4 ms·

> Isn't that a fancy way of saying "eating meat should be a privilege for the wealthy"? Kind of, it's a problem of externalized costs beef is only really cheap

by rtkwe 7y ago

> Isn't that a fancy way of saying "eating meat should be a privilege for the wealthy"? Kind of, it's a problem of externalized costs beef is only really cheap because the environmental toll of feeding and housing them isn't felt by the purchaser. If the same food and water required to make your steak would be used to feed people directly there would be much less food insecurity in the world for example. Meat is decidedly a food that is a kind of luxury that not everyone can afford already and I'd be sad to eat less of but if it reduced hunger and starvation in the rest of the world I'd consider it a fair take away. Also consider that by being on the internet presumably with some higher education the majority of hackernews readers are already in the to 25-50% of global wealth.

luckylion 7y ago
> Also consider that by being on the internet presumably with some higher education the majority of hackernews readers are already in the to 25-50% of global wealth. I don't mind the idea of not eating meat, I eat meat maybe three times a year and I wouldn't mind not doing that, it's more of a habit of family members to have it on Christmas, not something I care for. I'm kind of allergic to this "we must save the planet, and by we I mean the poor" stuff though. It often comes in the form of "we must save the landscape, we can't have too much dense housing, it doesn't look natural", which typically comes from people who can afford luxurious mansions in the country-side. I get that they don't want other people to live there because it wouldn't be as nice if it was crowded, but I don't like that being turned into "I just want to save the environment". It's right next to "mass tourism is terrible" from people who can pay the premium for individual tourism and just don't want to share their destination with those people.
- mark_l_watson 7y ago
  I am mostly with you. It is not as much about at a large scale supporting the poor (locally, I donate my time to our local food bank) but being a nation of laws that are fairly applied to corporations, rich, middle class, and poor. Our political and legal frameworks really leave a lot of room for improvement!
BlueTemplar 7y ago
Lol, more like the majority of hackernews readers is likely to be in the top 1% : > $32,400 annual income OR > $770,000 in net worth https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/05061... (Also, I've heard that having at least 1 year of college (or other form of superior education?) meant that one was in the top 1% of world most "educated", but haven't found any sources that would confirm/infirm that...)
- rtkwe 7y ago
  I wanted to make some allowances for HN readers in poorer countries which I know some do. But yes the overwhelming majority are in the global 1%. My original statement was even broader that just by having internet access and a computer you're in the top but access has been growing so much I'm not as certain.

by rtkwe 7y ago

luckylion 7y ago

> Also consider that by being on the internet presumably with some higher education the majority of hackernews readers are already in the to 25-50% of global wealth. I don't mind the idea of not eating meat, I eat meat maybe three times a year and I wouldn't mind not doing that, it's more of a habit of family members to have it on Christmas, not something I care for. I'm kind of allergic to this "we must save the planet, and by we I mean the poor" stuff though. It often comes in the form of "we must save the landscape, we can't have too much dense housing, it doesn't look natural", which typically comes from people who can afford luxurious mansions in the country-side. I get that they don't want other people to live there because it wouldn't be as nice if it was crowded, but I don't like that being turned into "I just want to save the environment". It's right next to "mass tourism is terrible" from people who can pay the premium for individual tourism and just don't want to share their destination with those people.

mark_l_watson 7y ago
I am mostly with you. It is not as much about at a large scale supporting the poor (locally, I donate my time to our local food bank) but being a nation of laws that are fairly applied to corporations, rich, middle class, and poor. Our political and legal frameworks really leave a lot of room for improvement!

BlueTemplar 7y ago

Lol, more like the majority of hackernews readers is likely to be in the top 1% : > $32,400 annual income OR > $770,000 in net worth https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/05061... (Also, I've heard that having at least 1 year of college (or other form of superior education?) meant that one was in the top 1% of world most "educated", but haven't found any sources that would confirm/infirm that...)

rtkwe 7y ago
I wanted to make some allowances for HN readers in poorer countries which I know some do. But yes the overwhelming majority are in the global 1%. My original statement was even broader that just by having internet access and a computer you're in the top but access has been growing so much I'm not as certain.