The Beginning...

I honestly do not remember when we first watched Food, Inc. (2009), however, I do remember several things:

• Watching with our dear friends, Tim and Lindsay
• The ending song and statements brought tears to my eyes
• The documentary was the first one I had watched that really opened my eyes to the corruptness of the food industry and how important supporting local businesses was.
• I began to recognize the disparities in  the food system and question if the 'obesity crisis' was really about education and health or if it was more about capitalism and putting money in large corporations pockets.

I continued to watch Food, Inc. over the years and throughout our food journey; the ending song and statements still brought tears to my eyes, but I began to see things in the documentary that troubled me.  Most recently, a professor, Katie Gillespie, showed Food, Inc. on the first day of class for Animals, Ethics and Food: Deconstructing Dominant Discourse and I wrote a journal entry where I finally reflected on Food, Inc. and the portions that troubled me.

In some spots it's easy to spot the 'doublethink', but in others I still find myself being sucked in by the drama of the movie itself.  I found it more interesting watching peoples' reactions to the film, especially those who were seeing it for the first time.  It seemed that the most upsetting part for people was watching the animals (chickens) at Polyface Farms being processed.  To me the most upsetting parts are watching the abuse of the animals, but even moreso the abuse of the workers.  It is profound to me that we create sanctuaries to rescue injured animals and yet we have no problem condemning 'illegal' immigrants and exploiting minorities and deporting people.  Why is watching a chicken's throat be slit more upsetting than watching a Hispanic family be removed forcibly from their home of fifteen years?  I see different things now than when I first watched the film.  For example, I see how political parties can come together and unite over the issue of food politics and advocacy.  However, the statement by the mom who lost her son, "I believe the government was established to protect the people"; makes me realize how naive people can be.  How naive I was!  The government was created to protect the people with the most money who can choose which people to place in governments positions to control.  Being able to look back and see what an incredible catalyst this film has been for my life has been somewhat nostalgic.  I've come a long way since Michael Pollan and Food, Inc., but am so thankful that they were the ones to start me off.  They're also still the ones that I refer everyone to so they can begin their journey.  I'm ready to start cutting my permanent teeth and broaden my views and expand my knowledge.  It's good to go back and see where I started this journey and see something 'old' with new eyes. (From my reflective journal entry for CHID 480B)

         

Kenner, R., Pearce, R., Schlosser, E., Robledo, M., Pohlad, W., Skoll, J., Schorr, R., ... Magnolia Home 
           Entertainment (Firm). (2009). Food, Inc. Los Angeles, CA: Magnolia Home Entertainment.