
Posted 2 years ago # -
myliftkk
Columbus, OH
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jmak wrote >>
Eat the kids, problem solved!
http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html+1
Posted 2 years ago # -
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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Schoolboy wrote >>
certain practices need to be outlawed in the animal raising industry, i'm all for that...
but before that happens, americans will have to be limited on the number of children they are allowed to have
face it, animals are raised the way they are to feed our locust like numbers and hunger
most people don't want to talk about that though, instead they attack results of the true problem... over populationHm. The problem, IMHO, is the bizarre American need to consume food whenever they want it in whatever quantity they want it as cheaply as possible. THAT is what has caused modern-day animal raising practices.
Most Americans have absolutely no idea where their food comes from or how it is prepared.
We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable.
If we continue to use one type of seed, pests will become resistant to our gmo seeds, and we will not be able to have that crop anymore.
Greed will be the problem that leads us to our own agricultural downfall.
Lots of the irresponsible seed farming feeds the irresponsible animal-raising industry.
Vote with your fork and your food dollar!!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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jeff_r wrote >>
Has anyone else read this? I just finished it, and depending on your worldview, it's either:
a) a scathing indictment of the meat industry in the U.S.
or b) another attempt by liberals to force their skewed agenda on the rest of the country.
http://www.eatinganimals.com/I'm almost finished with it. Although the facts in the book are pretty horrifying, I don't think it's any new news to anyone that has looked into the truth about where their food comes from.
Posted 2 years ago # -
rus
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osulew wrote >>
jeff_r wrote >>
Has anyone else read this? I just finished it, and depending on your worldview, it's either:
a) a scathing indictment of the meat industry in the U.S.
or b) another attempt by liberals to force their skewed agenda on the rest of the country.
http://www.eatinganimals.com/I'm almost finished with it. Although the facts in the book are pretty horrifying, I don't think it's any new news to anyone that has looked into the truth about where their food comes from.
Speaking of facts, are there references for verification?
Posted 2 years ago # -
jeff_r
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rus wrote >>
osulew wrote >>
jeff_r wrote >>
Has anyone else read this? I just finished it, and depending on your worldview, it's either:
a) a scathing indictment of the meat industry in the U.S.
or b) another attempt by liberals to force their skewed agenda on the rest of the country.
http://www.eatinganimals.com/I'm almost finished with it. Although the facts in the book are pretty horrifying, I don't think it's any new news to anyone that has looked into the truth about where their food comes from.
Speaking of facts, are there references for verification?
Yes.
Posted 2 years ago # -
jeff_r
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myliftkk
Columbus, OH
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
Schoolboy wrote >>
certain practices need to be outlawed in the animal raising industry, i'm all for that...
but before that happens, americans will have to be limited on the number of children they are allowed to have
face it, animals are raised the way they are to feed our locust like numbers and hunger
most people don't want to talk about that though, instead they attack results of the true problem... over populationHm. The problem, IMHO, is the bizarre American need to consume food whenever they want it in whatever quantity they want it as cheaply as possible. THAT is what has caused modern-day animal raising practices.
Most Americans have absolutely no idea where their food comes from or how it is prepared.
We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable.
If we continue to use one type of seed, pests will become resistant to our gmo seeds, and we will not be able to have that crop anymore.
Greed will be the problem that leads us to our own agricultural downfall.
Lots of the irresponsible seed farming feeds the irresponsible animal-raising industry.
Vote with your fork and your food dollar!!!now, while the average man on the street might not understand global agriculture challenges (does the average man on the street know anything?), there are people who are studying the issue quite extensively.
http://www.dbcca.com/dbcca/EN/_media/Investing_in_Agriculture_July_13_2009.pdfbut, short of enforcing population controls that result in downward trending populations, gmo seeds are going to be of huge importance to increasing future crop yields and creating crops destining for marginal/degraded farmland. also, as pests themselves adapt to gmo seeds, it would be a mistake to think the seeds themselves won't change further over time (evolution works both ways).
another thing to take note of, before tearing into agribusiness based solely on perceived american eating habits (putting aside the fact that the meat industry here has been a favorite agribusiness whipping boy since at least the jungle book), is how much us agribusiness exports globally that doesn't go down an american gullet. for example, us agricultural exports to china alone were at a level of about 60b~ for 2008.
which isn't to say that i approve of all/some of agribusiness' practices, but as much as i find ethical questions of meat-eating an interesting topic for discussion, it is a fairly tangential debate in comparision to the entire scope of the food/population paradox.
Posted 2 years ago # -
HeySquare
German Village
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Schoolboy wrote >>
certain practices need to be outlawed in the animal raising industry, i'm all for that...
but before that happens, americans will have to be limited on the number of children they are allowed to have
face it, animals are raised the way they are to feed our locust like numbers and hunger
most people don't want to talk about that though, instead they attack results of the true problem... over populationI'm a little confused about this.
As far as I know, most of the increase in American population is due to immigration, not American births. The American birth rate is at approximately replacement level currently.
From Wikipedia
"The United States has a total resident population of 308,243,000.[1] It is a very urbanized population, with 81% residing in cities and suburbs as of mid-2005 (the worldwide urban rate was 49%).[2] California and Texas are the most populous states,[3] as the mean center of United States population has consistently shifted westward and southward.[4] The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2008 is 2.1 children per woman,[5] which is roughly the replacement level.[6] However, U.S. population growth is among the highest in industrialized countries,[7] since the vast majority of these have below-replacement fertility rates and the U.S. has higher levels of immigration.[5][8] Accordingly, the United States Census Bureau shows an increase of 0.95% between November 2007 and November 2008 for the resident population.[9] Nonetheless, though high by industrialized country standards, this is below the world average annual rate of 1.19%.[7] "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_StatesPosted 2 years ago # -
Schoolboy
Columbus
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
Schoolboy wrote >>
certain practices need to be outlawed in the animal raising industry, i'm all for that...
but before that happens, americans will have to be limited on the number of children they are allowed to have
face it, animals are raised the way they are to feed our locust like numbers and hunger
most people don't want to talk about that though, instead they attack results of the true problem... over populationHm. The problem, IMHO, is the bizarre American need to consume food whenever they want it in whatever quantity they want it as cheaply as possible. THAT is what has caused modern-day animal raising practices.
Most Americans have absolutely no idea where their food comes from or how it is prepared.
We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable.
If we continue to use one type of seed, pests will become resistant to our gmo seeds, and we will not be able to have that crop anymore.
Greed will be the problem that leads us to our own agricultural downfall.
Lots of the irresponsible seed farming feeds the irresponsible animal-raising industry.
Vote with your fork and your food dollar!!!great points
i agree with everything you saidPosted 2 years ago # -
Schoolboy
Columbus
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i'm not going to argue over who exactly is an immigrant to this country, and who's to blame
regardless this is very alarming from the same wiki link posted above
"The Census Bureau projects a U.S. population of 439 million in 2050, which is a 46% increase from 2007 (301.3 million).[17] However, the United Nations projects a U.S. population of 402 million in 2050, an increase of 32% from 2007 (the UN projects a gain of 38% for the world at large)."
knowing this, we should be proactive, but i guess that isn't the american way. we wait until the problem is already destroying us before we do anything about it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
...We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable...I'm not sure I understand this part of your post. Are you saying that farmers are unaware of the need to rotate crops? The practice is ancient and well-understood. Farmers will not do anything to renders their fields unusable. American farmers are the most efficient in the history of agriculture.
Posted 2 years ago # -
rus
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UncommonSense wrote >>
lisathewaitress wrote >>
...We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable...I'm not sure I understand this part of your post. Are you saying that farmers are unaware of the need to rotate crops? The practice is ancient and well-understood. Farmers will not do anything to renders their fields unusable. American farmers are the most efficient in the history of agriculture.
Whoa Whoa Whoa ... Whoa ....
You saying someone who makes their living from farming might know more about it than some guy with an agenda who wrote a book?
Well, this changes everything.
Posted 2 years ago # -
jeff_r
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UncommonSense wrote >>
lisathewaitress wrote >>
...We also seem unable to comprehend the fact that current practices could very likely lead to starvation in the future - it is a fact, and not just liberal bandying about, that crop rotation is necessary to ensure soil renewal. Crops rob the soil and if nutrients aren't replaced, that soil will become unusable...I'm not sure I understand this part of your post. Are you saying that farmers are unaware of the need to rotate crops? The practice is ancient and well-understood. Farmers will not do anything to renders their fields unusable. American farmers are the most efficient in the history of agriculture.
I expect that Lisa was commenting less on our collective agrarian knowledge and more on the market forces and subsidies that encourage reliance on single or limited crop varieties (see also corn and high fructose syrup).
Posted 2 years ago # -
Kirk
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If we switched to all "organic" farming like most of these bleeding hearts want, 2 billion people on this planet starve to death. The problem is you can never pick which two billion go to bed hungry can you? Forsake the Agricultural Revolution and buy at Whole Foods but, the dirty little secret is that this choice is causing more starvation and hunger around the world.
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Wasn't all farming since the birth of domestication "organic" until recent changes in technology provided other options?
Posted 2 years ago #
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