Comments on: A short report from the 2008 Christian Anarchist hui

By: manucaddie

manucaddie — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 01:09:50 +0000

Thanks for the great report Jo – you did a fantastic job organising it with Catherine.

For people who want a more interactice experience than the Jesus Radicals website – you can check out: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23587026262

I think dumpster diving is great – it’s not going to end world hunger or provide a kind of redistribution of resources required in this country – but it is lots of fun!

- Manu

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:47:26 +0000

I definitely know some groups that redistribute their dumpstered goods to families in their neighbourhoods who really need them, like some friends of mine in Auckland. But for lots of us it is undoubtedly also a question of protest kudos, although we wouldn’t like to admit it.

I guess if we could minimise the waste built into the system by changing our expectations of unlimited choice and fully stocked shelves, then in theory food prices should drop as supermarkets would not be having to recoup the cost of waste. This should make food more affordable for all of us, especially those struggling with food bills that account for a huge proportion of their income. Whether this would work in practice is another question though…

By: Ant

Ant — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:27:03 +0000

But isn’t one of the problems with dumpster diving not the diving as such, but the way it’s been ‘hijacked’ by the middle classes as an ‘alternative’ or at best ‘protest’ lifestyle choice, and has very little to do with redistribution with an eye to assisting those who are struggling?
And is dumpster diving really a viable way of providing social assistance to those in need? While it uses up waste from an incredibly wasteful system, and is good from that pov, isn’t it creating a cycle of dependency on waste. Shouldn’t we be seeking to reduce waste?

By: JoC

JoC — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:12:44 +0000

Kia ora George
Yes we ate incredibly well – those of us from Tauranga who attended were stoked to finally meet Duncan, having heard of him, being inspired by, and even read his theological thoughts on, dumpster diving for some time!
Many new dumpster divers were recruited and taught the ropes when we hit the supermarket carparks of suburban Christchurch on the Tuesday and Thursday nights before, so hopefully ongoing liberation of good food and redistribution to those who are struggling to afford their groceries, can continue post-Hui!
Blessings
Jo Cameron

By: georgedarroch

georgedarroch — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:24:30 +0000

Hi Jo,

I heard it was wonderful. Duncan is a pretty good dumpsterer, I bet you all ate well!

George

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:09:03 +0000

Hey Jo,

Thanks for your report. It was a great hui, awesome chats, people, ideas. My parents, after raising their eyebrows a few times, were pretty intrigued by the leftover dumstered food that I popped in with on my way back to Wellington!

Arohanui,
Anne