Feedback on the Uses of Professions

Reader Response

A reader, in response to the Badi' Blog entry for August 31, called "Freedom in Science and Education ... Agrarianism in the College of Light, (http://badiblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/stacking-deck-for-agrarianism-in.html), wrote:

"There is some interesting food for thought here. It would be interesting to see what obstacles would arise in attempting to erect such a system. For example, you suggested leaving a lot of utilitarian decision making to teachers and doctors. In the West, the organizations representing these professions are highly political unions and associations; I think it would be difficult to see dispassionate and pure-hearted decisions emerge from such present institutions."

Farmers, teachers and doctors are terribly underrepresented and misrepresented in the present world order. Paradoxically, the fact that they are politicized, that is, selfish, contentious and fractious, removes them from politics in the broader and higher sense. They have little say over policy. No partisan or advocate for a narrow interest can be trusted with the interests of all. Their very selfishness excludes them from the influence that they should have by rights.

What I am imagining in this essay series is an entirely new order where at least one third of our democratic rights are expressed in elections that are organized around our professional affiliation. This voting would begin with self-assessment, votes and peer reviews starting in earliest childhood education. It would constitute the meritocratic element of society. With proper training, we could express this civic right by regular elections of our colleagues in whatever line of work we have chosen. These representatives would then be promoted to influential consultancies. These chosen experts would be a major pillar of the social structure. A professional association or union is a mere afterthought compared with this.

Take agriculture as an example. Farmers should come first, that is, they should have first dibs on every exposed surface to the sun. Our whole urban and rural environments need to be designed for this. Unfortunately, in our present system they come last.

I had an interesting conversation with a member of the Niagara area farmer's professional association last weekend at the Smithville Fall Fair. They were promoting an awareness by consumers of the need to "buy local." Many food products pretend to be made by local farmers but are not, even in farmer's markets. His group conducted a survey of people going into grocery stores. They put buying local and buying organic surprisingly high on their list of priorities. But when they interviewed them coming out of the store it became evident that their highest priority are convenience and ease of preparation. This pretty much precludes what they said they wanted before they came in the store.

I was impressed with how modest the farmers' goals are and the pettiness of the obstacles keeping them back. He pointed out that stealing of crops is a major problem for farmers, even in the country. City dwellers come out and abscond food as if it grew there all by itself. He told about an innovative urban farmer who is farming empty, unused lots in downtown Toronto. His problem of being plundered is even worse.