Truth #1: Fast food is a bad idea for people who don't want to gain weight. (then again, so is skydiving for people who have a fear of heights.)
Truth #2: Most big corporations put their shareholders ahead of the needs of their customers. (then again, most environmentalists put flora and fauna ahead of the needs of their own race.)Mixed in with these truths, though, is a complete lack of self-responsibility. Just as I can choose not to go skydiving for fear of what might happen to my body, so I can choose not to go to McDonalds for fear of what might happen to my body. In fact, while we're spreading blame around, why not criticize the parents who regularly take their kids to fast food restaurants and buy them food that's bad for them? Time for an analogy...
It's funny, in the documentary, there were lots of references (both explicit and implicit) linking fast food and cigarettes together. One example: fast food is addicting, cigarettes are addicting. Another example: fast food is marketed by big (evil) corporations, cigarettes are marketed by big (evil) corporations. Yet another example: Ronald McDonald is an evil mascot promoting death, Joe Camel is an evil mascot promoting death. I use the term "funny" (perhaps "ironic" would be a better choice) because of where they stop their comparisons...
Trust me, if parents bought cigarettes for their children, and someone made a documentary on the topic, there'd be public outrage. Why is it then that whenever someone does a documentary on fast food, they never mention how parents are responsible for feeding it to their kids? If cigarettes and fast food are really so similar, why the omission?
Why? It's obvious! If parents are truly responsible for their kids, then the following aspects of the liberal agenda fall into disrepair:
- Big corporations can't be blamed (or sued) for how people legally use their products.
- Government loses control over the next generation, as well as many opportunities to legislate what people are allowed to do.
Remember, it's all about power and control. The one who steers the car decides where the passengers go. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have freedom than "safety". The quotes are there because government can never guarantee safety through excessive legislation, whereas the lack of excessive legislation guarantees freedom.
But there is not much freedom in the food system now. That is the point of movies like 'Fresh' and 'Food Inc.', and books by Joel Salatin. They expose the huge lies that we people have bought into because of mass media and advertising, not to mention false medical journal research.
ReplyDeleteCheap food is just that... cheap. What needs to happen is for government subsidies to stop, so that cheap food production is allowed to self-destruct. Yes, I agree that we should not legislate laws to beat up the big corporations, but you've got to admit that it is a problem when the poor of this country continue to buy big macs because they are cheaper than many fruits and vegetables from a local farm vendor, even if they happen to learn that the food is killing them because big corporations do not care a whit for their health, just big profits.
No, we can't and shouldn't control people's decisions or make them act responsibly, but the reason I'm saying all this is to show that I completely understand the frustration behind the making of these films - nothing would make me feel better than knocking some heads together until people start seeing reason and make responsible food purchases for the health of their families. It's a lot simpler to pass a bill outlawing McDonalds than it is to actively share the gospel with folks who need to understand their sin and responsibility. A change in worldview.
Agreed. I'd say that the goals of these pseudo-documentaries are noble, their means of achieving those goals are often not. That said, I'll never defend what those fast food companies do, for sure. They're causing harm as well, just in a different form and to different people.
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