"Fast Food Nation" and "The Jungle"

I watched the film "Fast Food Nation" a few days ago. I wanted to write a post about it but this film has so much to say about our society I had to wait till I got it sorted out in my own mind. First let me say I read the book many years ago when it first came out, and it put me off meat for a year. So I wasn't surprised by the content of the film, but I was curious as to how they were going to integrate the different aspects of this non-fiction book into a coherent story that would make sense on the big screen. I was impressed by the way they accomplished this task.

I would recommend this film to all, with the following caveats: Don't watch this movie over dinner (you'll thank me for that one later). Don't see this movie with a date unless your date is a social activist and really appreciates this sort of thing. And if you tend toward squeamishness you may want to leave the room when they start showing the slaugherhouse procedures at the end of the film. Finally, this film may indeed turn you against meat either temporarily or permanently, but they've really improved soy hamburger replacements, it's hard to tell them from the real thing especially in spaghetti sauce or chili, so you don't have to live off of tofu.

It has been a long time since I read the book but from what I can remember there is a LOT more info that they just couldn't include in the movie, so the book is a very worthwhile read. The book and movie don't focus strictly on fast food - one thing that surprised me when I read the book. However there is enough in there to make anyone reconsider their fast-food habit. Fortunately there are far more healthful alternatives out there. I've become very reluctant to visit any fast food establishments other than Subway, and can't remember the last time I had an actual hamburger.

Another related book that you should read if you haven't already is "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. It's his expose of the meat-packing industry at the turn of the 20th century. This is another one that can easily turn you off of meat for a while, and it's an incredibly worthwhile read. Sinclair deviates from his intended subject over the course of this book and it becomes an endorsement of socialism and organized labor. I support unions wholeheartedly - the benefits and work-related laws we have today are a direct result of the power of collective bargaining, and this is something that anti-union folks need to remember. If you have benefits and safe working conditions, thank a union member.

As far as socialism, back in my sixth grade social studies class we learned about the different forms of economic structures of governments (capitalism, socialism and communism) and my teacher presented a theory I've never forgotten. She said that the three types of government formed a never-ending cycle that represented the evolution of government. A government may begin as a socialist society but eventually the government gains too much power and it becomes a communist dictatorship. Eventually the people rebel and demand their liberties, and the economic system transitions to a capitalist system. Then after a while too much inequality develops in a capitalist system and the class divide becomes too great - too few haves and far too many have-nots, and the have-nots demand government-sponsored benefits which they need to survive but otherwise cannot afford (sound familiar?) and a socialist structure evolves. I believe that the division between the haves and the have-nots is almost great enough that the wheel of this cycle will soon turn and the United States will develop a more socialist-oriented economic system in order to meet the needs of the masses. If you think I'm speaking treason, do yourself a favor and investigate socialism. Read Karl Marx and The Communist Manifesto - you'll be surprised by how different the reality of this document is from the propaganda we've been fed. Don't continue to blindly accept the propaganda-based lessons on communism we've all had shoved down our throats - open your minds, think, educate yourself and form your own opinions. It's hard work but it's so worth the effort.

"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they're angry, they bring about change." - Malcolm X

Later,
AuntieM