2y ago

can't wait to buy it with Pullman dollars

58 comments

It’s a right wing trope that we’re all going to be forced to eat bugs.
- Yeah, this is the sort of shit tucker carlson and alex jones spread - the elite globalists (which totally isn’t an antisemitic dog whistle, trust us) are gonna make the poors eat bugs, better be scared and on our side cuz we’re against the people who want you to eat bugs
  They take articles where researchers talk about how easy it is to farm bugs for protein (which is then heavily processed) which could help with global food supplies. They take the news that people are exploring it and twist it into fear mongering bullshit as if we’re going to be forced to eat bowls of crickets with a spoon. Idiotic.
  Don’t get me wrong, the inequality gap is growing at an alarming rate but spreading far right memes does not help. Want to stick it to the rich? Fucking unionize.
  To bring it full circle, the title about Pullman is a great thread to pull - look into the history of the pullman riot and the town of Pullman, Chicago. Literally the story of why we have Labor Day as a National holiday in the USA. People literally fucking died over unionization because the elite fear it so much.
  But no, be scared cuz they’re coming to replace your lunch with bbq crickets.
- I don't even get why they think we're going to be forced to eat it. You can also just eat plant protein like beans. Do they all just forget that plants exist?
  
  Villifying plants is on the nonsensical agenda as well (i.e. making mountains out of molehills over soy/phytoestrogens). But Tofu and other soybean foods have been staples across a huge chunk of East Asia for centuries and nobody's been worse off for it (besides unlucky allergies). Funny enough, East Asia also has a few niche recipes for cooking bugs, and since my parents are from South Korea I occasionally ate steamed silkworm pupae as a kid (they sell them here in cans as 번데기/beondegi). The weird earthy taste and general phobia of creepy crawlies is the reason it's not too popular nowadays. I wasn't a huge fan myself but I do see bug meat as a potential resource.
  So it's just the usual fearmongering over made-up problems. Plant protein is good, bug protein has existed as something I wouldn't mind if it tastes alright, and the meat industry's going to lobby for more subsidies and thrive regardless of what happens.
- This is the second-funniest instance in which I've been accused of repeating alt-right talking points, second only to saying I don't like the Star Wars sequels.
  
  Wow you're ignorant of the alt-right. I grew up in this shit. Alex Jones was on this shit like a decade ago.
  
  https://www.npr.org/2023/03/31/1166649732/conspiracy-theory-eating-bugs-4chan
  
  I think you should repeat alt-right talking points less, 2 times is 2 times too many

Not sure what to take from this other than it being a really bad take. Insect protein is orders of magnitude more sustainable and eco-friendly than beef. We could replace all the land we destroyed that is used to have cows standing around in their own shit and for a fraction of the acreage produce the same number of protein and calories without massively contributing to climate change.
- Yeah or just eat plants like someone who isn't fucking nuts
  
  I'm a big fan of plant based burgers, but the reality is that telling people "just eat plants" is not going to result in any change. They've long ago decided that the inconvenience of switching protein sources is greater than the climate impact ignoring that choice makes, so the only way we're ever going to see change is to either ban cows or provide an alternative that the masses can/will adopt.
  
  What's so nuts about eating insects? Lots of cultures do it.
  How can one realize that gender is a social construct but still think that eating insects is "unnatural"?
- I still think I'd prefer vatburger
  
  Assuming you're referring to lab-grown meat, I think that's also a great alternative. We should be exploring any and all options that can get us to stop relying on cows for protein.

Hey, my cousin started a small business making cricket protein bars. They did taste good, but they absolutely were not for the poor.
Much more of a virtue signaling yuppy thing.
- Why are they for yuppies?
  
  Extremely expensive processed packaged product which appeals to the neoliberal idea of “good” when we have plenty of cheap protein which has grown from the earth since the dawn of time
  
  I was trying to convey that they were an expensive eco food, not a cheap protein alternative.

First, like the other thread said, eating bugy isn't a conspiracy. It's also not "subpar" or whatever, it's.. food.
Second, I never understand people's aversion to... food that isn't currently alive in your plate. I have eaten bugs, I've eaten a lot of plants, I've eaten a lot of different animals... it's all just food.
- A lot of cultures eat bugs on a regular basis, it's really not that big of a deal

The "cheap" bugs:
Lobster: 40$ per tail
Crab: 4-8$ per can
Shrimp: 5-12$ per lb
Uh huh.
- Ugh... How dare you recommend canned crab!

58 comments