- cross-posted to:
- worldnewsnonus@lemy.lol
- earthlingliberationnotes@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- worldnewsnonus@lemy.lol
- earthlingliberationnotes@lemmy.world
Conspiracy theorists are trying to influence European election campaigns with disinformation and lies. Much of the fabrication comes from Moscow, but plenty is homegrown.
If media campaigns in more than a dozen European countries were to be believed, the European Union (EU) intends to force citizens to eat insects instead of meat.
The claim has touched nerves, especially in Italy, where variations of it have been revived and splashed across billboards during European elections to pit Brussels against mama’s special sauce.
But consumers of this claim are being fed pure nonsense, an example of countless fabrications launched or adopted by candidates seeking political gain at the cost of the truth.
The fake insect-food narrative, which first surfaced last year in a number of EU countries, has proven so popular with malign actors both within and outside the bloc that they’ve brought it back for the European election cycle to try to discredit pro-EU candidates.
…
But no one should be surprised that malignant actors want to impact Europe’s election cycle, with 720 seats up for grabs for the next five-year term in the European Parliament and many national elections taking place simultaneously as part of a record year for elections worldwide.
The EDMO reports a record-high amount of disinformation ahead of the vote about universally controversial issues like migration, agricultural policy and climate change, including even the resurrection of fake stories from years past, such as COVID-19 conspiracies.
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“Bugs are disgusting.” said the person tucking into crab pâté and lobster at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
“Too right.” agreed the person chowing down on a well-boiled haggis.
You know, when i played cyberpunk i noticed they had pizza with authentic pepperoni beetles. I stopped my cyber terrorism to think about that. I was first taken aback about how it truly is a dystopian story. But now that i think about it… would i really care? I unironically like impossible burgers, not because it tastes just like beef, but it’s got that characteristics of a good burger, just a more exotic animal like kangaroo burgers. After the novelty of knowing its bug meat, i could see not thinking differently about it at all. More sustainable, cheaper, healthier, less animal cruelty, and good taste?
Now i know the current bug meat claims are a lie, but honestly… bring on the bugs!
South park had a similar point.
Cartman was all anti vegan food, untill he realized it was just the same hyperprocessed goop he was used to. Then he was all for it.
Part of it is our ingrained belief that insects are filthy (and a lot of them are, but so are a lot of animals we eat, specially how we treat them). Personally, I’d rather have cultivated meat if that’s viable in the future.
Like printed meat or a plant that grows meat adjacent flesh?
Like the thing where they grow meat from cells in a petri dish and they multiply in a tank. I think meat ‘3d printing’ is a way to do it, but there are others
Honestly im surprised bugs aren’t a more popular food. Lots of places where they are boutique street food but haven’t seen anyone try to do it at high-volume. I bet you can make a spam-like product that isn’t too bad to eat and not really think about what exactly is in it.
It’s the ick factor. If you could puree grasshoppers and put something on the ingredients that didn’t make it sound like insects, and sell it cheaper than beef, then people would buy it.
Honestly, not knowing what’s in spam is why I don’t eat spam.
I’d rather crunch out on a grasshopper (or cricket, grub… those aren’t crunchy, though,) than eat spam
(I spent some time in Thailand and have had ma laeng tod. The, street food you mentioned)
But now that i think about it… would i really care?
Meanwhile, Takemura: “Anything that isn’t local?”
That’s not to say that you can’t make excellent food like that, it’s just that expecting culinary refinement from Night City’s food-chain is a bit of a stretch. Nestle meets American palate.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Meanwhile, Takemura: “Anything that isn’t local?”
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I don’t understand where the bug meat narrative is coming from, besides that it’s gross so it’s easy to use to incite fear and disgust any time imitation meat is brought up, when in reality it’s usually soy or vital wheat gluten based.
I’m against all animal exploitation, including bugs!
It originates mostly from a post on the blog section of the WEF where the author advocates for consuming insects. The WEF blog is also where the “you’ll own nothing and be happy” quote and I think even the 15 minute city scare comes from.
It is interesting to consider where we draw the line of what we define as an ‘intelligent animal’…
Intelligence isn’t a good marker of moral value anyways 🤷
So you feel bad about slapping a mosquito? What about skipping a rock?
I’d punch a human trying to come up to me and draw my blood with a dirty needle as well.
And this may alarm you, but rocks are not, in fact, alive, or sentient in any manner (despite what pet rock enthusiasts want you to believe).
The EU approved some bugs under the novel foods regulation. In short, to place some ingredient on the market that didn’t get grandfathered in you have to jump some bureaucratic hurdles, some companies did that for some bugs, and the rightoids twisted it into a world-ending conspiracy.
All it means that they are legal to use as an ingredient in foodstuffs, still has to be labelled etc. as is usual.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The fake insect-food narrative, which first surfaced last year in a number of EU countries, has proven so popular with malign actors both within and outside the bloc that they’ve brought it back for the European election cycle to try to discredit pro-EU candidates.
The EDMO reports a record-high amount of disinformation ahead of the vote about universally controversial issues like migration, agricultural policy and climate change, including even the resurrection of fake stories from years past, such as COVID-19 conspiracies.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has included information campaigns against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally, which DW’s Fact Check unit has documented and debunked.
“For the current Kremlin leadership, this is an existential battle, and they clearly are trying to win it, not as much on the frontline as much as targeting the support from the West,” explained Janis Sarts, director of NATO’s Strategic Communications Center of Excellence in Riga.
“That’s why this political election year is so important for them to promote the narratives, the forces that would be ready to stop this support to Ukraine and undermine the European and transatlantic security.”
Former Latvian Deputy Prime Minister and EU lawmaker Artis Pabriks says people should not underestimate the European Parliament as an attractive target for political interference.
The original article contains 745 words, the summary contains 203 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I really don’t get what’s up with the bug thing… Our foods are literally addictive and creating obesity. They’re full of all kinds of chemicals not proven safe, instead just ones not proven clearly dangerous
And the thought of bugs being part of this is too much? So much that it’s useful propaganda?
I really don’t get what’s up with the bug thing… Our foods are literally addictive and creating obesity. They’re full of all kinds of chemicals not proven safe, instead just ones not proven clearly dangerous
And the thought of bugs being part of this is too much? So much that it’s useful propaganda?
