Entry #4: Partially Hydrogenated, Pasteurized, Processed, Homogenized, Chlorinated, Meat Type Product.

As a special treat in my English 101 class, we got to see a movie called Food Inc. After the hour-and-a-half long horror fest that showcased the American food system, I didn’t think anyone in the room would ever eat meat again.  The film mostly focused on the horrible treatment of animals, farmers, workers, and even customers of the major meat packing plants. We got to see chicken and cows too fat and sick to walk under their own power, which are crammed into miniscule pens, hip deep in feces, and packed together like sardines. We heard the tale of a woman whose son died in 11 days from eating a hamburger tainted with E. coli, and her years long legal battle to try to change food packing policy. Even the farmers involved are usually so far in debt to the government that refusing to follow the government’s policies can, and typically will, result in total financial ruin.

   This is actually not my first time visiting this territory. In the past, I’ve watched movies like Supersize Me and read books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and every time I walk away nauseous and hating the world we’re becoming. I can’t stand the lows big-name businessmen will sink to in the name of profit; unsanitary conditions for both the workers and the meat (“you dropped the chicken on a cockroach? Don’t worry about it. Throw it back on the line.”), chemical treatments (chlorine bathes, ammonia bathes, growth hormones, modified feed), and even trucking in illegal immigrants to perform the labor, then calling the border control to haul them off once the workers are “used up”. From a perfectly economic view, all of it is justified in the name of faster, cheaper meat. However, a perfectly economic world does not include any thing with a heart, a conscience, or a soul, just ways to maximize production and minimize resource use. Since I, at least, happen to have at least two of the forbidden items mentioned, I guess this world isn’t perfect for the greedy swine that control our food supply.

"Don't worry. You can trust me with your food"

    I do love seeing movies like this being produced, simply because every release will open the eyes of a few more individuals. I’m currently trying to convince my girlfriend to watch the movie, but she knows that the animal cruelty in it will break her heart. But that is exactly why I want her to see it. So that she knows what goes on behind the scenes and how these animals are treated. The truth is often times ugly, but nothing worth doing or knowing is ever easy. Of course it’s easier to turn a blind eye to what’s going on in this country than to face the truth; it’s also easier to ignore your baby when it’s crawling towards the stairs, or to ignore the fire burning in the middle of your kitchen. But that doesn’t make it right. If every time a person eats, he or she could end up dead, then I think we should at least be allowed to know what we need to know to make an informed decision. Thank you for listening to my mad ravings, and remember to question everything.