Our group read the book Fast Food Nation and then watched the documentary film Food Inc. Both the book and the film discussed how a handful of companies now control the entire food industry in the United States. They look at how this affects our lives and analyze changes we can make to improve the food quality and safety in this country.
Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser, deals with mainly the meatpacking industry and the success of the McDonald's Corp. His book gives the history of the fast food industry, then explains how that changed the entire way food was produced and distributed. Now, the company has a few plants that grow and produce all the potatoes for the fries, the meat for the burgers, and the chickens for the McNuggets, in order to be uniform in all restaurants. This has created many problems however due to the size of the plants that produce the food, as well as the workers that they hire. The plants can now grow and produce millions of potatoes, cattle, or chickens each year. The speed and conditions in which the livestock are raised are birthplaces for diseases such as E. Coli 0157:H7, which can contaminate the meat and lead to the deaths of many people. Schlosser also makes the argument that the government has been to lax on regulation of the food companies, pointing out the FDA does not have the ability to issue a food recall. This has allowed the food companies to get away with tremendous profits, but while hurting consumers.
Food Inc., which is directed and produced by Robert Kenner and co-produced by Schlosser, delve into similar topics in the food industry. The film highlights how large food companies have taken over the industry and now control most of the nation's food supply. However, it puts its focus not only on meat, but all parts of the food industry. It shows the meatpacking plants, but it also talks about how the vegetables and fruits are affected by the diseases that can infect those foods as well. It also includes stories about people who create food in clean ways, such as one farmer in Virginia who feeds cattle grass and lets them roam on the fields, unlike the large factories that feed cattle grain and have them living with very little space. It also shows how spotty the USDA and FDA are on food regulation, because a process such as the farmer's is cleaner and natural, but is considered contaminated by the FDA, while a large plant that feeds unnatural grain and can foster diseases is considered more safe. It also discusses the topic of food cloning, something just being introduced to the food industry. Similarly, it discusses how Monsanto is becoming the one company which farmers can buy seeds from because natural seeds are no longer able to compete with Monsanto's new genetically modified seeds.
Both the book and film make the argument that the government needs to take charge and put pressure on the food companies to clean up their acts. They also believe the USDA and FDA should have powers that have not yet been granted due to lobbyists of the food industry paying many congressional members. The book makes the argument McDonald's is controlling too much of the lives of Americans, and does not like how the McDonald's way is now being spread overseas. The film makes the argument that creating organic foods and cleaning up the system would not hurt the giant food companies but rather would help them and make their products better and safer. Food safety is a very important topic in the United States and both Fast Food Nation and Food Inc. show how our food system is broken in many ways.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Extra Credit Video Essay
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
Process Analysis
Purpose and Claim: My visual essay was created to show images of problems in North Korea against the problems with the Nazis, and show that the two really are not that different and that North Korea may even have more problems than the Nazis did.
Image Selection: When the Nazis are mentioned, people always think about Hitler and concentration camps. I used an image from a concentration camp to begin, because it can really appeal to pathos of the reader. Then, photos of Hitler are shown. Hitler was a leader who was very convincing and was able to essentially brainwash the people of Germany with an ideology based on a perfect race. The flag is meant to show the end of the Nazi section. Then, a huge statue of Kim Il Sung appears, followed by a picture of Kim Jong Il, and then the North Korean flag. I attempted to arrange my introductory North Korean images in the same way the Nazi images had been arranged. Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il both have the abilities Hitler did, and brainwashed the North Korean citizens into thinking all good things in their life are made possible by the "Great Leader" and all bad things are done by North Korean enemies. Then a transition occurs, and images begin to show problems in North Korea. I began with an image showing a blacked out North Korea amidst the bright East Asia, to show how the North lacks power. I also put this first because it is relatively harmless and is not disturbing. This is followed by an image of North Korean and Chinese being held in concentration camps. They have not been tortured yet and are in the process of being put into the camp, so there still is no real grotesque photos. Then, a picture of children in soldier uniforms pops up, and some people would be furious that the North Koreans are training children as soldiers. The final image is one of North Korean children who are severely malnourished, and shows how the government can not provide for its people. This last image is graphic, and the four images show a build up from harmless to mind numbing, and the pathos appeal builds as the images scroll.
Song Choice: The song I chose is called Suryeongisiyeo Myeongnyeongman Naerisira, and is a North Korean propaganda song. I chose this music because it is one of the songs that Kim Jong Il and his regime play in order to make people bow down to him as the great leader. It represents another problem in the North Korean society as well, because the people are totally brainwashed with this propaganda and have no idea that everything is better outside of the country. It is also performed by a military choir of North Korea, and North Korea is country dominated by the military.
Sources:
Monday, January 3, 2011
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