gatherers and hunters

[quannum]

i just finished a cultural anthropology audio lecture series and one chapter focuses on the Dobe Ju/'hoansi bands of South Africa. one real living example among a number of other currently functioning micro societies scattered in the remote to us areas around the globe.

a few main points:

• gather 70 percent of their food (roots, nuts, fruits, etc.)
• no hierarchy and no authority, only "temporary leaders"
• no private property
• work 20 hour weeks with only division of labour being between sexes
• does not distinquish between work and play
• zero starvation: 100% of population fed compared to 30% starving in the "civilized" world
• superb health

studying them has lead one sociologist to conclude that "scarcity is a myth", because the Dobe live in abundance 365 days a year. yet another has coined the term "Original Affluence" to describe Gatherer/Hunter lifestyle -- that is, if one measures wealth not by material possessions but leisure and free time.

here is the Gatherers and Hunters (not the other way around) chapter for your pleasure/scrutiny:

zSHARE - 0701 _ l13 _ gatherers and hunters.mp3

14 MB

this prof actually goes further than me the crazy, in conjecturing that the advent of agriculture and hierarchy and all that was actually the result of power itself and the evolution of human society (basically saying that Civilization is one big conspiracy) and not out of need which came with "little ice-age" and/or population growth.

[Cheerios]

I thought this was going to be a monster hunter thread

[Kuya]

Your conspiracy theories will not fool me.

[Shiroikage]

I spend 99% of my time wishing to go off into the woods and live a simple life.

[Shiroikage]

You would probably hear about my death from eating poisonous bugs or something on the news.

[quannum]

Your conspiracy theories will not fool me.

stop eating soy, it gives you brain tumors and makes men turn gay.

splenda is chlorinated sugar, your body can't digest it, you'll get stomach ulcers in a couple years of continued use.

[Kuya]

Vegetarians eat soy right? Makes sense.

[quannum]

mercola is my dude
nohomo

[quannum]

also back on topic, i enjoyed Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization by Richard Manning. It contains a good look at my "conspiracy of civilization" though not the entire book is about that. A large part is scathing critique of the iron triangle of agriculture in the U.S. and how inefficient and harmful it is. Good book, not quite as head-in-the-clouds as wishing for a hunter-gatherer society.

Moral Animal and Nonzero by Robert Wright are also very interesting looks at the development of societies from the perspective of "evolutionary psychology" and social evolution. Moral Animal is such a good read.

[Shiroikage]

fascinating

[quannum]

Robert Wright is also my duder.

Robert Wright on optimism | Video on TED.com

[Shiroikage]

optimism is a crock

[Kuya]

I think wearing a loincloth all day is pretty cool.

[Kuya]

Makes life easier i should say.