"How you get your food can also help evade a Goliath. Crops such as cassava, taro and potatoes are less lootable since, unlike grain, they can't be stored for very long and can be left in the ground. Colonial administrators in the Americas deplored these crops and actively tried to paint those who farmed them as lazy. Their fear was that someone with cassava, fishing gear, and a shotgun to defend themselves had no reason to take on wage labor working on the hacienda plantations. Foods such as potatoes also made their way back to Europe, causing similar problems for overseers. Many Europeans adopted the potato during the Dutch Revolt (1556-1648) for the simple reason that it couldn't be easily confiscated. Peasants could leave their crop buried when a marauding army passed through and dig it up after they had left. The soldiers were left hungrier and the poor a little richer. Across Europe, most of the areas that adopted these 'escape crops' tended to experience increases in population without an increase in hierarchy. Escape crops are essentially the opposite of lootable resources: they have low storability once harvested, are less visible, have more unpredictable harvest times, and often require less labor to grow."
-- Luke Kemp, Goliath's Curse
🅰️ ®️ ✝️ U
@ruemaleficent Oh, i thought i was just doing a dig at my nationality (germans being called potatoes), but in another context it's a symbol for freedom. Nice.
@ruemaleficent Oh, i wouldn't call it a slur. You'd have to use a pretty hostile tone of voice for that, or it would take a pretty uptight approach to be mad about being called a potato.
@admitsWrongIfProven interesting. Do you know the reason that Germans get called potatoes? And by whom?
If you've ever seen a white American's reaction to being called a cracker (deservedly) you'd probably see why I was concerned potato was a slur. lol
@ruemaleficent I think because it's a staple food. Wonderful things can be created from potatoes, but they just don't have the "fine cuisine" connotation.
It carries a bit of a connection of being a square, and regarding our history i think one should be aware that not standing up to conservatives turning fascist is dangerous.
Definitely not alike to "cracker", as i heard that was a symmetrical counterslur and cannot be benign, right?
@ruemaleficent Oh, i overlooked the "by whom".
For my personal experience, it's us germans (the ones that do not want another nazi regime) jokingly calling each other potatoe.
@admitsWrongIfProven Ohhh ok. It's self-inflicted. LOL
I was thinking maybe it was Brits. Having lived in London for four years I know how they can be about other nationalities.
@ruemaleficent It's a friendly banter to stay aware.
Needed a lot, since the current regime is pretty close to fascism again.
@admitsWrongIfProven The whole world is going fash. It's such a horrific shame.
@ruemaleficent In recent months i started asking myself if saving humanity from itself would be ethical, if one had the ability. Not only because of fash, also considering urgent normal syndrome regarding covid, a general apathy to actually solve problems. Who am i to say most people choose wrong?
@admitsWrongIfProven If humanity isn't interested in saving itself I'm surely not going to mourn. The planet will be well rid of us as we currently stand. At least so-called "civilized" humans. The remaining foraging peoples are the exceptions.
@admitsWrongIfProven I had no idea that was a slur for Germans. I guess, learn something new every day.