Food, Inc
Jul 19, 05:04 PM by Eric Allen
One of the hardest things for me as a young adult is coming to terms with just how deeply broken our world is. From dangerous climate change to rampant corruption in the government to irrational genocide, there are things going on in our world that just don’t make sense to me. It seems like every time I turn around I uncover yet another festering evil. Can I trust the government? The banks? Industry? Media? What isn’t broken?
For a young person becoming aware of the world, these realizations can be a hard blow. No wonder most of us just zone it all out. Unfortunately for me, I can’t seem to ignore the harsh realities I’m faced with. When I think “climate change” I don’t think poor little polar bears—I question the sustainability of human life on Earth. Without the “whatever” filter of a normal teenager, I came face to face with a lot of hard questions, and I still do.
That’s why I knew I had to see Food, Inc. After watching it today, I must admit I was brought to tears by a lot of it. Food in the U.S. has become yet another business seeking efficiency and profit over all else. The most appalling part to me is that the farmers don’t want this! They just want to make an honest living, but they have no choice but to go along with industrial agriculture. Most consumers don’t know any better, so agribusiness continues to grow and profit year after year while our watersheds become polluted, deadly diseases like E. coli multiply and transform, and oil is consumed at an astonishing rate.
What do we do? Fortunately, there is an answer. Unlike the answer to climate change (“stop using energy”), you have an opportunity to make a difference three times a day. Every time you eat a bite of food, think about where it came from and how it got to you. When you shop at the supermarket, read the labels and carefully question what you’re buying and how much. We can make a difference as consumers, and until we do things will remain as they are.
If there’s one movie you see this year, make it Food, Inc. Go see it. Now.
