Now, this may be completely irrelevant towards my last post, but it is something I have been thinking about lately. I watched Food, Inc. and was initially disturbed by what we have made of our food system. Food is something I have always had personal qualms about and I think that many people could agree. I understand that I am still ignorant towards the subject, but the footage in the film has stuck with me for a few weeks now. I cannot seem to shake the disturbing images of chickens collapsing because their legs cannot withstand the weight of their own body. It seems to be that most people are naturally disturbed by seeing the film, though I have only personally shown it to a few friends. However, disturbance does not mean that everyone is going to take action to deter themselves from eating the problem. How do you get everyone to take action?
I've done a bit of poking around the internet for some information on organic eating, things of that nature. One of the first things I discovered was the Organic Consumers Association. After sifting through some articles and videos, it was all very disconcerting. Each video talked about the possibility that the Mayan calender could be correct, and it may be too late to change it. I do not quite understand how that is helping anyone. Although anything is possible, it definitely does not help in instill that sort of terror in anyone, especially the average American consumer. This is the audience we need to be addressing because they are a product of the market. For example, my mother is the typical consumer who buys everything that Food, Inc. addresses as being the problem. As I tried to explain to her the workings of the system, she did nothing but ignore me. How do we get through to those people? The information is not as readily available as it should be. Food is something we deal with everyday, we make decisions to eat certain things and we could skew those decisions to make an impact.
I know this all sounds terribly hopeful, but something needs to change. I am offended, as a human, that I am being forced to choose between processed food and processed food. It does not seem too much to ask to want genuine food, something grown from the earth that we live and breath on every day. This can be changed. Hopefully, this effects someone.
