|
|
Post by cjm on Jul 16, 2017 6:43:24 GMT
A farm shouldn’t be a factoryIt is claimed that profitability of organic farming is higher. Perhaps because rich people have more money to pay higher prices. In South Africa, organic farming only supplies a niche market, well shielded by the likes of Woolworths et al. Most of the SA population cannot afford those foods and don't care. The so-called profitability will, in any event collapse, if that market is seriously targeted by agriculture at large.
|
|
|
|
Post by Trog on Jul 16, 2017 7:56:25 GMT
Politicians and con-artists always target the ignorant. The antidote to ignorance is, of course, sufficient knowledge. The problem is: Science is hard, and most people are stupid. Maybe the answer is truth-based propeganda.
|
|
|
|
Post by cjm on Jul 16, 2017 10:13:56 GMT
Politicians and con-artists always target the ignorant. The antidote to ignorance is, of course, sufficient knowledge. The problem is: Science is hard, and most people are stupid. Maybe the answer is truth-based propeganda. Ordinary people have to make a living raise children and the like. I appreciate that they often are swept along by the ideology of the day as the time for deeper thinking and more reading is not available. The true villains are those clever ones who use misinformation knowingly for their own profit. The opposing view point is not always right, but it should be allowed to compete freely. It seems that the villains generally not only have a free ride but manage to stiffle other points of view. Generalisations, I agree, but of application to climate change and welfare economics, at least? Truth propaganda seems an option as long as the purveyors maintain some independence and remains an organisation limited by moderate means. Even then, the conflict of views and facts is the touchstone. |
|
|
|
Post by Trog on Jul 17, 2017 6:55:26 GMT
The true villains are those clever ones who use misinformation knowingly for their own profit. I agree - those are no doubt the most dispicable ones. But there is a much larger body of misinformants who deliberately misinform for their own profit WITHOUT being clever. By and large, they all do this by denying factuality and the validity of science and reason, i.e. 'enlightenment'. And they're not denying this from any sophisticated point of view. Basically, when they are exposed to any sophisticated mathematical or scientific piece of reasoning, all that they are intellectually capable of hearing is some incomprehensible waffle. And they form this opinion that this is what reason and science really is - incomprehensible waffle. So that they feel totally entitled to replace that with some incomprehensible waffle of their own, and consider that to be an equivalent representation of reality. This is actually quite easy to do and to get away with, because about 98% of their audience live in exactly the same universe of obtuseness, and the alternative narrative is invariably tailored in such a way that the audience finds it deeply satisfying and attractive. As in that they are victims, and being conspired against, and that white men are evil, instead of accepting the fact that the circumstances of their existence is in consequence just of their being dumb. |
|
|
|
Post by cjm on Jul 17, 2017 7:42:54 GMT
... This is actually quite easy to do and to get away with, because about 98% of their audience live in exactly the same universe of obtuseness, and the alternative narrative is invariably tailored in such a way that the audience finds it deeply satisfying and attractive. As in that they are victims, and being conspired against, and that white men are evil, instead of accepting the fact that the circumstances of their existence is in consequence just of their being dumb. According to a modern narrative, there are no dumb people - just disadvantaged ones. Perhaps a religious revival could ease us over that uncomfortable truth of differences in IQ, where your station in life is the result of God's will. |
|
