From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Thu Jul 11 2002 - 14:11:55 MDT
Michael Wiik wrote:
>
> It occurs to me that our language patterns are the result of a history
> of scarcity. When folks argue about whether intellectual property should
> continue to be treated as real property, all participants are still
> using a vocabulary based on scarcity. Perhaps if we developed a
> vocabulary for discussing abundance this might lead to more fruitful
> discussions.
>
> One area in which we have no problems discussing abundance is when
> talking about the extent of human stupidity. Thus many always assume
> that clueless masses will flee from foods labelled as GM. Of course it
> is human nature to have props by which one can define and elevate
> oneself, thus we can feel more intelligent by dismissing most folks as
> stupid. If the clueless masses had no issues whatsoever with GM foods,
> and eagerly accepted them, we might be taking a much more critical
> approach.
Europeans, it should be noted, have a record of being phobic of various
foods for entirely false and ludicrous reasons. Recall the famous case
of the tomato. For hundreds of years, europeans commonly thought that
tomatoes were poisonous for no other reason than that they were reddish
orange and berry-like.
Instead, it turns out, tomatoes are a cornucopia of healthful compounds,
from anti-oxidants and natural pest repellents, to vitamins and
minerals, and are one of the most tastey vegetable around.
Similarly, the european aristocracy thought for hundreds of years that
including any vegetables in your diet was unhealthy, based on the logic
that since the serfs ate veggies, and tended toward more misery filled
lives than the aristocrats, that veggies were therefore unhealthy.
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