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Re: Cities/rural--resources (was Yuri receives hypocrite of the week award)





On 13 Dec 1996, David Lloyd-Jones wrote:

> On 13 Dec 1996 03:12:01 GMT, sync@inforamp.net (J McGinnis) wrote:
> >
> >As I read more of the crap you write, you prove yourself to be more
> >and more ignorant. The most important resources needed to produce food
> >are: topsoil, water and sunlight. In fact these are the _only_
> >resources needed, so Rick's point that rural areas can survive without
> >the cities is quite true. The opposite is not true because there are
> >not sufficient quantities of these resources in cities to grow the
> >necessary food. 
> 
> J,
>   
> We were not discussing whether the areas could survive.  The
> discussion was entirely focussed on whether the people there could
> survive.
>  
> People in cities can always get food.  If they had not had a lot of
> resouces at their fingertips they would not have built the city in
> their spare time.  People in the countryside, by contast, are usually
> dolts hired to pick rocks out of the horses' way, and suchlike.
>  
> The plants will grow with sunlight and water, with or without the
> human race.  Putting them to human use, however, is altogether the
> result of urbane intellectual activity.

You are some kind of freak!  Who do you suppose has better knowledge of 
how to grow a tomato: your average Joe farmer or a theoretical 
biologist?  People learn to do things well from experience, and a person 
who is living completely detached from the natural world in you urbane 
little sanctuary wouldn't know a cucumber plant from his mom.  I'll give 
you a challenge: You take the most current chemical and mechanical 
agricultural technology and grow as much food as you can in the average 
living space of a city dweller. Then, have a farmer, using as much square 
footage as you, armed with his practical knowledge of integrated organic 
pest management, a solar powered tractor in the form of an ox or horse, 
healthy soil,and natural fertilizers see if he can beat you. I bet you 
10:1 he or she will. Why? Because even with the best technology in the 
world you can't compete with nature innate drive to create life. The 
farmer will allow nature to take its path, whereas you will be trying to 
force a watery tomato out of pulverized rock and nitrogen. Good luck!
Oh yeah, I forgot to add. Final output will be measured on final quality 
as well as quantity. See if you crappy produce could compete with his!

Toby Reiter


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