Raj Patel Quotes

Raj Patel is a British Indian academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States for extended periods. He is best known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. His most recent book is The Value of Nothing which was on The New York Times best-seller list during February 2010. He has been referred to as "the rock star of social justice writing."

✵ 1972
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Raj Patel: 8   quotes 0   likes

Famous Raj Patel Quotes

“The reason why people starve is because of poverty … not because of a shortage of food … but because the only way to access the food is through the market”

About global food economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5zT1r5Fk8 Marquette University
Context: When you introduce markets in food, then you introduce two very simple rules. The first rule is this: if you have money you can get the food from wherever around the world. The other rule markets impose is this: if you do not have money, you will starve. This is an important point … The reason why people starve is because of poverty … not because of a shortage of food … but because the only way to access the food is through the market.

“There are models of development that already exist in developing countries that actually are much more sustainable than the model of free markets that we have been trying to export.”

How free is the market http://fora.tv/2010/01/06/Raj_Patel_The_Value_of_Nothing#Raj_Patel_How_Free_Is_the_Free_Market FORA.tv
Context: We are all familiar with the idea: Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime. That sounds reasonable enough. … But think of the model that rests on. It constructs people in developing countries that sort of people sitting by the rivers and eating fish and then they look at the river and said: "- So what's that? - It looks like a fish. - Well, how do we get it out? - Well I have no idea, we would have to wait for white man to come and tell us." It's important to remember that actually there are systems of governance that already exist. There are models of development that already exist in developing countries that actually are much more sustainable than the model of free markets that we have been trying to export.

“The opposite of consumption isn't thrift. It's generosity.”

The Value of Nothing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P03nNeYiJo

“The question is: why are there markets of food at all?”

About global food economy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5zT1r5Fk8 Marquette University (Retrieved on February 11, 2010.)

“We are not the consumers of democracy, we are its proprietors.”

Ways to Counter the Excesses of the Market (24:00) http://fora.tv/2010/01/06/Raj_Patel_The_Value_of_Nothing#fullprogram FORA.tv

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