Moments of Permanence - Miscellaneous

From: sami Date: September 19th, 2009 05:50 am (UTC) (Link)

Whereas I was like, well, yes, in *some* parts of Africa, of COURSE there will be goats, but I think that treating that as Exotic and Strange is just a sign of how many (sub)urban people are just stupid thoughtless about what life is like in NON-urban environments, because while I have spent my life in the city and therefore rarely encountered goats, my school friend's father who had a market garden did in fact have goats (market garden is basically a small farm within the bounds of the city that produces perishables), and I vaguely associate goats as being around in Europe because of feta and having been served goat by Italian family friends, and so on.

Goats aren't weird. Goats are just goats. You may as well treat it as Exotic and Strange that non-urban Africans may well have cattle, or sheep, or whatever. They're edible, milk-producing animals, this makes them useful, move on, you know?

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From: lady_ganesh Date: September 19th, 2009 04:20 pm (UTC) (Link)

And then, of course, you start thinking of how many portrayals of Africa actually have goats, and OMG CITY PEOPLE ARE WEIRD.

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From: sami Date: September 20th, 2009 06:11 am (UTC) (Link)

I once had a very nasty argument over lunch with an acquaintance who told me, in so many words, that I shouldn't be so worked up about the situation of farmers and rural Australians because I live in the city.

I may possibly have pointed at his lunch and demanded to know where the fuck he thought his food came from.

The conversation rather went downhill from there.

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From: lady_ganesh Date: September 20th, 2009 01:31 pm (UTC) (Link)

I bet.

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