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This pandemic is really bringing out the folly of concentration at the expense of all other business considerations. Sure, it makes food cheaper but at what cos

by z3ugma 6y ago

This pandemic is really bringing out the folly of concentration at the expense of all other business considerations. Sure, it makes food cheaper but at what cost? We deserve systems that are more resistant to shocks. We've allowed oligopolies to form in many industries, perhaps especially agribusiness. This has brought prices to rock bottom and commoditized living beings, putting pressure to further reduce prices. "Ag-gag" laws and the might of huge consolidated meatpacking firms makes it difficult to do investigative journalism. Maybe it's time for people to try going meatless instead? People are so disconnected from their meat supply and the horrific conditions (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/25/meat-workers-safety-jbs-smithfield-tyson/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/25/meat-work...) imposed on the people who provide that meat to them. If we had a different political climate, we could think about sensible reform in meat. Meat should cost 3-5x as much as it currently does (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/21/the-true-cost-of-eating-meat-if-we-want-change-we-have-to-pay-for-it https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/21/the-true...) to allow for a safe and healthy habitat for the animals, and a living wage to the farmers and packers. Finally - if you, like me, grew up eating meat and never considered what a meatless diet would look like, now's a perfect time to try while you're stuck at home learning new things. There's a large community of former meat-eaters that would be happy to help you start.

gridlockd 6y ago
> This pandemic is really bringing out the folly of concentration at the expense of all other business considerations. I think that's just the hackers's infatuation with decentralization speaking here. Using decentralization to prepare for a disaster that happens once every 100 years costs so much, you'll be uncompetitive 99% of the time, which means you'll likely be out of business by the time disaster strikes. Furthermore, when it does strike, you'll probably have prepared in the wrong way because you didn't foresee everything, like the disaster affecting every decentralized place at once, as it would in a global pandemic. Keep in mind that the meat supply hasn't been severely impacted yet, might never be, but even if it was, there would still be a grain supply that hasn't been impacted at all. Lastly, the average American has enough fat on their body to sustain them for at least a month of eating nothing at all.
stronglikedan 6y ago
But meat is sooo good, and there's nothing else even close, that I'm willing to pay more for it. I'd rather see the supply chain issues worked on, even if it just means more expensive meat. Going meatless is like cutting of the nose to spite the face.

by z3ugma 6y ago

gridlockd 6y ago

> This pandemic is really bringing out the folly of concentration at the expense of all other business considerations. I think that's just the hackers's infatuation with decentralization speaking here. Using decentralization to prepare for a disaster that happens once every 100 years costs so much, you'll be uncompetitive 99% of the time, which means you'll likely be out of business by the time disaster strikes. Furthermore, when it does strike, you'll probably have prepared in the wrong way because you didn't foresee everything, like the disaster affecting every decentralized place at once, as it would in a global pandemic. Keep in mind that the meat supply hasn't been severely impacted yet, might never be, but even if it was, there would still be a grain supply that hasn't been impacted at all. Lastly, the average American has enough fat on their body to sustain them for at least a month of eating nothing at all.

stronglikedan 6y ago

But meat is sooo good, and there's nothing else even close, that I'm willing to pay more for it. I'd rather see the supply chain issues worked on, even if it just means more expensive meat. Going meatless is like cutting of the nose to spite the face.