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For those of you who know me, you know I am a hardcore, solid Conservative. Republican through and through- woohoooo! Thus, you may be expecting me to negatively review Food, Inc., a documentary on how our food is made and processed. Why? Because usually conservatives are seen as being pro-big business, anti-green, smog-creating, red meat-eating barbarians to liberals (even though WE usually aren't the ones advocating killing unborn babies... but I digress....). Anywho, the truth of the matter is... I loved it! Well, I guess if "loved" is defined as being revolted and inspired by the ugly truth of the process our food goes through to get from the farms to our tables, then yes, I loved it! ;]
If I haven't run you off with my fantastically political introduction, then congratulations! You've made it to the actual review portion of this post! =] Truthfully, as much as I expected this movie to be uber liberal and borderline ridiculous with pushing the green movement, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the documentary was more politically-balanced than I had expected. It wasn't anti-Republican or anti-Democrat... it was anti-lies, anti-abuse, anti-GMO, anti-unhealthy, and anti-... well... anti-DISGUSTING!!! Right after mentioning certain FDA people who were involved with the Bush administration, the documentary mentioned that they were also involved with the Clinton administration. It doesn't really matter WHO is in charge: when the control is centralized and the emphasis is solely on money, there is an issue.
We as U.S. citizens are being lied to about our food. These large businesses that have formed lawyer-surrounded, powerful monopolies are trying harder and harder to not have to label our foods with information that matters to us such as genetic modification. It is scary to think that many consumers feel powerless to change the system... what is even scarier to think about it that most consumers don't care. Hey, I didn't care as much as I should have until I watched Food, Inc. Sad, but true.
Abuse. Usually worrying about how the animals that we eat are treated is seen as a tree-hugging, Pocahontas-re-enacting mentality. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, then you realize that we, as people, are created in God's image. Animals are not. Animals do NOT have souls. So why do I feel that animals that we are going to consume as food should not be treated terribly? Because WE have souls. We. Have. Souls. Animals can feel physical pain, but they may not feel emotionally scarred. However, I am emotionally scarred by some of the things I witnessed while watching this documentary. The animals were treated as if they were already dead- allowing cows be crowded into areas where they stand ankle-deep in their own manure, kicking chickens for the fun of it, etc. I cannot watch those animals being barbarically mistreated and feel okay about it. Does that mean I am going vegan or vegetarian? No way, Jose! I love meat, but I know I can find meat that is made from animals who have been at least treated properly up till their death. I know that sounds a little ridiculous, but just watch this documentary and you will know exaaaactly what I am saying!
Another reason I don't want the animals treated that way? Because sitting constantly and heavily in their feces is unsanitary, leads to disease, and also leads to some of that fecal matter getting into our meat... can we say GROSS?!?! People have died from E. Coli not only in their meat but also in their produce due to the run-off from these farms and factories. Yum. Run-off, disease-infested poo... in. your. food. Bon appetit! Oh, and by the way, our bodies release hormones when we become stressed, right? I wonder if we get undesired hormones from stressed out chickens, pigs, and cows... just a thought! Goodness knows we get enough ADDED hormones and antibiotics in our food thanks to our government... do we need hormones from stressed animals in our meals as well? Don't take my word for it, of course... I am just mulling it over. By all means, do your research.
Goodness knows this post has been long-winded enough. I will end with this by saying that I truly enjoyed the documentary. It opened my eyes to the reality of the food industry, and it inspired me to make some important changes for my family's diet. I highly recommend it. But beware... it is disturbing and will most-likely inspire you as well. However, where there is a will to eat better, there is a way... you can make a partial change at least! If you are on board, please watch the film. You can also check out this companion website: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc.
Have any thoughts about the views of Food, Inc., the FDA, or this post that you would like to share? Watched any other inspirational documentaries you would like to tell others about? Please use the "Comments" section below to respond to this post! Hey, you can even just use it to say "Hello!" ;] I would love to hear from ya!
