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Friday, August 29, 2014

Too many people? Or is is just an question of distribution?

I really enjoy Gene Logsdon, The Contrary Farmer. I like the way he always has a little different slant on a subject.
His latest post is about over population and he brings up the point of how increase agricultural production brings about increased population and how we as farmers expect to feed the world.
I wanted to point out how in the USA, Canada, Europe, people of a certain socio-economic class, who seem to be more self aware, are reducing their reproduction rates.
And then bring up the concept that this is being offset by people from other countries who have to have large families to survive and who bring this attitude with them to the developed world and who then also embrace the lifestyle the imagine the developed world has. Compounded with countries who have just reached the point where they can have a consumer lifestyle.
I didn't say it very well.
Other people made some very insightful comments but no one picked up on any of these and it was a 1970's lovefest.
Everyone is stuck in the 1970's ecology movement view which was basically that capitalism and Western Civilization is the root of all evil. Oppressed people can do no wrong because they are oppressed. People whose skin is not white always lived in harmony with nature and have really cool crafts.
What is really happening in the 21st century?
Is it really true that the USA uses all the worlds resources?  For example, if you take into account smaller family sizes, how does the consumption of the US compare with other countries by family? Or does us consumption really matter as it is offset by increased production?
It is pretty easy to look at traffic cameras on the news and see there are no old cars on the road. The new cars are much more fuel efficient. Everyone I know is trying to conserve energy reduce consumption, has that had no effect in the past 40 years?
What is the effect of the modernization of China and India?
From my observations, people who identify themselves proudly as liberals never get past their initial programming that their parents inadvertently bought them at OSU in 1970.
Young people pick it up from that longhaired english teacher in freshman english in high school or their first hippy girlfriend.
This is a stupid post, I'm tired, my back hurts, I have to go to work, it is going to be hot, I can't even remember the point, I can't get muddyvalley's drone video he took of the cornfields to post... Goodbye...


4 comments:

  1. No old cars on the road? Probably because they can't keep up with the crazy drivers out there today and would be a hazard. Like me in my IH truck. :-)
    And some of the older farmers are, I think, getting pretty tired of feeding the world and just getting break even prices for their hard work while they watch the grain, fertilizer and chemical companies make more out of their work than the farmer.

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    Replies
    1. I really don't know what I'm talking about. Trying to be profound I suppose...

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  2. muddy has a drone? ok where is the vid? and yeah. dont get me started on hippies. here's something for you. my husband's mother was a hippie. my father was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and Korea. you can imagine there have been some tense moments. btw he grew up to be a Republican and i cant stop laughing about that. anyway. hot here too.

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  3. The video is too large and is taking forever to reduce. Plus the corn doesn't look very good.
    I really have nothing personal against hippies. I don't think they are particularly open minded. Which I find quite amusing.

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