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This article presents a nuanced point, and I agree with it. My response to this quote by Steve Burgess (not the author): "Why are programmers granted such high

by logn 14y ago

This article presents a nuanced point, and I agree with it. My response to this quote by Steve Burgess (not the author): "Why are programmers granted such high status and wealth in our society for living in a self-created self-indulgant intellectual world of constant escapism- and yet farmers are regarded with such distain when they operate on the most important boundary between society and the biosphere?" ... would have been: I disagree with your premise. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE (God Made a Farmer) and see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGJX6t3IAlk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGJX6t3IAlk (GoDaddy Bar Refaeli Super Bowl Commercial).

kriro 14y ago
Farmers have historically played with the fears of mankind and have lobbying power that rivals big tobacco in many countries. "More moneyz for the farmers or everyone will starve to death." They also tend to use somewhat stereotypical stuff depicting themselves as heroes that feed the homeland which just rubs me the wrong way. Add the "leave this farmland empty and make more money than actually farming on it" government handout abuse (+ all sorts of economic meddling that makes very little sense) and you pretty much get the mixture of why I don't grant farmers a high status by default. Big industry farming is also fairly disgusting. I'm not really an animal rights type of guy and more of the "whatever humans eat animals such is life" kind of school but what is happening in industry farming makes me pretty sick. [I'm obviously aggregating over all farmers here but by and large I wouldn't start out assuming a farmer was noble] Edit: that's obviously way off topic. My answer to the OP would be...teach kids to enjoy learning and exploring and not some specific craft. The rest will follow automatically. Programming as a craft works well because it tends to force you to learn and explore as a side effect (same for anything scientific really)
walshemj 14y ago
Given the amount of government subvention and subsidies compered to Farmers we are very very low down on the totem pole. In the EU in 20010 €43.8bn (31% of the EU budget) compared to the support that STEM industries get this is far more. Blue states like CA and MA support the smaller interior agricultural red states - the USA is set up to favor farmers. You don't get satire like Farmer Palmer in VIZ from nothimg
- gammarator 14y ago
  California has the most agricultural output of any state in the US, fyi: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-productivity-in-the-us.aspx#28270 http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-productiv...

by logn 14y ago

kriro 14y ago

Farmers have historically played with the fears of mankind and have lobbying power that rivals big tobacco in many countries. "More moneyz for the farmers or everyone will starve to death." They also tend to use somewhat stereotypical stuff depicting themselves as heroes that feed the homeland which just rubs me the wrong way. Add the "leave this farmland empty and make more money than actually farming on it" government handout abuse (+ all sorts of economic meddling that makes very little sense) and you pretty much get the mixture of why I don't grant farmers a high status by default. Big industry farming is also fairly disgusting. I'm not really an animal rights type of guy and more of the "whatever humans eat animals such is life" kind of school but what is happening in industry farming makes me pretty sick. [I'm obviously aggregating over all farmers here but by and large I wouldn't start out assuming a farmer was noble] Edit: that's obviously way off topic. My answer to the OP would be...teach kids to enjoy learning and exploring and not some specific craft. The rest will follow automatically. Programming as a craft works well because it tends to force you to learn and explore as a side effect (same for anything scientific really)

walshemj 14y ago

Given the amount of government subvention and subsidies compered to Farmers we are very very low down on the totem pole. In the EU in 20010 €43.8bn (31% of the EU budget) compared to the support that STEM industries get this is far more. Blue states like CA and MA support the smaller interior agricultural red states - the USA is set up to favor farmers. You don't get satire like Farmer Palmer in VIZ from nothimg

gammarator 14y ago
California has the most agricultural output of any state in the US, fyi: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-productivity-in-the-us.aspx#28270 http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-productiv...