We are told food prices are rising because of bad harvests, high animal feed prices and increasing oil prices yet at the same time the price of clothing has fallen dramatically.

(In the UK clothing prices have fallen by 16% over the past few years.)..

Now my question is that given most clothes are made of cotton mixed with petroleum fibres (rayon, nylon etc..) or wool how could we suggest harvests are poor, animals are under-fed or that petroleum costs are rising?

Cotton is a harvested natural material effected just as much by climate change as any other plant.

Petroleum fibres not only cost the processing into finer oils but have extended costs.

Wool on mass can only be harvested from animals that have a reasonable (mostly plant) diet.


Perhaps we should start feeding our livestock on cotton given it must be so much more abundant than tomatoes etc..

Perhaps we should stop adding petroleum fibres to our clothes and which tend to use even more petroleum in their production.

How is it that we are told food prices are increasing when clothing that uses plant, petroleum and animal products are falling?

Thanks for exposing that! Now the price of clothing is gonna go up too... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

We are told food prices are rising because of bad harvests, high animal feed prices and increasing oil prices yet at the same time the price of clothing has fallen dramatically.

(In the UK clothing prices have fallen by 16% over the past few years.)..

Now my question is that given most clothes are made of cotton mixed with petroleum fibres (rayon, nylon etc..) or wool how could we suggest harvests are poor, animals are under-fed or that petroleum costs are rising?

Cotton is a harvested natural material effected just as much by climate change as any other plant.

Petroleum fibres not only cost the processing into finer oils but have extended costs.

Wool on mass can only be harvested from animals that have a reasonable (mostly plant) diet.


Perhaps we should start feeding our livestock on cotton given it must be so much more abundant than tomatoes etc..

Perhaps we should stop adding petroleum fibres to our clothes and which tend to use even more petroleum in their production.

How is it that we are told food prices are increasing when clothing that uses plant, petroleum and animal products are falling?

The cost of clothing being fallen is probably due to the devaluation of the dollar.

The price of cotton is not a determining factor here as there are competing products in line to supply the vacant demand.

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Founder of BOINC team Objectivists. Oh the humanity! Rational people crunching data!
I did NOT authorize this belly writing!

SNIP....

The cost of clothing being fallen is probably due to the devaluation of the dollar.

The price of cotton is not a determining factor here as there are competing products in line to supply the vacant demand.

Sorry 'Scary Capitalist' but that is a lop-sided (falling) point of view.


China and India have woken. They have vast natural resources including millions of impoverished but needy workers.

We can buy their clothes, cotton & products for pennies and sell them in our shops for 100 to 10,000 times as much. (Why not. We live in slap-on-a-logo / 10 cents print job society.... and a 50 cents T-shirt will sell for $20++++.)


Oh and by the way I wasn't talking about the price of cotton..... I was talking about the relationship of a number of commodities.

This thread isn't about stock market or capitalist world views..

It's about the oddity of expensive food yet low priced clothing which are in effect made of the same materials.

Do you know how rich in vitamins cotton is?

As to the devaluation of the dollar.... The UK is relatively expensive for almost all commodities.... However clothing prices has been falling on average regardless of whether the dollar went up or down...


At the end of the day however if we are going to starve at least we can afford to dress up and look good..



(PS: What are these "competing products in line to supply the vacant demand"?. Have you discovered a super product that has the same qualities and value that cotton has..?)


.

Laughing Out Loud.

Scary Capitalist is presenting a "lopsided point of view" yet YOU can't comprehend why a cow is worth more than a cotton bush.

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Laughing Out Loud.

Scary Capitalist is presenting a "lopsided point of view" yet YOU can't comprehend why a cow is worth more than a cotton bush.

I can comprehend that it is you that is equating 'a cow' to 'a cotton bush'...

... I never equated a "single cotton bush" to anything...

I was talking about "cotton" per-ce as a vegetable harvest relative to foods humans generally eat relative to oil usage realtive to production.

... but just for fun tell me the cost of a cow... and then tell me the cost of cotton clothing weight for weight... but factor in production costs of clothing relative to the feed cows require. (But don't be stingy as there are many places around the world where cotton plants are the primary feed for cows...)


There are other odd things in the world of rising food prices too: In the UK weekly food shoping bills have risen yet the price of DVD players have fallen...

Laughing Out Loud.

Scary Capitalist is presenting a "lopsided point of view" yet YOU can't comprehend why a cow is worth more than a cotton bush.

I can comprehend that it is you that is equating 'a cow' to 'a cotton bush'...

... I never equated a "single cotton bush" to anything...

I was talking about "cotton" per-ce as a vegetable harvest relative to foods humans generally eat relative to oil usage realtive to production.

... but just for fun tell me the cost of a cow... and then tell me the cost of cotton clothing weight for weight... but factor in production costs of clothing relative to the feed cows require. (But don't be stingy as there are many places around the world where cotton plants are the primary feed for cows...)


There are other odd things in the world of rising food prices too: In the UK weekly food shoping bills have risen yet the price of DVD players have fallen...

Do you even understand basic economic principals like supply and demand or luxury vs. necessity items?

BTW, how much does it cost to feed a DVD player until it reaches "butchering" age? How much to vaccinate a DVD player against diseases and protect your investment? How much land must you rent/purchase/lease to store your DVD player? What type of special vehicles do you need to transport your DVD player to and/or from the place of purchase?

You see, what you have failed to include in your fantasy land is that there are cost involved in all forms of production, not just the clothing and electronics industries.

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what you have failed to include in your fantasy land

You're wrong! I can't afford to live in fantasy land... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

Laughing Out Loud.

Scary Capitalist is presenting a "lopsided point of view" yet YOU can't comprehend why a cow is worth more than a cotton bush.

I can comprehend that it is you that is equating 'a cow' to 'a cotton bush'...

... I never equated a "single cotton bush" to anything...

I was talking about "cotton" per-ce as a vegetable harvest relative to foods humans generally eat relative to oil usage realtive to production.

... but just for fun tell me the cost of a cow... and then tell me the cost of cotton clothing weight for weight... but factor in production costs of clothing relative to the feed cows require. (But don't be stingy as there are many places around the world where cotton plants are the primary feed for cows...)


There are other odd things in the world of rising food prices too: In the UK weekly food shoping bills have risen yet the price of DVD players have fallen...

Do you even understand basic economic principals like supply and demand or luxury vs. necessity items?

BTW, how much does it cost to feed a DVD player until it reaches "butchering" age? How much to vaccinate a DVD player against diseases and protect your investment? How much land must you rent/purchase/lease to store your DVD player? What type of special vehicles do you need to transport your DVD player to and/or from the place of purchase?

You see, what you have failed to include in your fantasy land is that there are cost involved in all forms of production, not just the clothing and electronics industries.

how sad, you just can´t give answer to question.

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"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exist elsewhere in the Universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin to the Hobbes

Laughing Out Loud.

Scary Capitalist is presenting a "lopsided point of view" yet YOU can't comprehend why a cow is worth more than a cotton bush.

I can comprehend that it is you that is equating 'a cow' to 'a cotton bush'...

... I never equated a "single cotton bush" to anything...

I was talking about "cotton" per-ce as a vegetable harvest relative to foods humans generally eat relative to oil usage realtive to production.

... but just for fun tell me the cost of a cow... and then tell me the cost of cotton clothing weight for weight... but factor in production costs of clothing relative to the feed cows require. (But don't be stingy as there are many places around the world where cotton plants are the primary feed for cows...)


There are other odd things in the world of rising food prices too: In the UK weekly food shoping bills have risen yet the price of DVD players have fallen...

Do you even understand basic economic principals like supply and demand or luxury vs. necessity items?

BTW, how much does it cost to feed a DVD player until it reaches "butchering" age? How much to vaccinate a DVD player against diseases and protect your investment? How much land must you rent/purchase/lease to store your DVD player? What type of special vehicles do you need to transport your DVD player to and/or from the place of purchase?

You see, what you have failed to include in your fantasy land is that there are cost involved in all forms of production, not just the clothing and electronics industries.

how sad, you just can´t give answer to question.

He and his like never do - just more political jargon instead of actually dealing with economics.

The High Street price of clothing is falling because the shops are desperate to stay in business and any turnover will do for now. Same applies to electrical goods. Can't last. Much High Street shopping is doomed.

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He and his like never do - just more political jargon instead of actually dealing with economics.

Heh. That's funny. "Actually dealing with economics," heh. I get the impression that most people here expressly deny simple economics in order to maintain the pretty little worldview that they have in their heads.

It's usually along the lines of, "oh jeebus I hate how the costs of something are so high, but oh man I just need my program that drives costs up instituted because I agree with it, but I really hate high costs, oh why are costs so high??"

"Of course, we'll bring you updates just as soon as they... Oh! Wait a minute! There they are! [Homer shrieks and both he and Larry break for Homer's car and drive off]

"Appearing in broad daylight with police everywhere, ladies and gentlemen, there's only one word for that: idiocy." --Kent Brockman, The Simpsons, 4F05

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Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

He and his like never do - just more political jargon instead of actually dealing with economics.

Heh. That's funny. "Actually dealing with economics," heh. I get the impression that most people here expressly deny simple economics in order to maintain the pretty little worldview that they have in their heads.

It's usually along the lines of, "oh jeebus I hate how the costs of something are so high, but oh man I just need my program that drives costs up instituted because I agree with it, but I really hate high costs, oh why are costs so high??"

"Of course, we'll bring you updates just as soon as they... Oh! Wait a minute! There they are! [Homer shrieks and both he and Larry break for Homer's car and drive off]

"Appearing in broad daylight with police everywhere, ladies and gentlemen, there's only one word for that: idiocy." --Kent Brockman, The Simpsons, 4F05

If anyone understands the above please help me because I am completely lost...

How is it that we are told food prices are increasing when clothing that uses plant, petroleum and animal products are falling?

The simple answer is that you generally can't compare non-like products because the the costs of production and, by extension, the price at the point of purchase comprise too many dissimilar elements.

Take some fresh food like bananas for example. They are generally very easy and very cheap to produce and therefore are cheap at the retail outlet. However, they also spoil faster than the wind, so their price is greatly dependent on high-speed shipping which is greatly dependent on fuel prices. So, if you're used to bananas costing x amount, but shipping costs skyrocket, the price of bananas do as well, a) to recoup the amount of shipping for that particular banana that your bought, and b) the hedge against the higher cost of shipping the next banana that you wish to buy a few weeks later.

Conversely, A DVD player relies very little on shipping costs because they don't need near overnight shipping. They use a conex on a container ship, which is probably the cheapest shipping there is. They aren't speed dependent, and the company that build them long since factored SLOW travel time into the price of the player.

But keep in mind, all this just applies to one aspect of the two products: the relative importance of shipping costs. There are MANY MANY more, the market price, costs of labor, taxes, regulation, market price for raw materials, and on and on and on. This is why it's impossible to know that so-called true cost of anything. The elements that make up the price are numerous, always changing, and can vary considerably over time.

In other words, clothing and DVD players actually ARE apples and oranges by way of comparison.

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Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

If anyone understands the above please help me because I am completely lost...

Take your time. Slow down. Diagram the sentences if you need to. Remember to focus on the subject, the action it's taking, and the descriptions of that action.

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Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

If anyone understands the above please help me because I am completely lost...

Don't look at me, I'm still trying to figure out why gas is so expensive...

Considering my prez is an oil tycoon himself, things just don't add up... ;)

(But remember, it's not about the OIL.)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

He and his like never do - just more political jargon instead of actually dealing with economics.

The High Street price of clothing is falling because the shops are desperate to stay in business and any turnover will do for now. Same applies to electrical goods. Can't last. Much High Street shopping is doomed.

You not liking the response does not translate into me not answering the question or throwing out political jargon to change the subject.

This question stems from an ignorance of basic economic concepts...

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If anyone understands the above please help me because I am completely lost...

Take your time. Slow down. Diagram the sentences if you need to. Remember to focus on the subject, the action it's taking, and the descriptions of that action.

How about you writing clearly without obfuscating with quotes from cartoon characters..

... but just for fun tell me the cost of a cow...

This question stems from an ignorance of basic economic concepts...

I guess farmers don't buy cows... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

How about you writing clearly without obfuscating with quotes from cartoon characters..

If the cartoon characters are so hard to understand, just ignore them. Including them is just to add a bit of levity.

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Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...