What a joy you are poirot; I can imagine you in your little inner city garden mourning the demise of pear varieties.

But be assured, like the author you can grow what you want; seed banks have preserved the 3000 varieties of pear.

What are grown commercially are the most productive, highest yielding varieties which are necessary to feed the masses who lack the will and moral fiber of people like you and the author to live independently of the social structure.

I used to know some people who advocated living independently of society; they were survivalists, rednecks in your parlance.

I guess that makes you and the author greennecks.

What a myopic view you have of "society", cohenite....what you really mean is "Western society".

Most of the world's people grow and tend their food employing cooperative methods and sharing their knowledge and their seeds (or at least they did) - which is why the modern penchant for multi-nationals to usurp that autonomy is such an abomination - see India's experience.

I love the way you admonish any article author or poster who holds opposing views to your own by calling them names or otherwise impugning them in some manner - as in:

"Another article by a hypocrite who self-indulgently despises the means by which she can live her life."

...what's all that about - why the insulting rhetoric?

"why the insulting rhetoric?"

Because I think she is a hypocrite.

Do you really think everyone can live like her?

Do you have a job Poirot? In what way would your life change if society did not provide basic infrastructure and you had to be self-sufficient?

I think you are hopelessly romantic about the idea of a green/natural lifestyle; I have some experience of a natural lifestyle and I think people who think a natural lifestyle is lovely should experience a dose of malaria.

Anyway you are not going to change your view until possibly the lights go out; and if this corrupt government goes full term that may happen; good luck then with your vision of a cooperative utopia.

cohenite,

For someone who consistently extols the virtues of modern industrial society you appear to display much angst and ill temper.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-25/mental-health-teams-to-target-teen-suicide/4332482
(symptomatic of a growth obsessed industrialised society)

You're certainly a poor advertisement for the things you espouse.

Cohenite, I take the time and trouble to present passionate rhetoric (backed by research) in order to provoke intelligent debate which opens minds, shares information and inspires re-thinking from all camps in the subject under question. I too learn from the comments to my articles both at OLO and ABC's The Drum but never before have I felt compelled to comment myself. I respectfully request that you cease and desist from calling me things that I am not. This is slanderous behaviour and totally unnecessary. Why do you feel you have to abuse me?

Yes, I have chosen to opt out because I believe self reliance is crucial, and that every consumer who makes a choice not to subject themselves to the greed is good, irrational consumerism and nanny state of modern life. People become too dependent on having everything handed to them on a plate (power, water, cheap food etc) and then can't cope in a crisis if all taken away. We have become too weak and lily livered, too idle and childishly, petulantly, demanding.

If you would take the time to conduct some research, you will find that solar is providing baseload power for much of Barcelona, Italy, Arizona and California. Geothermal in Alaska. Wind in England, Scotland, Wales, Holland etc.

It works whether for individuals who don't want to be beholden to power companies all their lives, or who believe in alternatives, and have an open enough mind to try them, or for power generators embracing new technology rather than keep raping the earth.

You make assumptions about me that are not true, Cohenite (Modern society which this author enjoys but can contradictorily dismiss) - how do you know how I live my life or whether I enjoy, profit from, or parasitically consume from modern society?

If you only like your own worldview, cohenite, don't read anyone else's . . .or change your nickname to CURMUDGEON!!

>>http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-25/mental-health-teams-to-target-teen-suicide/4332482
(symptomatic of a growth obsessed industrialised society)<<

I think teen suicide has been around a bit longer than industrialized society Poirot. I seem to recall from my high school English lessons that there's a bit of it at the end of Romeo and Juliet.

Cheers,

Tony