So, it’s time to talk about the big problem that farming and policing have in common [THREAD]

About a year ago, when I was still operating under the delusion that a co-op was possible, I distinctly remember some messages I got from other (white) farmers about my open hostility toward Joel Salatin...

Those messages were basically warnings that other farmers wouldn’t want to work with me if I had a habit of criticizing other farmers…

And to be clear, these were not technical or professional criticisms of Joel. They were deeply personal criticisms of his racist behavior and exploitation of young people...

I was being told, in effect, that I would have to either tolerate racism and exploitation as the cost of doing business in the sustainable ag world, or move along...

And so I moved along. Which is a major reason among several others that I am now pursuing a single large, integrated POC collective instead of federated cooperative of mostly small, White Joel Jr.s...

This issue would come up again. Like when Robb Wolf of “Sacred Cow” fame, half-inviting me onto his podcast, warned me that discussing racism in a way that makes White people uncomfortable will turn them off and end the discussion...

And when I informed him that my 21K IG follower count and the strong positive correlation between my farm’s revenue and the intensity of my musings about racism in ag and elsewhere seemed to suggest otherwise...

He did what they always do: Reminded me that while he and I argued about racism, “big ag” continues to win. It’s a common form of gaslighting that suggests racism is a minor issue with no connection to the overall ugliness in our food system...

The gaslighting, however, doesn’t hold a candle to ghosting, which occurred when I was approached by @MotherEarthNews with an offer to write for them. Their pitch led of with a brag about Joel Salatin being on their advisory and a frequent contributor...

The same Joel Salatin who wrote this nakedly racist essay in response to one I wrote about smallholding. He opens it by complaining he’d be called a racist if he disagreed with me on the merits... so then makes multiple references to “hostile Indians”... https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog/11/22/2019/whining-and-entitlement

Naturally, I haven’t heard anything back from @MotherEarthNews, and never will unless this thread goes viral....

Somebody in their PR office, even in the midst of a national reckoning on race, still believes having a racist in their stable is good for business, because they believe their overwhelmingly White readership is just that awful. And who knows, maybe they’re right...

Farmers aren’t supposed to call out other farmers b/c of what I’ve dubbed the Protection Paradox - we’re supposed to ignore the racism and sexism and flawed ideas coming out of farmers, and we’re supposed to do this because they’re such good people with important work to do...

Cops and farmers share the Protection Paradox. Policing is a fundamentally violent and racist institution that, in its current form, demonstrably does more harm than good. But cops who try to challenge this get their careers thrown in a ditch or their safety jeopardized...

Farming is a racist institution that’s devolved into a.) an estate protection syndicate at the expense of the environment and taxpayer, and b.) a regenerative book/conference/seminar racket. Farmers who challenge this lose friends in a line of work where you really need em...

Both systems are architected to be unchangeable from the inside; snuffing out the lives and livelihoods of changemakers through bullying, threats, intimidation, blacklisting, etc...

If anyone’s ever wondered why we’re all about “democracy in food and ag,” drawing partners from marginalized communities and capital from thousands of customers and funders outside the incumbent ag world, this is why...

So that when someone asks me to play ball with racism for “the greater good (their own comfort)” I can ask them to blow me for “the greater good (my own comfort)” without it costing me or my people a dime that we’d actually notice...

Y’all... equality is going to be sweet. /THREAD