Check out this trailer for a new movie coming out about the food we eat. I cannot believe this movie actually made it into production! I'll be curious to see how readily available it is for viewing. It looks like there is commentary throughout from farmers and authors like Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemna) and Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation).
I am so excited that there is finally room in our society to question the methods and the madness behind food. We do this with politics, immunizations, environmental concerns, faith and religion, etc. etc. We have finally seen the point where the actions of the tobacco industry are more transparent. Why not food? Why is the food industry not more transparent so that we can be aware of what goes on behind the scenes - good or bad? And why are some people so resistant to the idea that things may not be how they seem? In the name of exploration, I say Americans (including myself) need to learn more about this!
This is only the tip of the iceberg, but I'm still thankful for it.
Let me play devil's advocate:
ReplyDeleteI don't think some are afraid of the truth. I think they're afraid of spin. For instance, the tobacco industries have been demonized, and certainly marketing to children and teens is monstrous, but I also think we blame industry when the average citizen fails to exercise common sense and personal responsibility. It's not the tobacco industry's fault that people of age choose to smoke. And food? I've seen things like this sensationalized...for instance, "Supersize Me" was a complete joke. It wouldn't require a brain surgeon to know that if you ate at McDonnald's for that long, bad things would happen--the problem being most people don't eat at McD's that much. Some do! (I saw them when I worked for McD's) But most don't.
That being said, I would never say that the fear of spin and the possibility of small woes being sensationalized is a good enough reason to be silent about real concerns. I'm interested!
Thoughts?
Bryan
I think you're right, and I probably should have said it differently. I suppose I was trying to say that some people seem unwilling to engage in polite conversation about the meaning of these different ideas and whether or not they have value. The first few comments on the youtube video were ridiculous - people were so aggressive in writing off ideas they may not fully understand. I do think it's too easy to get sucked into the spin and bias of things. (even the presentation of the trailer was heavy-laden with suggestive music and phrases.) But to me, that's cause for discussion to educate each other and discern the truth.
ReplyDeleteYou're such a traitor for working at McD's! ;) In your "spare time," you should read The Omnivore's Dilemna. It's a journalistic approach to discovering how American food and fast food developed into what they are today, and for me, it opened a whole host of questions about government regulation, transparency in systems, and especially why the average person may not have heard any of that before.