108 points

It’s a right wing trope that we’re all going to be forced to eat bugs.

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44 points
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Yeah, this is the sort of shit tucker carlson and alex jones spread - the elite globalists (which totally isn’t an antisemitic dog whistle, trust us) are gonna make the poors eat bugs, better be scared and on our side cuz we’re against the people who want you to eat bugs

They take articles where researchers talk about how easy it is to farm bugs for protein (which is then heavily processed) which could help with global food supplies. They take the news that people are exploring it and twist it into fear mongering bullshit as if we’re going to be forced to eat bowls of crickets with a spoon. Idiotic.

Don’t get me wrong, the inequality gap is growing at an alarming rate but spreading far right memes does not help. Want to stick it to the rich? Fucking unionize.

To bring it full circle, the title about Pullman is a great thread to pull - look into the history of the pullman riot and the town of Pullman, Chicago. Literally the story of why we have Labor Day as a National holiday in the USA. People literally fucking died over unionization because the elite fear it so much.

But no, be scared cuz they’re coming to replace your lunch with bbq crickets.

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29 points

I don’t even get why they think we’re going to be forced to eat it. You can also just eat plant protein like beans. Do they all just forget that plants exist?

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21 points
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Villifying plants is on the nonsensical agenda as well (i.e. making mountains out of molehills over soy/phytoestrogens). But Tofu and other soybean foods have been staples across a huge chunk of East Asia for centuries and nobody’s been worse off for it (besides unlucky allergies). Funny enough, East Asia also has a few niche recipes for cooking bugs, and since my parents are from South Korea I occasionally ate steamed silkworm pupae as a kid (they sell them here in cans as 번데기/beondegi). The weird earthy taste and general phobia of creepy crawlies is the reason it’s not too popular nowadays. I wasn’t a huge fan myself but I do see bug meat as a potential resource.

So it’s just the usual fearmongering over made-up problems. Plant protein is good, bug protein has existed as something I wouldn’t mind if it tastes alright, and the meat industry’s going to lobby for more subsidies and thrive regardless of what happens.

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6 points

This is the second-funniest instance in which I’ve been accused of repeating alt-right talking points, second only to saying I don’t like the Star Wars sequels.

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33 points

Wow you’re ignorant of the alt-right. I grew up in this shit. Alex Jones was on this shit like a decade ago.

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1 point

I’m happy for you

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18 points

I think you should repeat alt-right talking points less, 2 times is 2 times too many

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3 points

I don’t care if those braindead weirdos happen to agree with one or two of my opinions, a broken clock is right twice a day anyway. Moderating your language based on the idea that its connotations will associate you with one of the two monolithic political sports teams that divvy up the entire political spectrum between them is a very Americentric view, and it’s also very servile.

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42 points

Not sure what to take from this other than it being a really bad take. Insect protein is orders of magnitude more sustainable and eco-friendly than beef. We could replace all the land we destroyed that is used to have cows standing around in their own shit and for a fraction of the acreage produce the same number of protein and calories without massively contributing to climate change.

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10 points

Yeah or just eat plants like someone who isn’t fucking nuts

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9 points
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I’m a big fan of plant based burgers, but the reality is that telling people “just eat plants” is not going to result in any change. They’ve long ago decided that the inconvenience of switching protein sources is greater than the climate impact ignoring that choice makes, so the only way we’re ever going to see change is to either ban cows or provide an alternative that the masses can/will adopt.

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4 points
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The fda has just approved lab grown chicken for two separate companies. It will still most likely take more land/energy to produce than plants, but should eventually be more efficient than traditional meat. It also has the benfit of not being a substitute, but instead actually being meat.

Oops, didn’t scroll down far enough to see someone already mentioned it. Feel free to ignore me

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7 points

What’s so nuts about eating insects? Lots of cultures do it.

How can one realize that gender is a social construct but still think that eating insects is “unnatural”?

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2 points
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Cultures of starvation. If rich Western countries were giving away all the perfectly good food they trash, I guarantee you eating arthropods would stop in a generation. You could also pretty fairly argue that the entire point of social constructs like society is to avoid shivering in the cold, being murdered for your shiny rocks, or eating insects.

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3 points

I still think I’d prefer vatburger

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14 points

Assuming you’re referring to lab-grown meat, I think that’s also a great alternative. We should be exploring any and all options that can get us to stop relying on cows for protein.

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6 points
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Yeah, I am referring to lab/vat grown meat (I don’t think ‘lab grown’ is really accurate once it’s at the industrial scale), and I can’t wait. Steaks would be nice, but burger should be easy, since most inconsistencies in the meat would be solved by grinding it. I’ve tried beyond meat/impossible burger, and they just aren’t right; gimmie some vat tacos, the sooner the better.

Though I did actually read an article a while back about gene-engineered plants spliced to produce animal proteins that were apparently a very convincing facsimile; I can’t remember what plant, but I would assume beans. If that ever makes it to market, I’d love to give it a try as well

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35 points

Hey, my cousin started a small business making cricket protein bars. They did taste good, but they absolutely were not for the poor.

Much more of a virtue signaling yuppy thing.

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4 points

Why are they for yuppies?

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16 points

Extremely expensive processed packaged product which appeals to the neoliberal idea of “good” when we have plenty of cheap protein which has grown from the earth since the dawn of time

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15 points

we have plenty of cheap protein which has grown from the earth since the dawn of time

It seems like people are willing to go to ANY length to avoid eating beans and nuts.

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1 point

So mostly the marketing was the issue for you? I’m game to try just about any food once but I think it’s weird how labels are attached to people once they eat it.

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4 points

I was trying to convey that they were an expensive eco food, not a cheap protein alternative.

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25 points

First, like the other thread said, eating bugy isn’t a conspiracy. It’s also not “subpar” or whatever, it’s… food.

Second, I never understand people’s aversion to… food that isn’t currently alive in your plate. I have eaten bugs, I’ve eaten a lot of plants, I’ve eaten a lot of different animals… it’s all just food.

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8 points

A lot of cultures eat bugs on a regular basis, it’s really not that big of a deal

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7 points

The “cheap” bugs:

Lobster: 40$ per tail

Crab: 4-8$ per can

Shrimp: 5-12$ per lb

Uh huh.

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1 point

Ugh… How dare you recommend canned crab!

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