The forces of evil are arrayed unambiguously on one side, as in a Hollywood thriller, but now it's plausible, because the movie is a documentary and verisimilitude applies only to made-up stuff. Moreoever, the villains are multinationals and anyone who goes to the grocery store is a victim. The only sin is to bore and you aren't bored when contemplating depravity.
The food giants all turned down opportunities to make their case before filmmaker Robert Kenner's camera. I have to admit, they're in a bad spot despite all the money. When you take the Fifth, everyone naturally assumes you're guilty; but if you talk, Kenner might juxtapose your speech acts with footage from the killing floor at a big slaughterhouse, or the scene inside a corporate "chicken coop," and it's not exactly clear that you would not deserve it.
I eat meat and have always told myself that the animals do not have the kind of consciousness that permits knowledge of what's happening to them. And is the food safety record of Goliath really as bad as the film suggests? Nevertheless, many of the practices of the food giants are deplorable, it should not be against the law to criticize them, public policy should not help to make high fructose corn syrup more prevalent and affordable than fresh produce, and all of us need to be wiser consumers. Shop around the periphery of the grocery store. Read labels. If the ingredients list is long and polysyllabic, don't buy the item. Eat less but eat more fruits and vegetables. Think about planting a vegetable garden or joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Overcome inertia by watching "Food, Inc."
Comments