The fuel that drives activism - Page 2

anderoo

Canada1876 Posts

April 18 2010 04:43 GMT

#21

On April 18 2010 12:32 FragKrag wrote:
i have to say I envy some of the food in that second picture though. Sucks to be them, but am I going to lower my standard because of simple guilt? No.

Why?

overpool

United States191 Posts

April 18 2010 04:53 GMT

#22

I don't understand. How does changing what we eat help Africa? Everyone knows there's plenty of food in the world. The problem is that disease and rampant corruption cause cycles of poverty in third-world countries.

Fresh organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive than other food; could you help me understand why it's better to eat these foods than to consume cheaper meals and donate the difference to Africa? And pesticides help us grow more food for cheaper prices. It sounds like going organic would result in less food for the poor.

And I don't understand why soil erosion in first-world countries is bad for the world's poor. It seems like it would be the least of their worries.

In my opinion, it seems the best way to help the poor in third-world countries is through investing in infrastructure and education with micro-loans. In addition, if we can create even more wealth in our country by strengthening our economy without taking advantage of the world's poor, we'll be able to donate even more than the billions we already contribute through foreign aid and public or private charities. Finally, a hard stance must be taken against the corrupt dictators who squirrel away aid money in their own Swiss bank accounts.

JaimeR

148 Posts

April 18 2010 05:17 GMT

#23

On April 18 2010 13:53 overpool wrote:
I don't understand. How does changing what we eat help Africa? Everyone knows there's plenty of food in the world. The problem is that disease and rampant corruption cause cycles of poverty in third-world countries.

Fresh organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive than other food; could you help me understand why it's better to eat these foods than to consume cheaper meals and donate the difference to Africa? And pesticides help us grow more food for cheaper prices. It sounds like going organic would result in less food for the poor.

And I don't understand why soil erosion in first-world countries is bad for the world's poor. It seems like it would be the least of their worries.

In my opinion, it seems the best way to help the poor in third-world countries is through investing in infrastructure and education with micro-loans. In addition, if we can create even more wealth in our country by strengthening our economy without taking advantage of the world's poor, we'll be able to donate even more than the billions we already contribute through foreign aid and public or private charities. Finally, a hard stance must be taken against the corrupt dictators who squirrel away aid money in their own Swiss bank accounts.

Good post. Great to have another perspective.

CaucasianAsian

Korea (South)11586 Posts

April 18 2010 05:31 GMT

#24

I dont understand this picture. Who the fuck only gets fries and a drink from McDonalds and a only drink from Burger King? They should have gotten the combo

thedeadhaji

39489 Posts

April 18 2010 05:36 GMT

#25

I cook about 90% of my meals (5x meals a day, 7 days a week, and probably eat out twice a week with freinds and coworkers on average), eat zero junk food, havent eaten a pizza in i have no idea how long, never eat fast food, never drink carbonated drinks, avoid international fresh produce as much as possible, try to buy in-season vegetables rather than greenhouse grown out-of season produce, and avoid farmed fish at all costs.

I go out to the weekly farmer's market at 8:30am every saturday to buy the fresh produce for the week from local family farmer producers and dont own a car and take public transportation everywhere. I bring 3-4 meals to work, refuse to eat at the company cafeteria, and even deny the gift snacks that coworkers hand out.

Why do I do this? I spend ~40 minutes every morning making meals for the day, I pay more money buying locally produced eggs and vegetables, and certainly lose a bit of convenience by not having a car.

Why then? Because it's good for me!

I walk and bike more, and save tons of $$ by not having a car. I am what I eat, and I refuse to eat foods that WILL inevitably make my health suffer. I am somewhat conscious of the environment, but I choose to do this because I am selfish and self-centered, and want the best for myself, more than anything.

Is there more I can do? For sure. The bell peppers I eat are from New Zealand (i think), the eggplants are out of season and I'm pretty sure this chicken is farmed to some extent. I could seek out the farmers at the markets who give out Zero packaging rather than the guys who actually wrap their stuff in plastic (and i intend to do so in the future). I need to stop chewing absolute boatloads of gum, in order to avoid artificial sweeteners. I should drink even less alcohol, and about 3x more water.

I have to reiterate. I pay more money for food and spend more time preparing it because I am the most selfish person I know. I dont give a two shits about starving children in africa. I dont care if laborers in South America are overworked and underpaid. No, I only care about eating the healthiest foods and saving money where I dont need to spend it.

Is it easy? Hell no, I had 2 sc2 beta keys and I gave them both away to friends, that's how little time I have. But I refuse to let anything get in the way of my mental and physical well being, and food, sleep, and exercise are absolutely unnegotiable.

BlackJack

United States10574 Posts

April 18 2010 05:38 GMT

#26

Since your biggest regret of the second picture seems to be the carbon footprint of all that food then you should actually be happy that they are eating that. Food like that will surely lead to their premature death, and ultimately a smaller carbon footprint. Obese people actually have smaller carbon footprints than non-obese people because although they consume more resources, they end up dying younger.

Also, there's no way in hell you're eating all the grain in picture 1 in one week. And use some common sense, there is no way that 6 people are sharing 3 liters of water for an entire week. Those jugs behind them probably also have water.

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