Fighting the Supermarket Racket - Raj Patel

tbg538 Diyorki:

Jun 21, 2008 - What am I supposed to do if I can't even buy fair trade?? What am i supposed to do? First it's meat, politics, the media (which I can understand), and now supermarkets????! What is this? I'm tired of everything being "American". It's not our fault that corporations run this county. Guess what?? I'm aware of that. What more do we need to do? Sell all of my shit and move to the forest? I have to live. I have to buy food.

bobparis Diyorki:

Jun 22, 2008 - They should be required to package their stuff packaged in hideous colors, and put it on shelves above or below eye level, so we can't find it. Stores should be required to smell like manure and vomit, so nobody will have any appetite and the customers will want to spend as little time there as possible. We must do all these things in order to preserve our freedom!

jacknewt Diyorki:

Jun 23, 2008 - I actually view supermarkets as a very clear-cut benefit of capitalism. Since average supermarkets in the US contain over 50,000 different items, all at competitive prices, I am very pleased with the current state of supermarkets. I don't believe I am manipulated to buy anything--supermarkets are only trying to please me by selling me food and making the place smell good by setting up a bakery. What I buy IS my choice.

andocrates Diyorki:

Jun 25, 2008 - Not sure where he's going with this one.

rebharath Diyorki:

Jun 26, 2008 - doesn't using a grocery list defeat the supermarket traps outlined in this clip?

8data Diyorki:

Jul 1, 2008 - hey shaun riggaunan, industrial organizational labour studies department researcher in south africa, this guy reminds me of you brillant and great public intellect and urbane taxe care friend, i hope you are allright best, gabriel

ls1z28chris Diyorki:

Jul 6, 2008 - Using a grocery list does, but it is still important to be aware of those practices.

8data Diyorki:

Sep 25, 2008 - speciesamused, I put thumbs down when I meant thumbs up to your comment, sorry, food industry has always been the main source of inequality and inequity in society

gladystaca Diyorki:

Apr 11, 2009 - Excellent, succinct commentary! "the American delusion... we'll change the world through shopping"

fishbowl4202 Diyorki:

Oct 21, 2009 - my friend, there are solutions to everything. your best chance at wresting your freedom from the corporate grasp requires only two simple farming/factory tools. the hammer and the sickle

adoreMomus Diyorki:

Feb 6, 2010 - @jacknewt ...why are you here? you have no grip of anything.

Adahondeayenh Diyorki:

Feb 6, 2010 - This person sounds like he is working for the secret societies, the way he casually threw out that "GOLDEN TRIANGLE" -- providence-worship.

MartijndeGraaf1001 Diyorki:

Feb 20, 2010 - people allow themselves to be seduced to by sales tricks. A supermarket can maniplate a person, if the person allows him/herself to be manipulated, wether it ibe conscious or subconscious.

Ben1607 Diyorki:

Feb 21, 2010 - right now, we got what we got. Fair trade? As long as someone thinks they can make a buck by doing SOMETHING to actually make human lives better... even a little... i dont care if the guy is a greedy cocksucker... ill pay a little extra just to make that statement.

vvsmash Diyorki:

Mar 1, 2010 - it IS bloody trade NOW. Fair trade is good . It is being stiffled in parts of the world by greedy socialist commies. They hoard every dollar print more to hoard in pile and charge taxes they call interest for the central banks they own.

bijan84 Diyorki:

Mar 2, 2010 - You need to read his books.

JasmineMcEgan Diyorki:

Mar 5, 2010 - True, just like anyone who believes this man is some kind of genius who cares for them. He is a deceiver.

DreamTerrorist Diyorki:

Mar 16, 2010 - Raj, the fact that corporations attempt to sell you things via the "golden triangle" in a supermarket does not destroy the free will of the consumer. To suggest that Americans are foolish for believing that they can change the world by "shopping" is ridiculous. The goods and services we choose to consume are the only change that an individual can actually bring about, and until each individual freely demands products (resources) which have been produced in a moral fashion -nothing will change.

Adahondeayenh Diyorki:

Mar 18, 2010 - How are his books? Have you read them?

WendyLynnMartin Diyorki:

Mar 20, 2010 - Give the guy a chance, he is so far ahead of us and trying to share information that will at the very least help us understand the world that we live in, how we got to where we are, and how the rest of the world is bearing the brunt of the policies put into place by the powers that be. Just because he has a heart for people eating mud pies does not make him bad or a stupid guy. Most people just don't see it so they don't know, the suffering that's going on in the world. We aren't seeing this.

markflcortez Diyorki:

Apr 8, 2010 - Never knew that about bakeries ... interesting

ogskeetdizzle Diyorki:

May 22, 2010 - he doesnt' say a thing about growing our own food, what a jerk.

svagrod Diyorki:

Jun 28, 2010 - Never go to the supermarket after you smoke pot.You by Way more than you wanted!!!!!!!

spyked1 Diyorki:

Jul 12, 2010 - @Adahondeayenh i have read one... the value of O. Its a great book. loads of fun with an activist bent. The first part is is a very apt definition of the problem. Even though its a bit simplistic (made 4 the masses), it serves its purpose very well. The second bit's a bit sketchy. It's too hopeful and really serves to make you ,the reader, feel like there is hope when really, there is none. I liked the book and Raj is an amazing thinker but like all great thinkers, he's an idealist.

oclandestin Diyorki:

Jul 20, 2010 - @ogskeetdizzle ... It's only a short clip. He might have mentioned growing food at some point during the talk. Besides, it's more realistic to convert people from supermarket shopping to buying local. Most people don't have the time or inclination to grow their own food. He doesn't exactly warrant being called a jerk for that.