My apologies to all my group members who have not been able to get in the correct amount of comments per week due to my lack of recent posts. I'm going to pick today's blog post up from our writing activity we did on Monday. Hopefully now my thoughts will be more coherent, now that I've had more time to think about it. Before I delve into that, I would like to point out how seriously this book has affected me. I have found myself only shopping in the organic sections of Kroger, only buying meat and chicken from animals that are free range and injection free, and planning my next visit to the farmers' market. I've also found myself actually anthropomorphizing corn by sending it negative thoughts when I pass corn products... although I have not been able to stop by addiction to soda. But, all of that aside, moving on to Monday's writing prompt and my response:
In TOD, Pollan argues that there is a huge opposition between natural, evolutionary logic and the logic that governs the industrial farm system. An example of this is Naylor's farm in chapter two. When the farm began, as a family personal feeding system, there was four feet of topsoil and the corn that was raised was edible for immediate human consumption. This corn had naturally adapated to its environment and had evolved to the stasis state which it could remain in.
This suffers a sharp contrast to the logic that governs the industrial farm system. The industrial farm system's logic is demonstrated in what Naylor's farm is today. While previously the corn grown was able to feed the family while supporting a lively-hood, it no longer can. He grows more corn than ever before, on a less substantial soil. This corn is treated with all sorts of chemicals in order to produce more in a shorter time (very unnaturally). And, most importantly, this corn cannot be directly edible for humans. This corn is used in a number of other ways, broken down and stripped for different uses. Although this corn cannot be eaten as is, it winds up being consumed through different means. Pollan uses this opposition in order to portray how unnatural our way of life currently is.
This argument is also continued when one looks at Pollan's study of steer 534. On page 84, how he discusses changing the cow to "industrialize the miracle of nature that is ruminant, taking the sunlight - and prairie grass powered organism, and turning it into the last thing we need: another fossil fuel machine.This one, however, is able to suffer." When someone uses such a strong word as 'miracle' its terrible to think how that miracle will no longer exist.
Closing notes: "You are what what you eat eats, too. And what we are or have become, is not just meat but number 2 corn and oil."
Great post Colleen! I especially found your illustrating of Pollan's point that cows have become another industrial machine a very valid point. Doesn't it speak ill of us humans to commodify animals this way.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that there has been a major clash the natural evolutionary system with the industrial agenda. To be honest, this isn't a clash at all. Industrial corporations are altering nature to fit our needs to make money. The only way ,we as the people of earth, can stop major farming corporations from altering our foods and nature is to boycott foods that have been altered or have chemicals in them. Companies don't sell things if they aren't being bought. That is simple business logic. It is Econ 101. If people only purchase organic foods, and stop eating foods with chemicals in them, the businesses will change. They change if we change. They sell what want.
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