The Next Genocide (opens in new tab)

(nytimes.com)

6 pointsBiologyRules10y ago6 comments

6 comments

The danger is not that the Chinese might actually starve to death in the near future, any more than Germans would have during the 1930s. The risk is that a developed country able to project military power could, like Hitler’s Germany, fall into ecological panic, and take drastic steps to protect its existing standard of living.

Silly, obvious military-industrial-complex-sponsored scaremongering is silly and obvious.

Kenji10y ago

I agree, zero substance in this text, as expected from a newspaper article. The problem of newspapers is that they have to churn out articles regardless of what's happening or if anything is happening, which is in stark contrast to post-mortems and compilations of knowledge that were produced based on information being there that is then followed by a need to be expressed, rather than the other way around.

zbyte6410y ago

Except that the article places the blame on America's policy of denying the science behind man-made climate change. It might be scaremongering but the article presents uncomfortable observations:

1) China is buying land and food from abroad 2) Some conflicts in the middle east are tied to food shortages 3) Climate change is a threat to food security

So yes, the circumstances are brewing the perfect wet dream for the military-industrial-complex

jessaustin10y ago

Yeah, us, and everyone else besides some of the Europeans. China, for instance, is still shovelin' on the coal. Neither coastal property-owners nor any other decision-makers actually believe the disaster scenarios. Even if they did, TFA invoking global warming is more of a button-push than an argument. Few details are specified in the chain of logic from "China imports food" to "world war", but credulous readers will conclude that global warming will make it all worse.

China importing food is neither surprising nor destabilizing. Only in the Washington echo chamber could investment and trade with developing nations be portrayed as some sort of "threat" without derisive laughter ensuing.

hyperion201010y ago

Heh, one need only exchange the words "lebensraum" with "manifest destiny" to see that the origins and history of the United States are quite compatible with genocide if it furthers our economic goals.

xlm171710y ago

That's some funny logic there.

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6 comments

jessaustin10y ago

Silly, obvious military-industrial-complex-sponsored scaremongering is silly and obvious.

Kenji10y ago

zbyte6410y ago

Except that the article places the blame on America's policy of denying the science behind man-made climate change. It might be scaremongering but the article presents uncomfortable observations:

1) China is buying land and food from abroad 2) Some conflicts in the middle east are tied to food shortages 3) Climate change is a threat to food security

So yes, the circumstances are brewing the perfect wet dream for the military-industrial-complex

jessaustin10y ago

hyperion201010y ago

xlm171710y ago

That's some funny logic there.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse