Food Inc. - The Rogerian Argument

The current modes of production of corn and soybeans, the two most prevalent crops in America, are unsustainable and inconsistent with the natural processes of the Earth. Corporate influence on crops causes mass-scale production without the availability of seed-saving. Subsequently, corporations are in control of farmers, the crops they plant, the prices they set, and the means of their production. This way of producing crops is disturbing to our diets and our environment.
            However, with population on the rise, one major concern in America is food availability. Certainly current modes of food production are somewhat unsustainable, but the reality is that they must be structured in such a way to meet the needs of a large populous. Urban sprawl, continued land use, and the current way of living call for new technology in the realm of agriculture. These are simple realities. We cannot practice agriculture in the ways of old. To do so would reverse years of technological improvements. Modifying our foods allows farmers the ability to mass-produce. We have to modify our foods and our practices to this standard in order to meet our needs. Certainly, some health benefits are conceded with this type of production, but the good of mass production still prevails because we must meet the needs of the populous as a whole. Furthermore, scientific innovations offer great hope to regaining the health benefits lost to large-scale agricultural production.
            The images and stories in Food Inc. are disturbing. However, the directors did not mention the crisis of the availability of food in this country. The sheer amount of people who live here contributes greatly to this issue. If the current system can be modified to be less damaging to the Earth, yet still provide us with large crop yields, then we will be on a smarter path. We have the technology and means of innovation necessary to put us on that path. We must trust in current science to arrange for a smarter planet agriculturally. This science can be used to make the current agricultural practices more sustainable, yet still maintain the production necessary to meet the needs of the population.

Food Week

The first time I ever watched Food Inc. I was a sophomore in high school. I’d never been exposed to such information about the food system in America. I never understood the brevity of the issue. After seeing this documentary, I remember feeling deeply saddened and angered. I felt as if my rights had been violated. How could the government I had trusted so much, the government I’d touted flags and buttons and colors for year after year, encourage such a food system that was so degrading to its people?

I cried for a solid 20 minutes after watching Food Inc. I’d seen it by happenstance in a local movie theater with my brother, but my actions afterward would be far from coincidental. I took a gung-ho approach to informing everyone I could about the issue. I would talk to my friends at lunch: Do you know that your hamburger was probably cleansed with ammonia? Do you know that most farmers can’t save their own seeds? Do you know? Do you care?

And you know what? They really didn’t. Most people just wanted me to stop talking. They didn’t want to be pestered. Don’t rock the boat. But all I wanted was for people to know about the issue. That’s it. To just understand where their food was coming from and how unsustainably it was grown.

I realize now that instead of preaching on the topic, I should have just suggested watching the film. Certainly the doc is somewhat overdramatic in parts (creepy music constantly playing the background), but its overall message rings very true with the current reality of the American food system. This makes it an effective documentary with lots of supporting evidence. The film shows we have serious issues. Disgusting issues. And the public needs to know. I’m convinced that if people weren’t ignorant and apathetic about societal problems, they’d be very motivated to enact change, especially when those problems face us three times a day at each and every meal.