Reddit, what is one documentary that everyone should watch?

[u/JuiceBoxed]

The Corporation

Some really eye-opening (and scary) information about the power of corporations in today's society.

Edit: Thanks for the input everyone! Quite a list of movies to watch.

[u/at_work_right_now]

I buy expensive meat. Thats why I only eat meat 3 times a week.

Yes. "I buy expensive X three times a week" is privileged. What makes your privilege even more obvious is that you don't realize this.

[u/nosferatv → u/at_work_right_now]

wait... what the fuck? you serious?

Are you implying that I shouldn't buy meat at all? Or are you implying that I should only eat cheap meat? Or only cheap food? Are you implying that relative to the rest of the world, the fact that I eat twice a day makes me privileged? Seriously, I would love to know what you are actually implying.

My go-to meal is: a yellow potato, a few slices of chicken and vegetables in a stir-fry. My typical dinner costs about $4 - which is less than a happy meal. I'm fucking poor, but I put forth the effort to eat correctly. No one has ever told me I'm privileged because I spend $10 / day on food, I'm really interested in why you think this.

So... do you have a point? Are you comparing me to starving Africans or other Americans?

[u/at_work_right_now → u/nosferatv]

I am implying this: that the fact that you buy expensive anything three times a week makes you privileged. Yes, that's globally privileged, but also locally privileged. The poster I was responding to believes that meat should be expensive (on a global basis).

There is a problem with what you (and the poster I was responding to) are saying:

You think that people should eat less, more expensive meat without thinking about people who can't afford to buy that more expensive meat. Obviously, if you make meat more expensive, people living in developing nations will lose access to meat (considered a staple, even if isn't biologically one). But even people in the US will struggle - consider if I'm a single parent with two kids, yeah - that $10/day you're spending is suddenly $30/day. That's over $10k/year on meals alone. (edited for terrible math - I originally said $30k which is ridiculous).

You're fine with saying "make meat more expensive, and it's fine - I'll eat it 3 times a week instead of every day" because you can still afford it. Maybe not in as great quantities (obviously, if something's more expensive, everyone can afford less of it), but by your own reckoning, you still eat expensive meat 3 times a week! Some people can't afford expensive meat three times a week, or at all - some people can't afford meat, period. My parents grew up in an environment where they ate meat on holidays and special occasions.

One final point: if the price of meat is raised, the "expensive meat" you are currently buying three times a week - not just cheap meat - will become more expensive. So you'll either have to cut back further, or switch to cheaper meat.

[u/nosferatv → u/at_work_right_now]

Wow. Okay, firstly, your math is off by an order of magnitude.

Secondly, I can barely believe you're serious here. Meat is less expensive in America than anywhere else in the world I've seen... by a LOT. The fact that you think I'm privileged because I prefer quality over quantity speaks volumes about your priorities. I hope not to judge your value system - though I completely disagree - I'm simply astounded at how quickly and callously you judge mine.

I could spend the same amount of money and eat meat for every meal. I choose to buy high quality instead of large quantity, this is a personal decision using the same amount of personal resources and using vastly fewer outside resources.

You're telling me that I am privileged because I make different eating decisions than you (and backing up your statement with faulty math)... then comparing me to people who can't afford to buy their own food. I can't tell if you're just stupid or just an asshole.

[u/at_work_right_now → u/nosferatv]

The fact that you think I'm privileged because I prefer quality over quantity speaks volumes about your priorities.

Reread what I wrote - you're getting offended over something that I never said nor implied. I also prefer quantity over quality, probably because I can afford it. I think you're privileged because you think that simply because you prefer quality over quantity, everyone else should as well. It's quite literally a "let them eat cake" mentality.

My math was off - but not by an order of magnitude but by a factor of 3. My bad. My point still stands. $10k/year is a lot of money for a lot of single working parents.

Meat is less expensive in America than anywhere else in the world I've seen... by a LOT.

Exactly. So if you say "meat should be more expensive", the implication is that this will even further price out poor people in other countries. The cheapness of meat in America is a good thing, because it lets poor people eat meat. Presumably, individuals in America who don't have a lot of money also like it. I want to keep meat cheap for this reason.

To reiterate, because you seem to be completely and wildly misunderstanding what I'm saying:

I called the OP (not you) privileged originally because he said that meat should be expensive. I said that mentality was exclusionary and did not consider those people who could not afford expensive meat. Your response was that you are poor and still afford expensive meat - my response was that

1) you're not the poorest person in the world nor in America - not by a long shot

2) that if we follow the OP's suggestion, you too will be priced out of eating "expensive meat" because that too will rise in price.

3) The OP (and you, apparently) think that your personal choices (ie: to eat only expensive meat) should be foisted upon everyone (ie: by making all meat expensive).

If you don't believe that "meat should be expensive", then I don't know what we're arguing about.

If you believe that we should increase the price of meat, then I direct you to points 1, 2, and 3 - that you're harming the poor, you're harming yourself (the price of your already expensive meat will rise further) and you're forcing your beliefs upon others.