After the second part of Omnivore's Dilemma, which focused mainly on grass, we discussed a weird contrast between corn and grass. Although both from the same plant family, Pollan clearly prefers grass (the kind you would find in pastures) over corn, leading into the discussion of organic (grass) versus industrial (corn). The comparison between the two methods of producing food are what fueled this part of the book and our discussions last night.
One of the topics we discussed last night was the romanticism of marketing and the idea of red barns and rolling green pastures. Pollan also discusses this in the book, when comparing organic to non-organic. But what we come to see is that even if something is labelled organic, it's ultimately a marketing ploy; we will pay extra for a good story, which further disconnects us from where our food is really from and what really goes into providing the steak or vegetable that we buy in the grocery store.
Another theme we discussed in class that wasn't as much in the book was the fact that to sustain the 7+ billion people living on the earth the idea of "industrial" farming becomes a necessity. By farming the way people did 50 years ago, we could not support the growing population we do now, which becomes a much more complicated ethical issue. We discussed that while true organic farming may be better in some ways, it couldn't support all the people alive now , and the question of who should get food becomes relevant, presenting a very difficult ethical question. Contrast this with the ethical questions of "industrial" farming, and you're left with an extremely intricate mess of ethical issues.
So with the discussion of organic and non-organic, which is more ethical and realistic? The answer isn't nearly as simple as it might seem at first.
Not only do we pay for convenience, but also for aesthetics. We are so disconnected from our food for many reasons. We don't know where it actually came from, we don't know its conditions; we don't even know what it is! Super markets and food companies are all about the marketing - they're just out for the money.
ReplyDeleteQuite possibly, I'm just heartless and straightforward, but just because we've over-inhabited this planet, doesn't mean we have to maintain support for everyone. Survival of the fittest isn't implemented at all in our society. We're all about helping people, even the ones who aren't willing to help themselves. Ideally, if our planet's population was the size it were intended to be, complete organic farming would be sufficient to support our world. However, that will never happen. (Sorry for the grime outlook).