Question

McWilliams writes, "To take an extreme example, a shipper sending a truck with 2,000 apples over 2,000 miles would consume the same amount of fuel per apple as a local farmer who takes a pickup 50 miles to sell 50 apples at his stall at the green market." Do you find the example of the local farmer to be realistic? Is McWilliams's "extreme example" perhaps too extreme? Is it a "straw man"?

Answer 1

It’s not realistic that the farmer drives 50 miles to sell 50apples. 50 apples is not much at all. It wouldn’t be affordable for the farmer. The example is a little extreme, which makes it unrealistic.