Ecolog:
Malcolm is quite right about the need for a less self-righteous approach to
issues, but there also could be a little more resiliency and a little less
brittleness on the part of the offended as well. One can always take the
road less-traveled, the high road, and respond fully and directly to
statements with which one has alternative facts to bring to the table,
rather than opinions.
1. Agriculture is anathema to ecology.
2. Agriculture is not anathema to ecology.
One can list facts in support of each position, and thus bring discipline to
the discussion. It leaves personalities out of the discussion, minimizing
emotional scatter.
WT
----- Original Message -----
From: "malcolm McCallum" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Notwithstanding that Agriculture is Anathema to
Ecology, Consider Permaculture
You might be surprised at the number of ecologists that have a very
good understanding of agriculture, or even participate in it. I also
recall during my undergraduate years that most agriculture students
were concerned about the environment. They are land stewards you
know. Also, many agriculture faculty that were not focused on
agribusiness were working on environmental problems associated with
farming. So the door swings both ways. Just because most of us
depend on megafarming operations for our food, does not mean that we
should simply sit back and ignore the industry. In fact, our
dependence on these industries makes it even more critical that we
recognize what problems exist and devise ways to deal with them.
However, with politically driven agendas by megaindustrial farming
operations that really hurt the majority of family farmers (not a new
problem!),it is difficult for messages of sustainability and minimal
impact to reach producers' ears without a pile of misinformation
beating one to the punch. Comments such as the one you posted,
however, are neither productive nor do they encourage discussion about
these problems. Instead, they raise anger, create divides, and
accomplish nothing. Unfortunately, our current climate is such that
discussing matters in this way is not uncommon, thanks to regular
shouting matches on television designed to push one agenda or another.
IF your goal in your statement was to get people to read your post,
you violated the first rule of argumentitive writing! You should draw
the people in, not drive them away! Consider your audience. Your post
just insulted a majority of folks on here, many of whom might have
some common ground with your ideas. An alternative approach may have
resulted in a lot of people reading your post through to the end.
Build walls and a mystery grows about what is on the other side.
Build windows, and you can see what might be going on in your limited
view.
Build doors, and you can go over and find out what is going on.
Build enough doors and you might find no need for walls.
Malcolm McCallum
On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 9:07 AM,
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?G._Gramig?=<[email protected]> wrote:
I always wonder if all the high and mighty ecologists who look down their
noses at agriculture like to eat food? And if so, are they eating grubs
and
berries from their pristine research sites or are they eating food that
was
produced by farmers? Unless these snooty ecologists are 100% in the grub
and
berry camp, I suggest that their denigrating attitudes about agriculture
are
laughably hypocritical.
Furthermore, agroecosystems comprise a large percentage of the earth's
total
land mass. This is unlikely to change, especially given the enormous
pressures on resources that will increase as the world's population
continues to increase. Enlightened ecologists already recognize the
enormous
importance of agroecoystems for protecting resources and conserving what
is
left of biodiversity.
Anyone who continues to spout the "agriculture is anathema" rhetoric is
merely lagging behind the cutting edge of ecological thought, in my
humble
opinion.
--
Malcolm L. McCallum
Associate Professor of Biology
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Fall Teaching Schedule:
Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm;
Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm
Office Hourse- TBA
1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert
1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
and pollution.
2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!
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