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.