From Farms to Factories

"From farms to factories" was an eye opening chapter and presentation. I was extremely blown away by the radical transformation of hog farming. Doublespeak was an interesting topic because it reinforced the idea in “The Meatrix”. Doublespeak displays speaking animals to display a certain image, this takes away from the idea that factory farming exists. When shown the factory farms of North Carolina, it is an understatement to say that I was shocked to see how they treated the animals.

The film with David Suzuki entitled "The Nature of Things: Corporate Agriculture" allowed the issue to become a reality. The film looked at the mad cow scare in 2003, but is also relatable to the most recent scare with Maple Leaf. Maple Leaf had to recall many of their luncheon meat products due to lysteria. These types of contamination of the product lead to the illness of many people and even death. In most inequalities it is always the rural or lower income areas that experience the worst conditions. In this case, factory farms tend to locate themselves near poor rural areas near local farms. Corporate farming has impacted local farms financially and environmentally. Contaminated air, ground water and toxicity of water ways are just a few examples of these negative impacts.

“The Meatrix” was an interesting alternative to documentaries because it was a cartoon. It made fun at national commercials that kids become attracted to. In many cases, these commercials mislead consumers about where products come from. I personally enjoyed the example of “the happy farm” with “happy cows”. In fact it reminds me of the cheese laughing cow. Due to the information received I will now continue to look at where my food is actually coming from rather than looking for the cheapest food to eat. However, for a starving student there is no other alternative.