Late Stage Capitalism

We as a species have all the resources to create a leisure society. We choose not to.

The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.

There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.

There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

• In France supermarkets have to donate food about to expire, they can't throw it away
• Eu is making a law that forbids companies to incinerate/ throw away clothes

The problem is that they also destroy any attempts at creating a pipeline that such food can go to say homeless shelters, shelters for abused people, homeless people, etc. They'd rather people starve to death to make their money than see people fed. That's why we cannot live with an executive class in charge of everything.

I worked at McDonald's one summer in college... used to carry out the bags of mcchickens and shit to throw away after shift. It wasn't hard to toss the bag over the dumpster and out the back of the enclosure for later collection...if one was so inclined. McDonald's fed me that summer, and it wasn't the fucking pennies they were paying me doing it.

Yup. Worked a 7-11 for a few years; anything not sold is written off and thrown out. If you're caught taking it home, or giving it away; immediate termination, with cause.

The reason I was given is 'conflict of interest'. The employees decide how much to make; if they're allowed to take it/give it away, they may choose to make extra to ensure they/their friends get freebies. Bullshit.

The third clip is from a Publix grocery store. I used to work in a Publix deli and I would fill up a shopping cart like that with food to be thrown away daily. That's just one location from one company. There is absolutely plenty of food for everyone on this planet.

Capitalists are ghouls

Canada is pretty similar. So much dumped instead of priced to sell

Please look up if you have any food rescue programs in your area.

I only have so much time but I spend less than an hour to stop at Little Caesars once a week. I grab 15 lbs of pizza and take it to whoever is accepting the food (right now a sobriety home).

Theoretically, a hundred people doing exactly what I do would save 1,500 lbs of food a week. It adds up quickly.

If you have a blessing box in your area then check your own cupboards too. Look for non-perishables you know you won't eat or will expire before you do.

We have the means to end every form of inequality out there. We would just have to come together as world to make it happen. But no. We're basically monkeys with nukes.

Which is why, as a species, we deserve everything coming our way.

Fuck you, America.

In the US, we have a law that prevents lawsuits to companies that donates expired food, protecting them from liability.

Loads of companies donate their food. Especially bakeries.

What we need are changes to health and safety laws. It's VERY hard to donate food at times. All it takes is one asshole suing a store, or company or a person to spook off any food donations. If you don't follow all the rules on traceability, regulatory checks on dates and transport it in a certain way, you open yourself up to a lawsuit. It's legal suicide to most companies. Please look up legislation on food health and safety and talk to your local MP (or whatever the American version is).

I work in my mother in laws church food program and know how hard it is for places to actually donate food.

At least in grocery stores you would be amazed how much stuff people pick up and leave somewhere else unrefrigerated. Or, they take stuff like bread or hot goods and leave it in a freezer bunker where it can’t be sold anymore.

It pisses me off and it’s not the stores fault, all they can do is throw it out. That’s usually what the carts of random garbage are: returns and customers ruining stuff.

The other stuff yrs, is disgusting. A manager who over produces so much should be getting called out for it, and most businesses don’t teach or use anything sophisticated to manage ordering.

might change this year. Wheat crop likely to be smallest since 1970.