4 ms·

It's almost as if some people are trying to push the false narrative that eating bugs is perfectly normal.

by indy 4y ago

peterpost2 4y ago
Why is it not normal? And what makes you think they are pushing it?
- j7ake 4y ago
  It’s not normal because insects have historically been associated with disease, pests, and pestilence.
  - peterpost2 4y ago
    as have animals, yet we still eat those.
- indy 4y ago
  "Why is it not normal?" That is a bizarre question to ask. To answer it you'll need to examine your own reactions to the idea of eating insects, you'll have to ask older family members, you'll have to speak to the wise people in your community, you'll have to read history and note down the circumstances of when people resorted to eating insects. You'll have to act like a human being.
  - peterpost2 4y ago
    Ah, so Culture is what you are saying? I'm from a culture where historically it's normal to do so.
    - indy 4y ago
      Bon appetit
      - peterpost2 4y ago
        Thanks, I will. Yet you may understand your argument wasn't very convincing.
  - Barrin92 4y ago
    >To answer it you'll need to examine your own reactions to the idea of eating insects ..which is perfectly normal for many people? When I lived in China I visited Nanning frequently and they have a night market that is famous and popular for serving deep fried insects. Most of it is pretty good. You find insect based street-food in plenty of places across LatAm, Africa or Asia.
    - amrocha 4y ago
      You will find it if you're looking for it, but you're kidding yourself if you think a majority of people in the vast majority of places willingly eat insects
  - nicolas_t 4y ago
    That's a very culturally blind comment. You're from a culture where it's not common and not accepted, that doesn't mean that it's the same for everyone. So you're taking your own assumptions from your culture and trying to apply it to everyone.
graderjs 4y ago
The is a cultural-blind statement that tries to lift "cultural relativism" to "objective normality". It's incorrect, without appropriate qualification. Let me help you: It's almost as if some people are trying to push the false narrative that eating bugs is perfectly normal for people in the corner of Florida where I grew up. When stated like that, it doesn't make that much sense. No one would think it was normal in a place where it's not normal to do so, so probably no one is pushing that. But I think you're right that there is some form of "food source environmental activism" related to bug-eating, but this article isn't about that, and doesn't have to be. I mean, take from it what you will, and I understand the triggered reactions to the connotations of "let's replace our menu with insect meat because environment", but I think that's an unnecessary fear-connotation in this case and is not warranted by the source material.
- indy 4y ago
  Whenever I see these kinds of articles posted on Hacker News I'm always reminded of Paul Graham's excellent article The Submarine (http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html)
  - graderjs 4y ago
    "These sorts" I guess you mean "insect eating" articles, which, hahaha, I have to say I rarely see, but OK (maybe that's my own sort of...not cultural blindness--we're from the same culture probably--but media-diet blindness? I just don't see a lot of those articles). So you are suggesting these are the work of PR firms. I mean, maybe... like a corporate PR strategy to slowly normalize the eating of insects? Like I get the "insect meat enviro activism" angle, but I think it's possible to see this article as something that exists without that, independently of that. I mean, it is kind of a culture-blind doubling-down to be so blind to the fact that other people (real people, not stock images in advertising campaigns) eat insects around the world...that you see any emanation of stories about these as part of a concerted PR strategy. Because maybe that fits your cultural-bias that "this stuff doesn't really happen so if we see it it has to be a corporate profit motive", right? I mean, why can't it just be a story about another culture and what they do? Why need to get all judgey and like "from only your perspective thou shalt speak the truth" about it? Personally I don't get the strong "immune" reactions I see here. Is it a sublimated expression of the visceral (but probably culturally relative) revulsion? Or like where is this coming from for you? Like why can't it just be a story, why does it have to be propaganda for something? I'm curious. Please relate what's there for you, if you want! :P ;) xx ;p

It's almost as if some people are trying to push the false narrative that eating bugs is perfectly normal.

by indy 4y ago

It's almost as if some people are trying to push the false narrative that eating bugs is perfectly normal.

peterpost2 4y ago

Why is it not normal? And what makes you think they are pushing it?

j7ake 4y ago
It’s not normal because insects have historically been associated with disease, pests, and pestilence.
- peterpost2 4y ago
  as have animals, yet we still eat those.
indy 4y ago
"Why is it not normal?" That is a bizarre question to ask. To answer it you'll need to examine your own reactions to the idea of eating insects, you'll have to ask older family members, you'll have to speak to the wise people in your community, you'll have to read history and note down the circumstances of when people resorted to eating insects. You'll have to act like a human being.
- peterpost2 4y ago
  Ah, so Culture is what you are saying? I'm from a culture where historically it's normal to do so.
  - indy 4y ago
    Bon appetit
    - peterpost2 4y ago
      Thanks, I will. Yet you may understand your argument wasn't very convincing.
- Barrin92 4y ago
  >To answer it you'll need to examine your own reactions to the idea of eating insects ..which is perfectly normal for many people? When I lived in China I visited Nanning frequently and they have a night market that is famous and popular for serving deep fried insects. Most of it is pretty good. You find insect based street-food in plenty of places across LatAm, Africa or Asia.
  - amrocha 4y ago
    You will find it if you're looking for it, but you're kidding yourself if you think a majority of people in the vast majority of places willingly eat insects
- nicolas_t 4y ago
  That's a very culturally blind comment. You're from a culture where it's not common and not accepted, that doesn't mean that it's the same for everyone. So you're taking your own assumptions from your culture and trying to apply it to everyone.

graderjs 4y ago

The is a cultural-blind statement that tries to lift "cultural relativism" to "objective normality". It's incorrect, without appropriate qualification. Let me help you: It's almost as if some people are trying to push the false narrative that eating bugs is perfectly normal for people in the corner of Florida where I grew up. When stated like that, it doesn't make that much sense. No one would think it was normal in a place where it's not normal to do so, so probably no one is pushing that. But I think you're right that there is some form of "food source environmental activism" related to bug-eating, but this article isn't about that, and doesn't have to be. I mean, take from it what you will, and I understand the triggered reactions to the connotations of "let's replace our menu with insect meat because environment", but I think that's an unnecessary fear-connotation in this case and is not warranted by the source material.

indy 4y ago
Whenever I see these kinds of articles posted on Hacker News I'm always reminded of Paul Graham's excellent article The Submarine (http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html)
- graderjs 4y ago
  "These sorts" I guess you mean "insect eating" articles, which, hahaha, I have to say I rarely see, but OK (maybe that's my own sort of...not cultural blindness--we're from the same culture probably--but media-diet blindness? I just don't see a lot of those articles). So you are suggesting these are the work of PR firms. I mean, maybe... like a corporate PR strategy to slowly normalize the eating of insects? Like I get the "insect meat enviro activism" angle, but I think it's possible to see this article as something that exists without that, independently of that. I mean, it is kind of a culture-blind doubling-down to be so blind to the fact that other people (real people, not stock images in advertising campaigns) eat insects around the world...that you see any emanation of stories about these as part of a concerted PR strategy. Because maybe that fits your cultural-bias that "this stuff doesn't really happen so if we see it it has to be a corporate profit motive", right? I mean, why can't it just be a story about another culture and what they do? Why need to get all judgey and like "from only your perspective thou shalt speak the truth" about it? Personally I don't get the strong "immune" reactions I see here. Is it a sublimated expression of the visceral (but probably culturally relative) revulsion? Or like where is this coming from for you? Like why can't it just be a story, why does it have to be propaganda for something? I'm curious. Please relate what's there for you, if you want! :P ;) xx ;p