The Food Conspiracy was an outgrowth of the counterculture
that flourished in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury. The Food Conspiracy was a
...
www.rainbowgrocery.org/collect/history/histext.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Perelman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 8:58 AM
Subject: [PEN-L:14219] Re: uban Genetic Engineering(was Jesse Lemisch)
> I don't think that the issue is romanticizing agriculture. When I came to
> Chico I began a food buying co-op -- the food conspiracy. Eventually we
> started a number of community gardens around town. I think you have found
to
> be a pleasant activity. Nobody had to pick strawberries eight hours a
day.
> You would suggest ago and pick a small basket of strawberries. It is no
more
> backbreaking than getting something from the bottom shelf in a kitchen
cabinet.
>
> I would guess that while the work would not be that difficult for
primitive
> people, their lives would entail periodic scarcities and forms of
> catastrophes. I don't think anyone here is recommending that we go back
and
> emulate primitive people. Besides, most primitive societies -- China
being an
> exception -- support a very low density of people.
>
> Louis Proyect wrote:
>
> > >Incidentally, on the romanticization of agriculture. Biologically
modern
> > >humans go back 100,000 years; agriculture 12,000 or so -- it's a late
> > >perversion, like writing. Industry, on the other hand, goes back
several
> > >million years. And it is around industry, play, and moving about, not
> > >being stuck like a slug on one plot of land, that human life ought to
be
> > >organized. Agriculture by its nature is anti-human, and hence in a
> > >decent society would be radically sub-divided and spread out over the
> > >entire population, like KP in the military. Scrubbing toilets is far
> > >more human labor than tilling the soil.
> > >
> > >Carrol
> >
> > You seem to be missing the whole point of what Michael Perelman called
> > "self-provisioning" in precapitalist agrarian societies. Yes, the work
was
> > backbreaking but it was not done 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, 51 weeks
a
> > year. Read Juliet Schor's "The Overworked American" for a description of
> > how leisurely such societies were in many ways. It is the same thing
with
> > hunting and gathering societies. Going out and spearing fish is tough
work,
> > but once you have your catch, you can eat, drink, fuck and tell stories
> > around the campfire.
> >
> > Louis Proyect
> > Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org
>
> --
>
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Chico, CA 95929
> 530-898-5321
> fax 530-898-5901
>
