Where's Beef From? By Sarah

Beef2 from Sarah Foster on Vimeo.

Jen & Casey Project Link

http://prezi.com/7ofsq2cnu0n2/what-is-fair-trade/

How stupid close-minded Americans are the real Anti-Americans

"Fundamentalism is not unique to religious people, but is instead a certain approach to the world, rooted in mistaking limited knowledge for wisdom"

"Where the capacity for destruction in the hands of the most powerful state in the history of the world is exacerbated by a pathological hyper-patriotism that tends to suppress internal dissent and leave many unable to hear criticism from the outside"

I extremely agree with Jensen's bit on nationalism. American nationalism in its rooted definition is inherently contradictory. Citizens may believe that we all should support and follow this nation abstractly, as Jensen said, "when in reality it is lines on a map, not an occurring object," so that we may all connect and reinforce the strength of our home and all that it provides for us. This is a reasonable notion to positively influence our abstract love for the feet under our ground.

But if you look at the U.S. as an occurring object, you could see its occurring prevalence on what it was founded on and must survive through, which is democracy. And in a true democracy, fundamentalism would cease to exist, so it makes no sense for nationalism to be ever be based on fundamentalist ways of thinking. Democracy is for the people, by the people. Time changes and the people with it. Within a democracy, a nation must coincide with its ever changing and evolving situations. Fundamentalism fundamentally resists change, so to actually be a supporter of what America stands for more than anything, you would truly only be anti-American by being the type of  fundamentalist Jensen mentions.

Book Event Tonight!

Bob Jensen will be speaking tonight at 7 at Book People, 603 North Lamar, about his new book:

Arguing for Our Lives: Critical Thinking in Crisis Times, published by City Lights 

For more details:

http://www.bookpeople.com/event/robert-jensen-arguing-our-lives

Jensen Points Out Insanity

This article makes me ask myself, how will history remember us?

Every empire has met an end. None has yet to last forever. Each of the Chinese dynasties, the Romans, the Moguls, the Ottomans, Mali, the Greeks, the Germans, the Aztec, the Inca: all of them rolled back down the hill that they climbed up and into power. So there isn't much data to argue against the temporary nature of power centers in our human world.

So, assuming no total collapse of human tradition, knowledge, libraries, and such, there will still be literature composed in the 500 and thousand years to come. I wonder what the books will say about our time.

Because, some times, I imagine that the future will be substantially more refined than the present. Maybe we'll remember war then like we now remember slavery; hanging our heads and saying, "I can't believe people did that."

Maybe this will be one of our few photos in the pages of a middle school text book:

Maybe it won't take long to remember the great wall on our southern border like the great wall through Berlin: poor people on one side, rich people on the other, guarded ferociously by patriotic men with high-powered weapons.

What Jensen explains, I believe, is that people here are unaware of the big picture. It is as if they are trying to judge a painting, a big one of the whole world, and they've got their nose touching the canvas, frozen in fear of moving their head just a little ways back. This is the perspective that generates fundamentalism.

How will our nationalist fervor be remembered? I've asked myself the same question he does: what are we saluting anyway? What does the silly flag mean, and why am I required to pledge to it? In all honesty, I don't feel any more of a connection to the peoples of New York, Chicago, and Seattle than I do to those of Mexico City or Juarez. Panama City is about as close to me as New York.

The nationalist violence that we wage across the world is just gang violence on a larger scale. We have territories that we defend, gunning down trespassers if they try and come across without permission. We stake out claims and defend them, periodically going to war (for example with the Mexicans) to expand our own claim. We fight for money and resources, and have a hefty army of men and women wooed by charismatic leaders and nationalist symbols (like the flag) to take up arms and go to war with strangers who salute a different flag.

Maybe in the future people will realize that we're all just people on the land, and that these dumb countries were just made up by some people some years ago.

Oh Jensen...

Jensen is right in that people really need to utilize some critical thinking. For example, why do people complain so much about there being no plastic bags anymore or why do people not see sexism in marketing and even everyday language? But, even that shouldn’t take critical thinking, it’s just denial and unawareness. I mean heaven forbid people feel uncomfortable about looking at the deeper picture of what’s really going on. We need to question why we do things and why we’ve been doing things. Just because that’s the way it is doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be. The U.S. needs some change on many different levels like healthcare and maternity and paternity leave, but we are so tied up in a two-party system and an either/or mindset that we are so scared of change and no one wants the responsibility of being blamed for the bumps in the road. Americans say they want change…but don’t vote for it neither do our legislatures. (Gun control debate, same-sex marriage – why are these even being debated?) The Nordic countries are high on the scale of happiness and social equality because they question their norms all the time and actually use research to implement and structure policies.

I’ve always thought that capitalism, as an ideal market system, is a load of crap. The invisible hand is really the same hand attached to wealthy people who keep providing for themselves while the poor get poorer. Capitalism does not provided social services. For example, privatization of water in Latin America left many more people without water because companies could no longer make a profit and so they pulled out of the countries. I feel like our current finance system is one that punishes and is in favor of the rich, which is why I prefer Islamic Economics – risks are shared equally, zakat or wealthy tax and no interest on loans.

I agree that free markets do not create equality and that the government must be a part of the process for the people’s sake and not to serve the businesses. However, earlier Jensen criticized patriotism. I understand that patriotism is a major blindfold and results in unnecessary strict borders, but I would think governments need some patriotism at least…but maybe getting people involved in government is better.

I like Jensen’s point about the colossal amount of money being pumped in to the military and defense system. We already have a very advanced military with very powerful weapons that even if outdated technology would over-power another country’s military. Yet, we continue to fund and build war machines of obliteration instead of obliterating poverty and teen pregnancy and hunger and low-education attainment.

I am one of those slow adopters to technology. I thinks its great in that it has improved many lives in terms of health especially and bad in what it has done to the environment. I also do not like how it has restructured interpersonal communication. I think people have forgotten how to talk to strangers. I also think it’s a shame that kids spend more time with TV, ipads, video games rather than playing outside and appreciating nature (which is probably why there is less empathy for taking care of our planet). Sometimes, simple is better.

I feel like so many people are tired, bored and frustrated with how we live. It boils down to living a rehearsed life without true satisfaction and happiness.

At the same time, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be Jensen. Journalism makes you see the world in many negative lights to a point where its unsatisfying and depressing. I’m glad the world has people like Jensen who bring up great points, but I wonder if he is ever happy. 

Local and Global

I still feel that America and England are still major influences on other cultures primarily because of the media and transnational corporations. To me, there still seems to be this idea that individuals strive to live like the Americans and British despite the fact that the Nordic countries rate much higher on social attainment and overall wellbeing. For example, I don’t think there is a single person who doesn’t about the royal family in England whereas who knows about the royalty in other countries? I also feel there is still a major push around the world to learn English whereas the prevalence of bilingual speakers in the U.S. is not as common.

It’s great that the media is starting to globalize the local and that several segments of the economy are operating under many languages. But, I don’t think this is to bring people together and to promote other cultures, as it is a business move to bring in more revenue.

Because of globalization, I believe more and more people are becoming accepting of other cultures, however, I feel that a lot of cultures have become commercialized. For example, third world countries commercialize their culture for tourist packages to attract foreigners. In one documentary that I watched in the past, one country was selling burkas to tourists, and they would try them on “pretending” they were part of the local culture. There was no respect as if it were a mask. Globalization and consumption allow us to become "the other" or act like we are part of another culture by consuming their products and attire. 

Globalization of the Local

As I begin reading I wondered what about the other countries will the same available resources, or those that will be inevitable penetrated, for whatever reason, whom will learn through example this flattening practice and introduce their own version? He touches on this positive side throughout the reading, and I agree. The only problem is that is hasn't happened completely, yet and people can't learn how to upload their culture to the world platform in the snap of a finger. They need the resources first, prolonging the expansion of culture in many third world countries who can't afford to participate. My biggest question and concern is how and when all locals will have the chance to be a part of the global platform.

Everything posted on the flattening platform comes from someone who is cultured by what they consider local, or at least did at one time. So I agree with him that instead of global news overcoming a local community, a local community is sharing their news with the globe as well. It works both ways.

Not just about economics, but about culture. Globalization has the potential to spread new ways of communication, and innovation, a sharing of culture, which to me is the most important aspect. But it does have a lot to do with economics too, and I feel there is major potential for a dark side here as well. Internet sites become profitable through advertising. He mentions "that globalization of the local is not only happening culturally, but commercially as well." A world run by advertising, which is already happening in a big way, could lead to a lot of corruption and unfairness.

I think he says it best when he states "For all these reasons, our job is not to trash this platform but to get the best out of it and prevent the worst."To me this hits the nail on the head. He says if you think globalization is all good, you don't know enough about it. To disregard the "ability to power individuals and enrich our cultural cornucopia would miss its potentially positive effects on human freedom and diversity."But to take advantage of the platform reveals the dangers it presents as well.

Globalization, to me, is a like the entire world having the freedom of speech. Just like in America, there are people that uphold this freedom and contribute to positive changes, acknowledge what's happening domestically and internationally, and those that educate. Knowledge is power and everyone should have the opportunity to empower themselves. The more people are being held accountable to their freedom, the more the world can learn about itself and move towards truth.

Globalization of the Local

Interesting word choice and mostly accurate description of the American system: "the juggernaut of globalization as Americanization could, in just a few decades, wipe out the cultural, ecological, and zoological diversity that took millions of years of human, plan, and animal evolution to produce."

"There is no minimizing the dangers posed to the environment by the flattening of the world."

--I find this quote very interesting because a friend of mine, who is a biology major, argues that we will eventually build something that will have the ability to undo all of the damage we are causing to the environment. She believes there is no way to positively change our lifestyles enough to create lasting recovery and thinks we should all bank on the advancement of technology to build something that will clean the earth up quick and easy........her view may be far-fetched, but I believe the author and my friend have a point when it comes to the irreversible nature of the damage.

Is there really anything we humans can do to change the pollution and damage we are causing on the earth? We can talk about it. We can also talk about how not enough people are talking about it. Time isn't stopping, years are passing, and things are only getting worse.

The author has a point in his "Globalization of the Local" argument. Uploading does make nearly all things possible as so many people worldwide have the tools to create and upload their own content. Anything anyone shares now has the potential to reach people on every continent. Although Americanization via globalization is still very powerful, uploading is a force that won't be stopped. Citizens everywhere are curious and creative and exploring and surfing the web; the flow of information will only expand.

"Globalization now belongs to everyone who can figure out how to take advantage of its opportunities and minimize its dislocations."

Globalization of the local

I thought an interesting graf in this article was found on page 479:

"...But somehow, more than a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it no longer seems inevitable that everyone is going to look, speak, sing, dance, and think like an American because of globalization."

I think it's a very good thing that this hasn't happened. In the graf above this quote, the author attributes Americanization via globalization NOT happening because the forces of particularization are as strong as the forces of homogenization because the flattenization of the world has enabled many nations to "hold on to many aspects of their local culture."

It's funny how we thought that as technology progressed, the world would become more American-ized, but that's actually prevented that from happening

Globalization of the Local

• "globalization means Americanization"
• Yes, that's generally what I've been led to believe. I mean, we don't really see foreign brands over here, do we? Maybe the number is growing.
• "It is becoming clear that the flat-world platform, while it has the potential to homogenize cultures, also has, I would argue, an even greater potential to nourish diversity to a degree that the world has never seen before."
• Very interesting. But wouldn't diversifying the entire world be, in a sense, homogenizing it? 
• uploading = "globalization of the local"
• Hmm... tell me more.
• "The fact that more people can now not only survive but even thrive by staying home in their native region, in their own environment, has got to be a net plus for the forces of cultural diversity versus the forces of homogeneity."
• But if people stay in their own country/culture, how does the world get diversified??
• "Even those individuals who have had to uproot themselves from developing countries to go west... have been able to take advantage of the flattening of the world to hold on to many aspects of their local culture."
• So people do need to leave their own country for this globalization of the local to work...
•  "Globalization of the local 'is globalization in reverse. Instead of global media enveloping Asia, the region's 'local' media are going global. This... is being driven by the demand for local news and information from Asia's diasporas, notably the millions of Chinese and Indian emigres now living in all parts of the world.'"
• (Same note as above.)
• "Globalization has empowering and disempowering, homogenizing and particularizing, democratizing and authoritarian tendencies all built into it."
• Both good and bad... It's basically a contradiction in itself, or at least that's how the author is explaining it. (I develop this thought further in the last bullet point.)
• Toodou = Chinese version of YouTube
• "I am confident that this flattening phase of globalization is not going to mean more Americanization, but more globalization of local cultures."
• I'm not against globalization, honestly. I think it would be really cool to have access to other cultures' products without having to travel to each country. But the "globalization of the local" that the author describes only works for people who may have left their country of origin and want to stay connected. For instance, a Japanese newspaper only has a very narrow audience in the United States, really only people who have emigrated from Japan and possibly American students studying Japanese/Japanese culture. Native Americans (not to be confused with American Indians - I mean Americans who were born in the United States) without any Japanese background would have no use for a Japanese newspaper, and so those ideas are only spread to a very small number of people. Like Toodou - it's great that Chinese people can create their own content for all the world to see, but how much of the world besides China will actually understand what's going on? I can only fathom a functioning world with limited globalization, that is, only the globalization of products and possibly art styles. Otherwise, if every nationality in, for example, this melting pot of America is catered to in their own culture, then where does the American culture, the American language, the American opinion go? Complete globalization is homogenization. There wouldn't be a division anymore. I believe that when someone moves to another country, let's say the United States, they intend to adopt that country's culture. I wouldn't move to Nigeria unless I was willing to completely change my lifestyle, especially my language. Of course I can still have ties to my old American life, but I live in Nigeria, and if I wanted to live the American life, complete with American newspapers, films, and fast food, I should have stayed in America. I am an American, born and raised, but my mother is Brazilian, and I have such a strong connection with that culture that I've considered many times just moving there once I graduate because I feel the Brazilian in me so much more. Even if I don't, though, I will still read a Brazilian book or go to an American celebration of Brazilian Carnival every once in awhile, but I will remain an American consumer of American culture.

(This reading reminded me of a project I did my freshman year about samba and its globalization: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbZJNLt_6sc)

Project Idea

Why aren't we forced to recycle? Some country have laws, and get charged fees for putting things in the wrong bins. With the whole government on board, everyone would have to coincide. For those of us that continue to be lazy, the government would make money off of. It would obviously be better for the environment, reduce waste, and pick away at the size of landfills. With this new presence of recycling on the business side, we would need more recycling resources to complete the process. This would create jobs, helping the economy as well. What's stopping us? What would it mean for taxes? Is it probable? How do other countries make it work?

Littering. Because of my last proposal, I wonder how littering is controlled in other countries. What are the fines like? What is litter to them? Do those that have to recycle and separate their trash have less litter? But this could just be something explored within the idea above.

The other issue that has sparked my interest is the grocery store that Sylvia spoke about "Ingredients" although I'm not sure what I could make the story about...

Case Study Materials

Case Study 1: 9/11 and the Iraq War

Feb. 13 (W): Documentary "Buying the War"

http://vimeo.com/33033186

Feb. 15 (F): Watch "Fahrenheit 911"

Readings:
Framing the War on Terror by Reese & Lewis
Ignoring the lessons of 9/11 by Jensen
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/09-15

Feb. 20 (W): Debate on "What should the role of the press be in critical times?"

Case Study 2:  Walmart & Starbucks

Readings:
Flattener No. 7: Supply-Chaining -- from The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Introduction and p. 82-112 of China Crisis: The End of Cheap Labor -- from The Price of a Bargain by Gordon Laird

(Mon) Feb. 25: Documentary Mardi Gras: Made in China

(Wed) Feb. 27: Documentary -- China Blue

(Fri) March 1: Guest speaker on India-U.S. relations

(Mon) March 4: Discussion and guest presentation on media framing of Foxconn suicides

(Wed) March 6: Documentary -- Living with Coffee
http://youtu.be/BwYl69VstPw

Presentations:

A) How did U.S. politicians frame the job loss/outsourcing issue?
http://prezi.com/6ckpblqzybch/outsourcing/

B) Debate: Who's responsible for the inequality between workers in the third world and consumers in the first world?

Reading: Chapter 1 "Capitalism: Marvelous, Misunderstood, Maligned" from Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey & Raj Sisodia.

C) Advocacy groups and the Fair Trade movement.

Case Study 3: You Are What You Eat

(Wed) March 20: Documentary -- Soul Food Junkies

Readings: Fast Food Nation -- Introduction and Ch2 (p.42-57 on marketing to children)

Readings: Fast Food Nation -- Ch 5 (Why the Fries Taste Good), Ch 6 (p.139-144 on chicken nuggets and beef), and Afterwords: The meaning of mad cow

Presentations:

A) Is U.S. beef safe?
http://prezi.com/ksu_cdyixwny/is-american-beef-safe/

B) Food-related health issues among Americans: obesity, diabetes, heart disease
http://prezi.com/jm35tlzzfdme/fast-food-fast-profits/

C) In-depth research on a particular type of food as an extension of the readings: Soda

D) Generically modified food

E) Thoughts on Fish

Case Study 4: Sustainability (Food, Energy, & Paper Waste)

(Fri) April 5: Documentary Dive!

Readings:
1. Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill
2. Americans Waste $130 Billion a Year on Energy
3. Energy Waste Rebounds: Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug

(Fri) April 12: Presentations

A) The American lifestyle and our reliance on petroleum

B) Recycling in the U.S.: Are we doing a good job? (Paper, plastic, or batteries, etc.)

C) UT's energy policy and practice

Obesity in the South

People in the South are not so fat after all -- and they lie less

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/04/people_in_the_south_are_not_so.html#incart_river_default

What a Waste!

I am so glad this documentary exists. I agree 100% with everything Jeremy said. It is up to everyone to tackle this problem, although I agree institutions like grocery stores could make a huge impact. It's such a stupid, yet vastly affective problem, that could be easily changed with a little effort from everyone (considering we are all guilty). I first became interested in this issue when I was 18 years old and a waitress at Carrabba's. One day I asked the manager why we waste so much food and recyclable materials. Day after day, it was astonishing how much we threw away.

One reason they had for not doing away with all this 'waste' in an alternative way was that you must go through the government and deal with an extra tax to have these materials recycled. There is a similar process for giving away restaurant food. Because they are a private institution with original recipes, they must write off the food they give away as charity, rather than a general donation. (I would need to do further research to specifically explain how that works). Yet, they end up paying for this tax and more through the Waste Management and landfill process anyway, as Jeremy pointed out.  So in reality, as Jeremy also pointed out, this is a direct result of laziness and apathy.

I have a second thought. If so little people are bringing this food to the homeless, why not create an effort to educate the homeless, so that they may bring food to themselves? Jeremy dumpster-dives daily and eats very well. If the homeless or those in poverty with hungry families were aware of just how well off they could be following suit, and these institutions are too lazy to make any effort, why not bring their attention to where unexpired, free food is? Jeremy showed Trader Joe's refusal to move their food anywhere but to the trashcan repetitively. I wonder what would happen if he instead used all his  efforts to move the people who need it to the trashcans...

waste and energy

Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill
This paper did a great job identifying the "inefficiencies in the U.S. food system from the farm to the fork to the landfill." By doing this, it is apparent that this is a problem that must be address at every level of the food supply chain in order to gain lasting results. Although the paper did not go into much detail and research, it raised some viable and reasonable solutions that could help the problem.

"Doing so will ultimately require a suite of coordinated solutions, including changes in supply-chain operation, enhanced market incentives, increased public awareness and adjustments in consumer behavior."

Americans Waste $130 Billion a Year on Energy

"There’s a vast lack of knowledge, even in business, about how and where energy is consumed."

I think this is the biggest problem. As a country, we are disconnected and uninformed about how things actually work. From expiration dates on food to energy consummation, most people simply do not know what is happening on the base level.

As the article stated, the best thing we could do is create more readily available information and resources for our citizens. At the end of the day, it is a personal lifestyle choice. I believe if we inform citizens from a younger age they will have a better view of how our actions impact our world and earth.

Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug
Basically what I got from this article is that we love using energy and sometimes we aren't even aware that we are doing so. Almost every aspect of life as we know it revolves around using energy and to us it is merely plugging in a charger or device into an outlet.

Growing up, my father always unplugged the microwave and televisions between usage and taught my sisters and I to do it also. It is a habit for me now. My sister and I unplug the microwave after each use and use a surge protector for everything in the living room which is turned off/unplugged when it's not in use. While this is normal to me, I understand it isn't convenient for our fast pace lives, but I do think we could all be more mindful about our actions and roles on earth!

Tips for Final Projects

First world problems
http://first-world-problems.com/
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first-world-problems

First world problems on Twitter
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23firstworldproblems

First world problems in graphics
http://20px.com/blog/2013/04/09/first-world-problems-part-1/#.UWT5fzemz65

First world problems read by third world people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm32ZPvGIYY



Vision of students today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

Vision of Japanese students today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPW4Lawq6d4

Your Mobile Experience Is Not Theirs from cxpartners

Waste not, want not

I like how the documentary provided historical context. Yes, we all know the history of the U.S., but we all forget that the lifestyle was very different back in the day. According to Gunder’s article, Americas waste 50 percent more than they did in the 70s, and I’m sure a much larger percent during the World Wars. So, not only are we stuffing ourselves more, but we’re wasting more. I honestly think people put less value on this likes the environment, food, the value of one dollar and other people. We have detached ourselves so much that empathy no longer moves us to take action.

Obviously, we all need to eat healthier, recycle and reuse. On the larger level, corporations need to be more socially and environmentally responsible. This is one of the reasons why I disagreed with Mackney and Sisodia earlier…They looked at the big picture instead of at the smaller responsibilities. There’s no reason why nice grocery stores shouldn’t be in low-income neighborhoods with just as good quality of food. It is appalling that grocery stores discard food so easily. If anything, they should be sold at discount, given to nonprofits or even out on a table for people to take, especially the homeless. What’s worse is that merchants and buyers buy food based on its prettiness. It should be ok that carrots are crooked.

The environment and energy consumption is a realm that needs help and support by the government. It should be affordable for people to buy environmentally friendly products. Companies and construction should inform consumers of their options and push for such products. Yes, we pay for our utilities, but is it enough money to curb our excessive usage? Should water be so cheap when people take 30 minute showers? There’s no incentive to save when it is cheap and at the flip of a switch.

I can see how we use more energy and power because we certainly have a lot more things to plug into the wall. I wasn’t surprised about most of the items on E Source’s energy-consuming and power-drawing lists, but I was surprised about the hair dryer and fish tank. These two items would not have crossed my mind. I don’t know much about power, energy and cars. But, even hybrid cars need electricity, which usually needs coal, which is a huge polluter in itself. 

Waste in America

Power plugs

I enjoyed going through the slideshow of the top 10 power-sapping plug-ins and realizing that none of these things are things we actually need to get by, even a dishwasher or a a/c unit or space heater. I counted three things I use in my apartment on a weekly basis: the dishwasher, the a/c unit and the microwave oven. But most of the other things I didn't use on a regular basis, but are things I can see the regular American household using, with the execption of the popcorn maker.

Americans wasting $130 billion

I think the point of the article was offset some by the author admitting this was all very boring and that some of the solutions weren't even necesarry to be summed up. But the most interesting point was that it costs more money to save energy. Obviously, as we stand right now, we'd rather save money than take drastic means to save electiricty.

Reducing FoodWaste

My favorite two numbers from the beginning are that half of our country's land is used for food production — that's pretty incredible. And then: 40 percent of the food that's created doesn't go eaten. That's not very good for efficiency, a waste of land, manpower, energy and resources. Of the five listed categories of things we waste, the three least-wasted are things used for cattle while the most-wasted thing is seafood, which I would think we don't have that much control over the reproduction and rearing process, and then fruits and vegetables.

Dive!

Great documentary. First, to prove that dumpster-diving isn't so disgusting (the whole class was grossed out at the beginning) and then that it could help stop hunger in isolated situations. Hopefully high-profile things like this can spur action. 

Energy Readings

How America is Losing up to 40% of its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill

·      The numbers say it all. The amount of food the world wastes is surprising but then again, not so surprising. I think it’s the reality we have come to live in. of course Americans didn’t know the ramifications of their actions when food became an international industry, nor did they intend to be responsible for waste the resources needed for this type of food production. Unfortunately, it is ultimately our responsibility to change the direction of this problem.

Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug

·      I had no idea that plug loads accounted for 15% of all residential electricity consumptions and 20% of all commercial consumption. I think it would be good to educate people on this issue, especially in the context of our current economy. I don’t know if this is just me, but my main problem with continually plugging and unplugging devices such as microwaves and T.V.s is that you have to reset the device's information every time. (I may just be technologically inept though!)

Americans Waste $130 Billion a Year on Energy

·      I think that though it’s great we have made some progress to lowering energy waste, a big part of the problem is just making sure people understand the consequences of their energy consumption. Like Gunther notes, it’s not as exciting as “electric cars...or solar panels”, but it's equally if not more important. I myself had a hard time understanding the units of measurement in this report, just because I am not familiar with the science behind it. I think it’s important to help people really understand their consumption and inspire people to do something. As with any issue, if enough people got upset, their lawmakers would be more inclined to appease their constituency’s desires. They key to making that happen is by getting people to care.

America's Waste

Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill

• "There was once a time when we wasted far less, and we can get back there again. Doing so will ultimately require a suite of coordinated solutions, including changes in supply-chain operation, enhanced market incentives, increased public awareness and adjustments in consumer behavior."
• Personally, I think that's wishful thinking. Of course, it would be great if we could revert back to our old ways and not waste as much. But I just think America, despite our great successes and first-worldliness, is on a downward spiral toward environmental chaos, and there's no turning back. Politicians aren't in power to make the world happy and healthy - they're there to further their own agendas.
• I feel so fortunate to have grown up in the United States and to have had the childhood that I did, but politically, America is the devil (I apologize for always being so pessimistic). Sure, the UK and the EU have taken steps to combat food waste, but they're a lot more environmentally conscious than we are. We have so much space to set up shop that this concept of "too much waste" doesn't seem to take hold, whereas Europeans, with such little space to work with, can see the effects of such waste immediately.
• "There is the plain economic truth that the more food consumers waste, the more those in the food industry are able to sell."
• The simple supply and demand of economics. My own family has so much extra food lying around in freezers, the pantry and the refrigerator, all because we thought there might be a need for it one day. Once my mom finally decides to do a deep cleaning to only keep what is still fresh of what we normally eat, I can safely say that at least 70 percent of the food in my house will go in to the dumpster. And I'm sure my family isn't the only one like this. Plenty of American families go to the grocery store and buy things that they might one day use, not what they absolutely need. This constant surplus encourages producers to produce even more, which results in even more waste.
• "Standardize and clarify the meaning of date labels on food so that consumers stop throwing out items due to misinterpretation."
• I must admit, I have fallen victim to this misinterpretation as well. It wasn't until I was throwing away a loaf of bread on the printed expiration date and my mom explaining what the "Good by" date meant that I actually understood.

Americans Waste $130 Billion a Year on Energy

• "U.S. businesses and individuals could save money, curb emissions of global warming pollutants, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and cut energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020, merely by taking sensible, practical steps to use energy more efficiently."
• I can agree with a statement like this. I believe in campaigning to make a difference in the individual's way of life, but when it comes to trying to make a difference with government officials, I generally have no hope.
• "Buyers of new homes neglect to ask about the insulation's R-value."
• What's an R-value? There's a reason for all these "market failures!" We don't know a thing about them!
• Impressive numbers.
• "To accelerate that progress, McKinsey says we need federal, state and local government action, more education of consumers and businesses, and greater alignment among utilities, regulators and consumers of energy."
• Aha, that is where our problem lies. Unless something drastic happens that will make those people in power change their minds, they are not going to sacrifice any time or energy on something that doesn't personally benefit themselves.
• Gigatons and quadrillions? What is this, math class? I can't wrap my head around numbers like those. 

 
Energy Waste Rebounds: Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug

• "Indeed, commercial energy use per square foot of commercial building space has declined by 25% and residential energy use per capita household has fallen by nearly one third since the late 1970s."
• Because it saves money. Not necessarily because people want to be more environmentally-friendly.
• "On the contrary, while base building systems have become more efficient, plug loads have done something closer to the opposite."
•  Very interesting. I've always been under the impression that sockets use less energy than the so-called "base systems."
• "High capacity color copiers are the largest common plug loads in offices, one of which consumes about as much as about 30 laptop computers."
• WHAT.
• "Video game consoles, especially those from 2007, and room dehumidifiers are among the largest energy consuming plug loads on an annual basis."
• I guess now we have a good reason to tell my little brother to take a break from playing video games.
• A major portion of the power is used when the electronic device is turned off or in standby mode, which is commonly called "phantom power."
• There are a lot of things I could be turning off, I suppose...
• "North American households waste about $7 billion a year on phantom loads" = "50 million tons of carbon dioxide, or enough electricity to power 6 million households"
• Incredible.
• The coffee machine is #7??
• More important: the hair dryer is #1?!

Is the American Way of Life Sustainable?

The Global Food Waste Scandal
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/zh-cn/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal.html

Videos of Our Food

Here are some video clips I have pulled from a documentary I like. They give pretty good visual explanations to accompany some things we have read about new industrialized farming and food.
 
Beef
Veggies
Fish

This is Unacceptable

I think that most of us, at least in this class setting, would agree that most of what we've read about in these chapters constitutes a set of exceptionally unacceptable practices.

I can't imagine that any of my contemporaries would argue that this way of being (particularly here, with relevance to food, but also just in general) is good or ideal or healthy. In fact, most of what comes up in the peoples' defense for the manifestation of the corporate model of profit-driven food distribution is that we have wandered way to far down this path to reconsider now. It's like we're stuck.

But for me, this case study of the food industry is an embodiment of the ugly capitalism we've cultivate that strikes some primal resonance in our hearts. Housing markets, global commodity trade, and industry based on weapons and war are somehow new creations of ours, but food has always been there. We have always had to eat, and the intimacy we feel with it is as basic as our inclination to breathe.

And that is likely why this strikes us as so disturbing.

Yet so few would outwardly declare that this is completely unacceptable. We have actually come to believe in the delusional system that prompts this industry dynamic.

Our 'institutions of higher education' train bright minds to analyze and write a manual for the techniques for making a profit off of children. The universities push rigorous curriculum in sciences to make brilliantly capable chemists to synthesize fake food flavors because the real things won't wake the suits enough money.

Really smart people once sat down for months of collaboration and came up with the chicken McNugget in the end. Smart kids graduate high school and, with heavy fanfare from their communities and rampant praise of their success, go to study business to become the MBAs who've so successfully make food processors into the lavishly wealthy industry that it is today.

These are the things that we are trained to do. One would assume that graduates of one of the supposedly best educational cultures in the world would leave its institutions with wisdom, inclinations towards peace and humility, a passionate desire to improve the quality of their community and an idolatrous reverence for money and the manufactured crap that it can buy at WalMart and the Apple Store.

But, as we see by the nauseating calamity that we've induced with regard to our own nutrition, this has not been what we've trained people for. Our institutions teach us that capitalism is the only way. The best motivation for people to improve is cut-throat competition. Profit has replaced virtue and business has replaced community.

The rich are rich because the deserve to be. They worked harder than anyone else to get that way, and there's no point in going back to question all the throats the slit to do it.

So for the advertiser who wrote this creed on how to convince people that McDonalds was just a loyal friend in the interest of taking as much of their money as possible, our reaction should not be one of "it's unfortunate that this is how things have to be, to bad nature couldn't be ideal." In stead, we should treat him more like we treat drug addicts and homeless people, saying, "your behavior is unacceptable and ugly, blatantly unhealthy for the community, and destructive to our collective and communal well-being." Then, we should lock him in a 100 square foot concrete cell with steel bars on one side and forget about him for a decade or so.

Food: Love/Hate Relationship

We live in the fast food nation that Eric Schlosser writes about so it is interesting to read about the very things we have deemed as "life" since we were conscious. Most of Schlosser's points I find to be true and find myself to be the victim of.

Intro

"Americans spend more money on fast food then on higher education, presonal computers, computer software, or new cars...movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music - combined."

If this statement is true, it alone explains (maybe subconciously) the way of life for most Americans. Like I always say, I believe the downfalls of this nation cannot be pinned to one failure but are all of the failing and temporarily fit systems working together, everyday, in each of our lives. Although fast food is not singularly to blame for the poor education most Americans receive today, I think it indeed plays a part. More money is spent on fast food than on college, computers, books, newspapers...and all of these things are pertinent for a student to have the sufficient foundation and resources and successfully learn to apply their knowledge to the world around them.

The American Way: McTeachers and Coke Dudes

Initally, I was reading about the school/education advertisments thinking, "Wow, that's horrible. That's crazy.....". Then I realized, I was a victim of these advertisements! I have always felt that the intended effect of ads didn't work on me; I could watch a commercial or see a banner and see right through whatever it was trying to sell me.

The Pizza Hut Book It! Program was active in my elementary and middle school. I even remember going to get a few free personal pan pizzas, actually. I didn't realize it was advertising then (and it didn't necessarily work because I have never bought a pizza from Pizza Hut) and I don't think it made me read more/more efficiently than I already was, but I definitely didn't turn down a free pizza!

Also, the "special lunch days" the readings referred to were active at my middle school. I believe it was on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the cafeteria would serve Pizza Hut and Subway and they would often run out of pizza before some even got the chance to get a slice because who wouldn't want pizza instead of (who knows what's in) school lunch?

Meat and Potatoes: Food Product Design

"You'll find "natural flavor" and "artificial flavor" in just about every list of ingredients. The similarities between these two broad categories of flavor are far more significant than their differences.

I found the facts of food additives, both scent and taste, to be extremely disturbing. This is not even something that I haven't heard before, but the disconnect between the food and the consumer is so huge that hearing it had no lasting effect on me.

Today, all-natural and organic mean little to nothing. Products with both of these labels have been watered down by the almost always unheard of change of USDA regulations and most of these products still contain the food additives that are in all other products.

Afterword: The Meaning of Mad Cow

What I already knew and confirmed while reading Fast Food Nation was reconfirmed by this foreword: The FDA's regulations simply do not look out for our best interest and care little about true nutrition and health. Their "approval" basically means nothing and the fact that "what the FDA had failed to achieve -- after nearly five years of industry consultation and halfhearted regulation -- the McDonald's Corporation accomplished in a matter of weeks" says a lot about who and what leads our world.

-------------------------------------

In high school, I was a vegetarian for about two years after a bad Chili's boneless buffalo wing experience (that topped off crazy-woman research and realizations about our nation's food). This was until I tried to give blood and my iron level was less than half of what was required. Mind you, this was AFTER I spent a couple months eating "leafy greens", beans, and other foods that were said to surely boost my iron levels. Today, I still don't eat much meat, I still get my favorite vegetarian dishes if I eat at a restaurant, and I absolutely do not eat "fast-food." I use that term very loosely because some of the same companies and same methods that distribute potatoes, chicken and beef to McDonalds also supply America's favorite chain restaurants. All this to say that reading Fast Food Nation has not only made me not want to eat meat but eat very little to nothing....

I have a love/hate relationship with food. I love it so much, but I probably hate it even more. I have always been really interested and aware of the food I eat, but reading about it again always reignites my hate and disgust for a lot of today's food.

Soul vs. Fast Food Nation

Soul Food: What he seemed to be saying was that the roots of soul food come in the togetherness of family and a symbol of freedom and success even through the harsh times of slavery. They may not have been able to control much, but they did control the cooking. And that cooking was what all their "masters" grew up on. It was a huge role that is numerously undermined.

Fast Food Nation: To me, fast food has roots more in individualism and skin deep satisfaction, rather than a sense of family and togetherness. Fast food is something you swing through and normally get by yourself, then go eat in front of the TV or at school/work. I can't think of a time when I thought of having a fast food meal as a time with family or something I'd like to think I grew up on. I was very happy with the Fast Food Nation excerpts because the author didn't only bash the industry for all its wrong doing, he revealed just how much it is the consumers fault as well and explained why and how exactly we became like this.

Soul food was the heart and sole of a suppressed people, whereas fast food is, and always has been, a cheap and chemically induced alternative to a real meal. At the same time they both reflect a type of American freedom. With fast food, you don't have to cook for yourself; you don't even have to grocery shop; and it's so cheap, it's practically free. Even poor people in America could survive on fast food financially. With soul food, it was a liberating source of power for black people that they raised this nation on.

On the flip side, one way in which they are extremely similar is that the actual ingredients or each diet are not healthy for anyone...

Disgusting Things Found in Food

This is the list I was talking about:

http://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2012/09/most-disgusting-things-ever-found-in.html

You Are What You Eat

But do you know what you're eating?

Survey Finds That Fish Are Often Not What Label Says

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/us/survey-finds-that-fish-are-often-not-what-label-says.html 

Thoughts about Fish
http://beccco.blogspot.com/2013/03/blog-post_28.html

Food and health

U.S. Health in International Perspective

Shorter Lives, Poorer Health

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest.

http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2013/US-Health-International-Perspective/USHealth_Intl_PerspectiveRB.pdf

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/CPOP/DBASSE_080393#deaths-from-all-causes

What's wrong with what we eat? (5 TED talks) 

http://www.ted.com/playlists/75/what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html

McDonalds: The WalMart of Food

First disturbing fact: McDonalds is the nation's #1 purchaser of pork.

Who can name a McDonalds menu item which is advertised as being pork based? Is it in the hamburgers? The McNuggets? The milk shakes?

I read once an interesting article in some magazine, maybe National Geographic, which explained that our modern style of processed, preserved, and packaged food in the United States are based on innovations prompted by wartime innovation. In the 1940's, great minds were set to develop some form of nutrition that tens of thousands of American soldiers could carry for weeks or months across the battlefields of Europe.

The result is everything from fried potatoes that can sit on gas station shelves for months to little McNuggets of chicken that were coalesced weeks before you eat them.

An impression I get from this presentation of the matter is that the fast food restaurants we eat in aren't actually the real business. The business is the great industrial plans where patties, buns, nuggets, fries, tots, cheesy-balls, and McMuffins, are pumped from their mechanized producers, packaged, labeled, tagged, dated, sorted, and loaded onto trucks and trains to their dispensaries: the restaurants.

Fast food is kind of like IKEA, the factory produces all the parts and packages them with some fantastic logistical control, then all you (well, some worker) have to do is assemble them. Thus, a value meal in 30 seconds.

And in fact, it reminds me even of our discussions of WalMart. The real magic at work is not in the uniformity of the franchise or the unrealistic prices, but rather in the regimentation of a supply line that can turn cows, potatoes, wheat, lettuce, tomato, chickens, pigs, and a well stocked laboratory of petrochemicals and the sort into food for 46 million people daily dispensed at almost 13,000 national locations.

That is a lot of food on the move. Imagine the trucks and trains and factories and machines and poor foreign labor at work non-stope to produce 46 million meals every single days.

It's like we're some kind of termite colony.

Fast Soul Food Junkie Nation

Soul Food Junkies

•  I really enjoyed this documentary. It's very interesting and has a good flow to it. I did find fault, though, with one thing. While I do agree that slaves were given the the food that wasn't good enough for their "owners" to eat, I don't believe that that's the reason that we have soul food nowadays. The United States wasn't the only country to have African slaves - all of the Americas and even parts of Europe participated in the slave trade. I know most about the slave conditions in Brazil, the country with the highest slave population in the world. Brazil's national dish, feijoada, a plate full of rice and black beans stewed with meats, has a history that dates back to the slave days of Brazil. Brazilian slaves were given the parts of the pig that the "owners" didn't want - the ears, the tongue, the intestines, the snout, etc. - and mixed it into a pot of black beans to be served with rice. Nowadays, feijoada is still served (albeit with better meat ingredients), complete with rice, of course, as well as diced oranges and cooked collard greens. My point is that Brazilian slaves had to deal with similar conditions that American slaves had to, and they didn't end up with this problem of obesity and/or weight-related health conditions. The soul food revolution is very Americanized and can't be blamed solely on the American institution of slavery.

Fast Food Nation Introduction

• "Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music - combined."
• That's crazy... If only it could be the reverse, we'd be citizens of such a great country.
• "The entry of so many women into the workforce (2/3 of mothers) has greatly increased demand for the types of services that housewives traditionally perform: cooking, cleaning, and child care."
• So it's all our fault, is it? Just because some of us aspire to be more than incubators and/or domestic slaves, we are to blame for the nation's growing waistline? There may be some truth to it, but it just perpetuates sexism, and I don't buy it. Men must shoulder some of the blame, too.
• "The company annually hires about one million people, more than any other American organization, public or private."
• There's always a tradeoff. McDonald's gives such fuel to our economy, but the food is slowing us down.
• "A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus."
• Whoa. The main fictional figures of American children's childhood are Santa Claus, a fat man that gives out toys, and Ronald McDonald, a clown who represents obesity and also gives out toys. Sad, isn't it?
• "The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross."
• I think that's stretching it a little...
• "In many respects, the fast food industry embodies the best and the worst of American capitalism at the start of the twenty-first century - its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gulf between rich and poor."
• This, and the fact that it's created a nation full of overweight and obese people, are reasons why those golden arches are a symbol of the country as a whole.
• "The current methods for preparing fast food are less likely to be found in cookbooks than in trade journals such as Food Technologist and Food Engineering."
• I've read/seen pictures of/watched videos of various studies and/or personal experiences with years-old McDonald's food. Here's a website with such a study. It's very revealing on how the "food" isn't really food at all, but more like a science experiment.
• "Subdivisions, shopping malls, and chain restaurants..."
• Even more symbols of the American lifestyle.
• "The United States now has more prison inmates than full-time farmers."
• This isn't only because the amount of farmers has decreased, though. Prisons are multiplying and getting fuller.
• "These changes have made meatpacking - once a highly skilled, highly paid occupation - into the most dangerous job in the United States, performed by armies of poor, transient immigrants whose injuries often go unrecorded and uncompnesated."
• So they're America's version of sweatshops.
• "That is one of the main reasons people buy fast food; it has been carefully designed to taste good. It's also inexpensive and convenient."
• Have I mentioned that at this very moment, I am eating some cold, leftover Little Caesar's $5 Hot-and-Ready pizza? Oops.

Fast Food Nation Ch. 2

•   "Hoping that nostalgic childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases, companies now plan "cradle-to-grave" advertising strategies."
• Advertising is just evil. It represents all that is wrong with the world. (Might be a hyperbolic statement, but it is truly evil.
• "Market research has found that children often recognize a brand logo before they can recognize their own name."
• Not a comforting find.
• "Children as 'surrogate salesmen...'"
• The industry is sick, I tell you!
• "The chains often distribute numerous versions of a toy, encouraging repeat visits by small children and adult collectors who hope to obtain complete sets."
• And, as even more of an incentive, consumers can make money off of those collections like this kid did. He got over $11,000 for his collection of about 7,000 Happy Meal toys!
• "Now you can buy a Happy Meal at the Happiest Place on Earth."
• All this talk of the "kid kustomer" almost makes me not want to have children. I don't to bring a child into the world, only for it to be part of the "Man's" ploy for more money.
• "'The challenge of the campaign,' wrote Ray Bergold, the Chain's top marketing executive, 'is to make customers believe that McDonald's is their 'Trusted Friend.''"
• But it's not!! Advertisers are so frustrating! Stop trying to make us "want" what we shouldn't have!
• McDonald's as the "official restaurant" of the Olympics DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
• "In 1993 District 11 in Colorado Spring started a nationwide trend, becoming the first public school district in the United States to place ads for Burger King in its hallways and on the sides of its school buses."
• That will never be seen again. Especially with Michelle Obama leading the way to healthy living.
• "Children spend about seven hours a day... in school. Those hours have in the past been largely free of advertising, promotion, and market research - a source of frustration to many companies."
• Let the children learn, gosh darn it!
• "He [DeRose] doesn't think that advertising in the schools will corrupt the nation's children."
• Are you kidding me?? Ugh, I just can't handle this.
• "The nation's three major beverage manufacturers are now spending large sums to increase the amount of soda that American children consume."
• Just stop! Do they not have a conscience? How on Earth could they think this is okay?
• My roommate and I were just talking about what people drink the other day. We were talking about how we need to drink so much water just to not feel dehydrated, yet some people are constantly dehydrating themselves by drinking less than a bottle of water per day, and replacing the rest with sodas. My little brother, for instance, hardly drinks water, and instead prefers to drink milk and/or Sprite. It's not as bad as drinking Mountain Dew all day, every day, but it's still not great.
• "Celebration [Florida], a planned community run by The Celebration Company, a subsidiary of Disney."
• This exists?! What is happening...

The differences between Soul Food and fast food

Food is often much more than what we fill our stomachs with to keep away hunger, but rather a key link to our culture and something that brings us together.

Because of this, it is difficult for the Deep South to part ways with Soul Food, which is unhealthy.

As we saw in the documentary, so many African-Americans identify with Soul Food — mostly because it connects them to their ancestors — that they'll gladly deal with the negative effects of loading up on the fattening foods.

This problem is different than what we're facing with fast food. For those who frequent McDonald's and Burger King and the others, it's a matter of convenience and cost. Five minutes, and less dollar, for a full, filling meal. Soul food, on the other hand, isn't convenient — these big meals include many dishes that take a while to make — and isn't especially affordable. 

As we tackle the problem of obesity, it's important to recognize there are different reasons why people binge eat. 

Food!

Soul Food

This documentary was well put together with a mix of humor, seriousness, culture and history. The film definitely captures the central role food plays in our lives. Food is necessary, fun, delightful, cultural, historical and biologically intriguing. For these reasons, food holds a lot of power directly and indirectly. Since I lived in the Bible Belt for the majority of my life, I can vouch that there is a KFC on just about every block. Soul food is huge in Memphis especially fried chicken and BBQ. Every May there is a HUGE festival dedicated to southern food. It’s literally rows upon rows or soul food. However, I don’t think soul food is that bad. I think it’s more of the transition that soul food has gone through like the adding of more more salt, grease, chemicals, preservatives and fast food style that has brought on obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. I do commend the schools though that preach fresh foods and gardens.  

Fast Food Nation

Fast food is one of the first things that comes to mind when one says America. It’s too convenient because they’re everywhere. They’re fast and cheap. People have to work more so there really isn’t time to spend cooking and shopping for food. There’s also this mentality to eat on the go when we’re not sitting watching TV. Overall, the industry has certainly shaped popular culture and agriculture as well as the health of Americans. I like Schlosser’s point in that he says, “Unlike other commodities, however, fast food isn’t viewed, read, played, or worn. It enters the body and becomes part of the consumer.” I always knew that advertisements were being directed more at kids, and I knew that textbooks had secret marketing strategies. But, I didn’t know that it was that extensive. I should have known that it would be tax deductable for these companies as well.

I remember my school would put on a magazine drive to help raise money for the school. The goal was to raise the most you could so you could prizes and participate in the festival – which meant skipping class. My mom hated because she said that it makes the parents feel so guilty if they don’t want to contribute. Plus, the kids are selling magazines which are just harbors of more advertisements. 

Soul Food Nation or Just Plain Food Nation?

Soul Food Nation questioned and explored many of the food, nutrition and health issues African Americans continue to face today. The accounts telling the historical births to these issues were pertinent because I believe many people make negative judgments and assumptions on “soul food” and the way it is prepared but don’t fully understand the roots of these food items. Knowing how these foods were introduced to this group of people and how they were grown and made in the past gives us an entirely new perspective.

A girl in the documentary made a very valid point: her people are not concerned with the problems of the future but focused on the meal that is present. This is the mindset that most Americans have today; we find ourselves giving into restaurants and innutritious foods everyday with intentions of eating better in the future. Although many people may see the problems with our food, they find it very difficult to give things up or very expensive to buy better options. In a way, I think we are all addicted to some of the empty meals and sweets we grew up on, but the price burden some people carry is an entirely different issue.

Many would agree that the mass production of food is needed in order to feed all of our citizens, but I strongly believe that if this production was rethought and refocused we could have a much healthier and more nutritious America. Every level involved in this production, from the farmers and buyers to cooks and consumers, would have to work together, but first, the problem must be addressed. With a nation consumed and busied by the systems of education, work etc, will we ever stop and think long enough about the foods we use to “fuel” us day to day to fully address and change the issue? We are filling our bodies with low-grade gas and already seeing the negative effects of it killing our family members, neighbors and friends.

One point that especially resonated with me was the mention of food deserts all over the nation. Although the documentary focused on the devastation that black communities face in these places, these food deserts affect a much wider range of people. This could be said about the entire documentary; although soul food might be having a negative effect on African Americans, unhealthy food overall is having a negative effect on every American, whether these effects are visibly seen or not.

Capitalism is Survival of the Fittest

I can see the many good points that Mackey makes. But what every business man fails to mention is that capitalism, in its purest form, is impossible. Capitalism is a complex ideology that, like everything, is not perfect, and has both good and bad sides. The root of the problem with capitalism, Mackey states in one of the first paragraphs of his introduction, “the consumers think the prices are too high, the workers think their pay is too low.”  But the prices need to be high to ensure the workers are being paid, and the their pay can't be too high, or the business will have no money to run itself. It seems to me, that for us to live in a perfectly capital world, everyone would need to own his or her own business.

The problem with this perfect capitalist world is that for a business to succeed, it needs workers. One individual cannot hope to run a successful company on his or her own. During the discussion of China Blue, a few of us had stated that when we think of our clothes, and most other goods, being manufactured, the first thought that comes to mind is a machine.

Combining these two ideas, it occurred to me how much potential technology serves to capitalism in general. The more advanced the machines, the less hands a business requires to hire. Years and years from now, maybe a close-to-perfect capitalist world isn’t as far fetched as it sounded. The fewer jobs available to people, the more they would have to create work for themselves, which would force everyone to be innovative and competitive. Everyone would have to have a service to offer, and only the best ones would operate on a large scale. It would be survival of the fittest intellectually, instead of physically like in our caveman time.

At the same time, we would be a stronger knit community because no one could meet their need for every service. For an individual to abandon one’s own practice in attempt to fulfill all their other needs would be the demise of their practice. Mackey says we aren’t forced to be consumers, but I disagree. What else are we going to do? We don’t live in an indigenous world anymore, money is our ticket for the needs we previously scowered the earth for.

In contrast, businesses would go under and get weeded out for their insufficiency compared to those who provide service with the largest demand, and the cycle would begin again. Capitalism is like life in general in the survival of the fittest sense, which is why is appeals to the world we live in today. A world run by money. Although the technology scenario is a dreamer thought, one can see how capitalism serves both good and bad, like human nature itself. At the same time, we can also see there will never be a time that we live in a perfectly capitalist world, which Mackey fails to mention. He believes too much in the good of humanity, when in reality, we all are here for our own self-interest, and when survival is at stake is when you see us in our most primal state. Although, I do agree with him, that it really is our best option.