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Jonathan E Burack's avatar

I was struck by this remark: "“Five hundred years ago, humans were drinking raw milk,” he says. “They didn’t have processing plants that heated the milk or whatever. It’s about returning to, ‘What did we do that got us here?’”

Five hundred years ago, nine-tenths of humanity lived at a level of miserable existence no one alive now in this country could imagine. I understand a frustration with corrupted elites and the powerful corporate institutions of our day. But that's not a problem anyone will solve by using their laptops and cell phones to locate the best raw milk and then get in their EV's to go get it. Me, I will stick with my good old blue 1/2 percent, which I put in my instant coffee every morning before I get online here to see what The Free Press has cooked up for me. "Cooked," I say, not raw. What we used to call civilization.

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Lee Morris's avatar

As in shaken, not stirred. Civilization, indeed..

I liked your comment, Jonathan.

But instant coffee? Really? Go for espresso..

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JTaylor's avatar

I think 500 years ago the average life expectancy age was about 40 (or maybe even less). Who wants to go back to thst era? Not me. Pasteurization was a major accomplishment to ensure health and safety.

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William MacKenzie's avatar

Actually at the time of America's founding in 1776, only 247 years ago, the average newly-minted American citizen could expect to live to the ripe old age of 35, giving them a few months to run for the presidency before they keeled over.

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Gooddogboy's avatar

That was because so many people died under the age of five. If they made it to 5, they lived long lives.

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Tom A's avatar

He was being facetious.

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MDM 2.0's avatar

Average is a relative term, number gets dragged way down due high incidences of death in early childhood / birth.

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vernon's avatar

How do we know the average age was 40? Where does that info come from and what was their methodology? After the lies of the last three years I’m skeptical of historical narratives. Skeptical but also curious!

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MDM 2.0's avatar

Data from Big Gubmint says so

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e.pierce's avatar

paranoid conspiratard narrative.

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MDM 2.0's avatar

You seem pleasant

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e.pierce's avatar

you seem like a troll that vomits shallow cheap slogans rather than think rationally, systematically and objectively.

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Skinny's avatar

The best post so far!

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Tom A's avatar

You actually believe this? You believe average person only lived to 40?

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Chana Goanna's avatar

It’s astonishing to me that people romanticize “the good old days,” when it was the norm to lose one or more of your children to various childhood infectious diseases. Pasteur himself lost two children to typhoid--which isn’t directly related to drinking raw milk, but is representational of that halcyon era before antibiotics, vaccines, and modern surgery with anesthesia and sterile fields. I get the resentment of government overreach and the desire to consume foods closer to their natural state. I understand the hesitation to take Teh Guvamint’s word for anything. I applaud the effort spent on looking into these matters for oneself--but that has to involve looking at actual research rather than reading the opinions of equally ignorant yokels on reddit.

Absent that sort of deep-dive real research, my gut feeling is that raw milk from a reputable source carries about the same risk as a raw organic egg from a clean and healthy hen. I’m not particularly averse to either, but I do understand that there is a small risk factor involved in consuming either. If I take that risk and get sick, that’s on me.

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NCMaureen's avatar

Drinking raw milk is like choosing to not wash your hands after you poop. Probably OK, but why risk it, sorta yucky.

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Gooddogboy's avatar

The good old days were different than now - whatever good old days - some things were better. Of course running water is better than carrying water from a well. I think the issue is eating real food if and when you can.

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Daniel L Martin's avatar

What is “real food”?

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Suzy Weiss's avatar

Love this comment Anna, thank you! Do you drink raw egg? Curious what the benefits are!

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Chana Goanna's avatar

God, no--I can't even eat an egg cooked over easy. However, by a curious twist of illogic, if I can't *see* the undercooked egg, it isn't really there, leaving me free to enjoy cookie dough or lick the beaters when making a cake. If I wanted to pretend to be sophisticated, I'd claim that I only ate REAL mayonnaise made from scratch with a raw egg, or that I wanted to enjoy a REAL Caesar salad. But unless I use pasteurized eggs, there is a slight risk of salmonella when consuming any of these things. I buy organic eggs because I think that lowers the risk--but this is based on data I found at www.pulledoutofmycloaca. org.

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Jim K's avatar

Not to mention egg nog!

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GandalfGrey's avatar

Yes, Salmonilla is something we avoid.

Cookie dough sure is irresistable. Worth an occasional risk. Oatmeal is my favorite

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Leslie MacMillan's avatar

E. coli O157 from raw flour is much much worse than salmonella from eggs. It can kill your kidneys. It means the flour was contaminated with cow poop. The outbreaks in Canada were in No-name brands, not the nationally known flour companies.

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GandalfGrey's avatar

Please tell me oatmeal cookies don't use flour!

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GandalfGrey's avatar

I cook my eggs.

I love raw milk and real butter, but would not go through the time, trouble and risk of drinking it daily. It's a treat.

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