I found the most troubling parts of
these readings to be the ill treatment of human workers in the production of
these massive amounts of food. While the plight of the animals involved in the
chicken industry and so forth is not something that should be overlooked, it
pales in comparison to the importance of the mistreatment of the workers. Like
Pollan, I admittedly care more about the conditions of humans than I do of
animals. However, it does certainly seem like the attitude with regard to the
treatment of the product by those in control of such massive operations does
translate into a similar attitude towards the workers that are employed in
creating it. Just as those in charge care little for the well-being of
chickens, or the taste, quality, and nutritional content of their tomatoes
because they do not need to experience the realities of production first-hand,
they also never need see the predicament of the workers. They are treated as
disposable parts of the machine. The use of immigrant and extremely poor
workers allows for flagrant disregard for safety, reasonable working
conditions, hours, or livable wages. Used up labor is then discharged without
need for further compensation by exporting it to another country or blackmailed
into staying due to the withholding of welfare money should a worker decide to
quit. Even in the cases where this rampant exploitation is discovered and
curbed, the organizations responsible, at the very least by silently
encouraging any means necessary to increase production, go unpunished and
continue to thrive on these same practices.
No comments:
Post a Comment