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Comment by blitz_skull | Hacker News Reader

Good luck enforcing a world-wide “plant-only” diet. I know people who would go to war just over that.

Why do you go directly to the extreme implementation? No one said anything about "enforcement". There are ways to push society towards a better paradigm without enforcement. We also shouldn't let the lowest common denominator have a say in the direction of society. People that "would go to war" over the fact that they should eat less red meat are not exactly of sound mind.

>Why do you go directly to the extreme implementation

> We also shouldn't let the lowest common denominator have a say in the direction of society.

I guess it's human nature, I don't know.

> We also shouldn't let the lowest common denominator have a say in the direction of society.

Interesting. Do you see this as defending democracy?

I'm not sure your question has enough context. But yes, not allowing the most illogically angry people (defined by me as the lowest common denominator in this Context) to start wars (aka crime and violence) over their hurt feelings is most definitely a way to defend democracy.

So your answer is "we'll just manipulate people without them noticing"?

How will that not backfire?

> People that "would go to war" over the fact that they should eat less red meat are not exactly of sound mind.

I see nothing in their position that indicates they aren't of sound mind. They're inconvenient to your own position, and you're willing to manipulate them if you can manage the trick.

Maybe you're worried that they will choose to "go to war" as manipulated people do so often once aware of the ruse?

Who said anything about "manipulation"? Do you know that influence is not tantamount to manipulation? Do you know that many of your own behaviors are most likely subsidized by government and therefore you are being economically influenced (or in your perspective "manipulated")? Have you ever heard of a Sin Tax? Have you ever realized that Expansionary Policy is often put into place in order to influence (your perspective is "Manipulate"). I would encourage you to learn a little about economics before trying to hypothesize why and what makes people go to war.

Why does everything have to be all-or-nothing? Start by stop subsidizing meat.

Corn would like to have a talk with your meat subsidizes.

Corn subsidies provide animal ag with cheap feed. Cut the corn subsidies and prices for meat will better reflect the cost of producing it.

Corn subsidies also go to producing ethanol. Which is arguable a gigantic waste when compared to using it for animal feed. Roughly 40% of corn is used to produce ethanol[1]

[1]https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-c...

If lab grown meat produces far more CO2 than conventional and we cut corn subsidies I could see it backfiring and pushing more meat to be lab grown causing total CO2 to actually increase.

40 percent of U.S. corn is used for ethanol

36 percent of U.S. corn, plus distillers grains left over from ethanol production, is fed to cattle, pigs and chickens

Much of the rest is exported.

Only a tiny fraction of the national corn crop is directly used for food for Americans, much of that for high-fructose corn syrup.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-c...

Every climate solution I've seen that started with the word "just" has been woefully inadequate, and modestly raising the price of meat is no exception. People would still eat plenty of it.

You're right, changed "just" to "start by". Part of my point is that so many solutions go straight into forcing people to drastic immediate change, which is bound to be unpopular and only increases division and resistance.

Black-and-white thinking, think in gradients!

You eat meat X times a week? Try X -1 or more.

Even a little bit helps tremendously. Everyone reading this who eat meat every day, try cutting down even one day, it will help.

I will not, thank you for your input.

Instead of beating your wife seven times a week, consider implementing "Beat-less Mondays" as a compassionate alternative.

They are already at war against nature

I'd go to war over that, but first, I'd start with a peaceful protest, like throwing plant based garbage into the harbor dressed as Ronald Mcdonald and fast food mascots

I wouldn't. Instead I would simply switch to cannibalism, and start eating vegetarians :)

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