[Wolves] activists linux...

[Chris Owen]

I'm not sure from what I've heard so far that I buy the 'greenwash'
critique.  I take the view, blasphemous as it may be on this board, that
since capitalism is the one game we have to play at the moment, best use
its own levers to make it work in the way that is better for the world's
poor.  Capitalism is capable of being changed for the better, and the
big battalions don't always get their way.  In a way, the whole GM
debate actually confirms that - its not just radicals who don't buy the
arguments about GM, its most of the population of Europe.  And I'd
suggest that at the heart of that opposition is a fairly healthy
scepticism about the motives of big corporation like Monsanto.  Like
you, I think the argument about the fundamental soundness of the
technology is merely 'unproven'.

Confucius he say:

'When you want to build a new house, its best not to knock down your old
one first, otherwise you get very wet and cold for six months'

Chris


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve [mailto:info@a2rt.org]=20
Sent: 12 September 2003 13:38
To: wolves@mailman.lug.org.uk
Subject: Re: RE: [Wolves] activists linux...

12/09/2003 12:30:06, "Chris Owen" <Chris.Owen@wmro.org> wrote:

>Point b:  Definitely disagree on this one.  You and I buying fair
traded
>goods isn't going to change the world, but it will begin to change the
>lives of some people for the better, and the more of us do it, and the
>more we do, the more change there will be.

but the whole point of greenwash idea is that its a safe means of
expression for=20
dissent that is perfectly accommodated by capitalism, in fact
*necessary* for it to=20
survive. If it got to the point where it actually threatened big changes
then the game=20
would alter - actually this has already happened - instead or organic
being promoted as=20
a solution for a substainable method of feeding people, we are now being
fed the line=20
that GM is actually the only way developing companies can feed
themselves, and not only=20
that but we are immoral if we have any reservations whatsoever about
this. Never mind=20
that GM will lock entire countries into specific corporations products
year on=20
year.Never mind that it will coincidentally create vast profits for
western companies=20
that the host nation won't see a bean of. (please note , i am not
against genetically=20
modifying stuff because its not *natural* - i think thats nonsense,
we've been fiddling=20
for years, i just don't trust companies like monsanto to have the
interest of the=20
worlds poor very high on their priorities)


>Ideological purity has a very poor track record of putting food onto
>plates IMHO.

thats true. But the bigger issues will have to be faced at some point..

ste



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