Reading Response 5: Omnivore’s Dilemma Part 2

Reading Response 5: Omnivore’s Dilemma Part 2

              In part 1, the author stated what corn are doing for our food industry so that readers can know our foods are violently industrialized. I could understand we humans have altered nature so much that nature now counter-attacking to us through for example climate changing, animal abusing, and eating disorder. Then, in part 2 of this book, the author writes about glass, from more organic point of view than part 1. According to him, influenced by the 60’s counter culture, organic foods have been attracting attention from people. People have been gradually suspicious of government’s or huge companies’ food policies, because it is too artificial and making bad effects on earth and human itself. However, in this chapter we can see that even such an organic system actually has quite a few problems.     

              The first word which attracted my attention was this: “that industrial organic (133).” I knew fast foods are highly industrialized and that was a problem, but for I was thinking organic foods would be crucial solution for today’s eating disorder, I got confused by this word.

              In the next chapter, the author explains this word in detail. He writes “The organic movement, much like environmentalism and feminism, has deep roots in the sixties’ radicalism that briefly flourished (141).” Suddenly I got suspicious of “organic”, because personally I do not have good image on hippie-like counter culture. I like to watch movie or listen to music of the 60’s, but I do not like to believe real power of these counter cultures. Hippies can orate their dream of “Love and Peace” because they are not actual person who are suffering. Real world is much more complicated than their dream so that is why hippies needs to rely on drugs and sex to escape from harsh situations. So, when I finished reading this chapter I got disappointed just as I had expected. The organic style is not so much an epoch-making solution. As an organic food were getting popular, it got industrialized just the same as conventional artificial foods.(183) Many people come to be able to consume organic foods but it also costs huge amount of fossil fuel for transportation, which spends large energy. What a sarcastic. Of course, the organic style is somehow better than so called artificial style, but after all it can be said the organic “dream” is not be able to achieve.

              So, is there no solution? In my opinion, as long as we seek cheap foods, this natural exploitation will never end. Because as the author says, “You can’t do just one thing. (225)”. In addition, there are surely many people who seriously need convenient food, so we cannot urge everyone to live in an organic style. Therefore, it will be a personal problem. When people come to be able to live stably, they can get a chance to think about what they eat. Then, some of them can be eager to learn actual process of getting food, and know the fact, like the author actually experienced how to kill chickens. And, hopefully, those information can help them to change their life style into more sustainable ways. We are fortunately be able to choose how to live and if the number of people who agree to live sustainably increased, this situation can be solved. But as long as we continue to live sacrificing something and somebody, this dream will not come true, I think.