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The Forest People

stoneageherbalist.substack.com

21–25 of 25 posts

Re: The Forest People

#21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "kicker": your "doubts" don't get any more credible when you say "I sincerely doubt" and "I cannot believe." So you don't like his conclusion that "green" technologies may be harmful? Thus you "doubt" the whole piece. Smart! Also you get to compare it to other things you don't like. Motte-bailey much?

You think my doubts aren't credible? What does that mean? You think I'm lying about my own doubts? I'm not at all troubled by the thought that green technologies might be harmful (well, I'd rather they weren't, but it seems obvious that they are, though also obviously good in other ways). I'm "troubled" by his pinning all the troubles of the Mbuti and so forth on green technology.

No, sorry, I meant that your "doubts" about his article don't gain any power from the "sincerely" modifier.

I reread this, and I did not, at all, get the impression that he was "pinning all the troubles of the Mbuti and so forth on green technology." That is your misreading of it. He says that the pygmies have been horribly persecuted, and that the Green movement will make it much worse. Are you doubting that?

Secondly, your statement about how the WWF is not solely responsible for various evils is pretty disingenuous. Who cares if it's "solely"? They're a huge charitable organization that covers itself in virtue, and here they are committing an evil.

Lastly, the Web has given people, including you apparently, the impression that everything has to have a "source." How many publications do you think there are about the pygmy tribes deep in the Congo?

There's a legitimate question about whether this guy is credible, and we'd resolve that by looking at this publication and its reputation for probity, as well as the author's. Saying it's "unsourced" is something the Wikipedia pedants would do.

Re: The Forest People

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the "Half Earth" proposal wherein half the Earth's landmass should be dedicated to human-free "nature". Of course, no one will willingly give up their home, so this is tantamount to ethnically cleansing those regions--Africa and the Global South--that are geopolitically weak so that the wealthy Western nations can maintain their decadent quality of life. Not quite. Western quality of life can't be improved by banni…

Why can't our lives/the world be improved by banning the exploitation of natural resources in Africa? i'm constantly reading news of horrible spills from corruption and lack or regulation in the region. Plus all the carbon that contributes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANssSLjSXN0 https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-aiteo-reports-...

> Why can't our lives/the world be improved by banning the exploitation of natural resources in Africa?

> i'm constantly reading news of horrible spills from corruption and lack or regulation in the region.

We don't mine or drill for resources for the purpose of spilling them into the nearby forest. We extract resources so that we can use them to improve our quality of life. Stop extracting them, and quality of life will necessarily drop.

Re: The Forest People

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why can't our lives/the world be improved by banning the exploitation of natural resources in Africa? i'm constantly reading news of horrible spills from corruption and lack or regulation in the region. Plus all the carbon that contributes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANssSLjSXN0 https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-aiteo-reports-...

> Why can't our lives/the world be improved by banning the exploitation of natural resources in Africa? > i'm constantly reading news of horrible spills from corruption and lack or regulation in the region. We don't mine or drill for resources for the purpose of spilling them into the nearby forest. We extract resources so that we can use them to improve our quality of life. Stop extracting them, and quality of life…

I disagree with that premise.

I get it's hard to transition and that poor countries do gain money from exploitation.

But almost always, almost all the money goes to the few while the local communities are poisoned. often times, like in the sources I provided, traditional industry/food production is decimated.

So first point is quality of life for the actual locals is often reduced, sometimes greatly. Corporations and developed nations have increased our quality of life at the expense of others for centuries.

Second, once we scale up renewables we won't need to extract nearly as much carbon fuel from the ground. We NEED to stop extracting almost all of it so we can IMPROVE quality of life for everyone.

Re: The Forest People

#24
post #6

> In particular the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been lobbying to convert the Messok Dja, a particularly biodiverse area of rainforest in the Republic of Congo, in a National Park, devoid of human presence. This aggressive act of clearance is rooted in the idea that a ‘wilderness’ area should not contain any people, thus rendering the original inhabitants of the forests as intruders, invaders and despoilers of ‘Natu…

There are peoples who manage to live in harmony with nature, but westerners tend to view these societies as "undeveloped" or "barbaric" which is absolutely absurd. We should be learning from them

Re: The Forest People

#25
post #6

> In particular the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been lobbying to convert the Messok Dja, a particularly biodiverse area of rainforest in the Republic of Congo, in a National Park, devoid of human presence. This aggressive act of clearance is rooted in the idea that a ‘wilderness’ area should not contain any people, thus rendering the original inhabitants of the forests as intruders, invaders and despoilers of ‘Natu…

There are peoples who manage to live in harmony with nature, but westerners tend to view these societies as "undeveloped" or "barbaric" which is absolutely absurd. We should be learning from them

I agree. But America is by definition, the exceptional nation, the "indispensable nation", the peak of human society and values.

Until this mentality changes, we won't be learning from anyone.

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