Huh. Coupon use proves capitalism works? Yes, says @Jane_Black; @_RajPatel holds it in check
Surprised by this quick post from @Jane_Black equating a coupon for produce with a validation of capitalism:
Capitalism has been somewhat discredited lately…But as Connecticut-based nonprofit Wholesome Wave proves, basic capitalist incentives can still be a force for good. In a survey released today, Wholesome Wave showed that offering incentives to buy fruits and vegetables helps low-income families eat better and farmers in need.
(Check the comments section for a concise rebuttal from Black’s colleague, Raj Patel.)
Let’s be honest here: Capitalism has one goal. It is profit. All the other things we associate with it—efficiency and choice, but also democracy—are side projects, employed as needed in service of that goal. This is not a disparagement, but a statement of fact. Capitalism, particularly its contemporary expression, concentrates resources in the hands of the few, placing the needs and desires of large profit above those of the rest of us. And it is that concentration that defines capitalism—not families making decisions about groceries based on their budgets, and certainly not the presence of money in and of itself.
Programs like Wholesome Wave and Double Up Food Bucks—which offer matching funds to food stamp clients to purchase farm fresh fruits and vegetables—are no more an expression of capitalist values than a minimum wage. Redistributing resources (albeit, in this case, through a philanthropic institution rather than government) to improve the standing of our poorest families is in fact a repudiation of capitalism, not an endorsement.
There are a lot of things that capitalism has done well, but making sure that most Americans can eat well is not one of them.
It’s official: Blogging hiatus.
Due to the (rather insane) amount of work I have on my plate, I’m taking a now-official blogging hiatus. It’s not clear to me that this will change much of what’s seen here—I’ve been on an unofficial hiatus for a while now—but figured I’d go ahead and be clear. If you’d like to know more about me or my work, you’ll get more immediate gratification by:
- Following me @TMMcMillan (that’s Twitterspeak for any neophytes), and
- “Liking” my book’s page on Facebook. Don’t be fooled by this “Foodless” name, which was the working title. There’s some difficult FB protocol to be handled about changing the name or moving “likers,” but I’ll worry about that later; I trust y’all can grasp that “Foodless” was the title I sold the book with, but I’ll be publishing it under The American Way of Eating.
Many thanks, and hope to see you soon!
Tracie
Savvy take on the problem w/term “food deserts,” esp. as it relates to Detroit: http://trunc.it/ezuuy
My Detroit reporting bears out what this interesting blog post, from a U-Michigan grad student in planning, centers on: ‘Food deserts’ are used to center attention on a real problem (limited access to food in certain neighborhoods) by over-exaggerating it. I think it’s useful in terms of gathering attention, but it certainly limits discussion for actual solutions.
upshot of @marionnestle here: http://is.gd/b4xZQN? You could pay farmworkers more. #justsaying
If between 11 and 15 percent of the price of food at the store goes to the farmer, farm LABOR is, at most, 5-6 percent of what we pay as shoppers. Worth mentioning, is all.
fyi: exc. infographics in @colorlines smart take on food sweatshops http://trunc.it/em5bj
Of note: the SMALLEST wage gap between white workers and workers of color, in food service, is about ten percent. (That’s $2,000 a year.) The BIGGEST gap? A difference of $16,000 a year — in processing.
