After watching the movie in class, the last thing I wanted to do was eat. The movie was a real eye opener for me. It was something that I figured was going on, but it was one of those things that I really didn’t want to know the details about. I know that sounds wrong, not caring where your food comes from, but at the end of the day I am still going to buy these foods. I think the movie was very beneficial because I was able to see actual what was going on, while the book was good because it gives the facts behind the footage.
The section of the film that I got the most out of was when they were interviewing Barbara Kowalcyk. The fact that her two year old child, Kevin, died from eating meat really opened my eyes. It taught me that we can’t trust the government or food companies to watch out for our safety because at the end of the day all they really want is the profit. The reason that this part of the movie stuck out to me so much was because I have a two year old nice, and I could not even imagine this happening to her. Not only that, but the reality of it is that it can happen to anyone. I think the movie did a great job in telling this story because I was able to see the emotional side of Kevin’s mom. Also, I was able to see home videos of Kevin and that made me want to get involved right away. Also, in other parts of the movie the footage and music helped me stay engaged throughout the film.
The book was very helpful as well because it gave more details. It was nice that in the beginning of each chapter it gave background information on the person or groups that chapter was involved with. I think that gave the film more credibility because they weren’t trying to hide anything. Also, it just made more aware of the people and groups out there that are trying to help us. I think books are very good at giving shocking facts. The book gave many facts that weren’t in the film. One quote from the reading the really got to me was on page sixty two, “To put this growth rate in perspective, the University of Arkansas that if humans grew as fast as today’s chickens, we’d weight 349 pounds by our second birthday.” I think this just puts hoe corrupt this system of farming is. Overall, I liked watching and reading Food Inc. because it has shown me all of the elements that have gone into making it.
I too did not want to eat after viewing the film. It is really shocking that the government would allow conventional farming practices such as intensive chicken farming to occur. I completely agree that at the end of the day, profit is all anyone is concerned about. I also found Kevin's story to be very compelling to wanting to make a change in the way in which America grows livestock. I think that including that personal story about Kevin in the movie helped to emotionally draw in the audience and try and persuade them to help make a change.
ReplyDeleteAllison, I think this is an excellent blog post. I totally agree that I did not want to eat after watching the film, but I will at the end of the day still be buying the same food. Great job with your post.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the thinking about that your eating/not wanting to eat comment. After class I went to Wendy's, and contributed to what the film was preaching against unfortunately. But, I found myself thinking about the film and where did the meat in this hamburger come from and how was it treated? Don't get me wrong I'll never become vegetarian or anything close to the sort, but it was interesting how the film sparked a thought, and how that thought reoccurred multiple times since I watched the film.
ReplyDeleteThis sucks to say but i believe that you are 100% right when you said that the government and food agencies do not care for public's health but only profit. This is a scary thing to think about. If these two groups don't care about our safety and well being, we could be in serious trouble.
ReplyDeleteI have a chicken breast thawing for my dinner at home, and I know that it wasn't organic or free range, and I feel kind of guilty. I'd really love to eat 100% organic, humanely raised chicken and other meats, but right now, the cost is too high for my budget. Though, at least now I'm thinking about what that chicken lived through before I cook it up. I can definitely understand your feelings about not wanting to eat...
ReplyDeleteKnowing the behind the scenes of food production, did also make me want to not eat. There were parts int he movie where I actually had to look away because I was so disgusted. I feel watching the film and reading the book as also open my eyes to what I am eating.
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