Humans Need Not Apply: Fast Food $15 Minimum Wage Strike Edition

[C0ckney]

it's longer than that, you're really talking about the private ownership of land. the major barrier to land occupation since then has been ownership rather than space.

[N35t0r]

it's longer than that, you're really talking about the private ownership of land. the major barrier to land occupation since then has been ownership rather than space.

Earlier than 200-300 years ago, there were still vast stretches of empty/unclaimed land.

[molly bloom]

Even after intensive agriculture began, the vast majority of people were farmers until relatively recently.

Because gold, coal and timber and buildings are all acquired through agriculture. And ships. And iron and nails, and clothing and pottery and haircuts and bread and pasta and ....


Do you have any idea of the numbers of people involved in ensuring that, say, a city such as late Victorian London didn't simply just drown in its own waste products ?

[regexcellent]

Because gold, coal and timber and buildings are all acquired through agriculture. And ships. And iron and nails, and clothing and pottery and haircuts and bread and pasta and ....


Do you have any idea of the numbers of people involved in ensuring that, say, a city such as late Victorian London didn't simply just drown in its own waste products ?

None of this contradicts what I said. Yes, there were people doing other things than farming, well done! But most people were farmers, as compared to today where maybe 2% of people in the US are farmers and we and the Canadians produce 2/3 of global food exports.

Unless you actually disagree with the point that lots of people used to be farmers, and now not very many people are farmers, don't argue with it.

[Dauphin]

What measure are you using, because it doesn't sound right - the EU exports more agricultural goods than the U.S.

[Dauphin]

Also, I may be in Rochester in early October if you want a beer.

[regexcellent]

In my geoscience class the instructor claimed that total exported food came mostly from the US and Canada. It might be 50%, not 2/3rds, and he may have just been wrong.

Re: Rochester, I'm down. I live in Henrietta which is a few miles south of the city and ~10-15 minutes from the airport.

[Fake Boris]

Earlier than 200-300 years ago, there were still vast stretches of empty/unclaimed land.

Not that much; most arable land had been bought a long while ago. There were also other issues like transportation, and serfdom, which made it difficult to move.

Medieval England was full of unemployed vagabonds.

[The Mad Monk]

What measure are you using, because it doesn't sound right - the EU exports more agricultural goods than the U.S.

By $, or by weight? Wine costs more, but wheat feeds more.

[Dauphin]

It's the Dutch meat exports that do it (2nd largest exporters in the world after the U.S.).

But going by dollar value. I suspect that reg's figure could be correct for net exports. The EU imports about as much as it exports.