In Berry’s first essay, the biggest issue he
speaks of that speaks to me the most is this idea of a local economy after
9/11. “The “developed” nations had given to the “free
market” the status of a god, and were sacrificing to it their farmers,
farmlands, and communities, their forests, wetlands, and prairies, their
ecosystems and watersheds.” A powerful
quote that in my opinion, sums up the entire first essay. This quote simply means that this idea of a
free market economy has gotten to the point where it has become so powerful,
that it has the same effect that God has on us. Berry believes that through this free market
economy, more and more public voices are being silenced and soon will become
mute. This topic is very touchy because
it is tough to have a conversation in my opinion with someone who elates
economy to God.
I believe that Berry’s ideas and concepts are best are
on pages (23-25) when he discusses the idea that corporations should be “free”
to buy low and sell high in this world.
Berry then goes on to number off prompts and assumptions that back his
ideas up. One states that, “there is no
conflict between greed and ecological or bodily health.”
The word I chose to research is fraudulence. The definition is, a deception
deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain. This is illegal but however is very easy to
get away with. Words similar to
fraudulence are cunning and slyness. It
is important to understand this concept because a lot of times fraud can be
seen within the government and especially within the economy.
A question that has come into my mind is where did Berry get his information from? What sources did he use? Turns out, a lot of what he decides to write is based off of what he truly believes in. Whether it is the appropriate technology, sustainable agriculture, or healthy rural communities, Berry is a man who practices what he preaches. “He is the sum of his beliefs. And those beliefs arise from a longstanding tradition most fully expressed in the American family farm, a self-sustaining economic enterprise that reinforced familial bonds and human obligations to the natural environment. The word husbandry, in his usage, combines the commitments of a spouse with the responsibilities of the farmer to his land and his animals. And what care the farmer bestows on the land and his livestock may even be reciprocated in due time.” http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/wendell-e-berry-biography
I also found the section about his assumptions of corporations to be interesting. It was the most memorable, and probably the best writing in the essay. In a lot of them, you can either see examples already, or they aren't that far out of belief. Berry relates multiple things to the economy in this section. He goes to mention that the Gulf War are economic functions if they are over commodities.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post Cameron, I enjoyed reading your journal and I agree with several of your points. For your first paragraph on Berry's first essay, I agree with your comparison of God and Economy and its touchy matter. Especially in the US we have such a separation of god and state, it's hard to have a conversation about the concepts. But overall it was a great representation of Berry's first piece. I also like your word you looked up, fraudulence. I think knowing the true meaning of that word would really aid in the comprehension of the context of that part of the essay.
ReplyDeleteI find it very sad that more and more frequently people are losing those life skills they get from the land. I am an avid camper and outdoors-man, the skills I have learned while camping and surviving in the woods, in my opinion makes me a strong individual. The skills that people lack are making them fall victim to the source of their necessities. Instead of going out to find food, we have become a culture of laziness and uninterested of where our food truly comes from. This is problem-some because in the event that one day you may need those skills, and be forced to be exploited by another who possess them. Which is the definition of extortion in the world economy, that we have become so accustomed to.
ReplyDeleteI was also intrigued with the points that Berry had made about the corporations. His ideas about the issues that can occur with people treating corporations legally as a person made me realize how real his issues are and how a corporation really shouldn't be considered as a legal person. I also liked your last paragraph because it does make you wonder where Berry did get all of his research and information from. To learn that he was behind the majority of his writing was very interesting to learn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the free market becoming Godlike and how we're sacrificing our lands and ecology for it. I found your last paragraph the most intriguing, especially since I didn't think about where or how Berry got all the information to base his beliefs about the economy on. I found the quote about how all his ideas are actually his ideas interesting, and slightly confusing, because I believe you have to get information somewhere to evaluate it and form your own opinion on it. And though I'm sure his farm experience helped, I believe that he couldn't have thought up all of that from just living on a farm, but either way his views are very intriguing and I believe they have value.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your Journal 4, the thing that stuck out the most to me was the word you chose to define. Since I was not completely sure what fraudulence meant it was beneficial for you to define it and it helped me better understand what Berry was talking about when he talks about it in his essay. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHey Cameron,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, when you say that trying to talk about God and economy in the same conversation is impossible. I say it is impossible because in this country everyone has the freedom to believe in whatever they want to. Defining the word fraudulence was an excellent choice. In my opinion I think that more people need to understand this word and realize that some governments and corporations are committing fraud.