Yikes! I've had my quiet qualms with permaculture, more around its culty nature and how everyone seems to become the same in their linen pants and dreadlocks and lack of 21st century personal hygiene. Plus I'm achieving damn good food producing results with a good understanding of plant science and intuition, no PDC required. But I hadn't considered the deeper flaws with the system. Thanks for a fantastic essay.
On difficulty birthing: in the US the rate of birth intervention is largely arbitrary and most surgical interventions, complications, and deaths are largely preventable. Not only is the reproductive argument in this eugenicist, it also denies the obstetrical violence and medical racism and misogyny is well documented. If he was an ~actual~ doctor or researcher he would know this.
An excellent piece. I like some of the key elements of permaculture and have completed my PDC a fair few years ago but something has never sat quite right with me about it. It still feels like the domain of the (white male) privileged few and was professing to be new when it heavily leans on ancient indigenous ways which were looked down upon during the start of colonialism and imperialism. That unsettledness flared up when I saw Holmgren's and other prominent people in the Aus permaculture community become anti-vax and what I would call anti-community minded during the start of the Covid years. I think your conclusion summed it up perfectly.
Yikes! I've had my quiet qualms with permaculture, more around its culty nature and how everyone seems to become the same in their linen pants and dreadlocks and lack of 21st century personal hygiene. Plus I'm achieving damn good food producing results with a good understanding of plant science and intuition, no PDC required. But I hadn't considered the deeper flaws with the system. Thanks for a fantastic essay.
Thank you!
On difficulty birthing: in the US the rate of birth intervention is largely arbitrary and most surgical interventions, complications, and deaths are largely preventable. Not only is the reproductive argument in this eugenicist, it also denies the obstetrical violence and medical racism and misogyny is well documented. If he was an ~actual~ doctor or researcher he would know this.
An excellent piece. I like some of the key elements of permaculture and have completed my PDC a fair few years ago but something has never sat quite right with me about it. It still feels like the domain of the (white male) privileged few and was professing to be new when it heavily leans on ancient indigenous ways which were looked down upon during the start of colonialism and imperialism. That unsettledness flared up when I saw Holmgren's and other prominent people in the Aus permaculture community become anti-vax and what I would call anti-community minded during the start of the Covid years. I think your conclusion summed it up perfectly.