http://gladwell.com/2005/2005_01_15_a_collapse.html Malcolm Gladwell reviews Jared Diamond’s “Collapse.” Apparently, the Norse colonies in Greenland died out because they’d chopped down all the trees, over-farmed the land—and wouldn’t eat fish. (I’ve heard that well-intentioned aid agencies in South-East Asia have had a similar problem: they’ve tried to feed people “broken rice” but even starving people won’t eat it because broken rice is what animals are fed.) 01:20
Gulfstream
Entry Posted January 22, 2005
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Byrne's Eye View (www.byrneseyeview.com):
… In general, Diamond's thesis goes something like this: most societies are aware of their immediate needs and their recent history, but are bad at thinking generations ahead based on the worst-case scenarios from generations before. So,as noted by Malcolm Gladwellthe Vikings who settled Greenland managed to ignore abundant food sources and an approaching famine -- they lived like Europeans once they'd left behind the one continent where that lifestyle made sense. …
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