Jonathan Safran Foer Against Meat Summary

In the article, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues it is the fast food industry’s fault for the nation 's growing obesity epidemic. Furthermore, he believes people should not be blamed for their own obesity. Zinczenko argues fast-food is much more available to the fast paced lifestyle people live in rather than consuming healthy alternatives. He also discusses the fact so many people are on a low budget, it is then best and more inexpensive for them to consume fast-food. Zinczenko states a claim that the fast-food industry “would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need” (Zinczenko 464). In other words, he is saying that fast food establishments do not advertise enough

The article “Is It Possible to be a Conscientious Meat Eater,” written by Sunaura Taylor and Alexander Taylor, looked like a very convincing argument. “Is It Possible to be a Conscientious meat eater” discusses that processed meat is bad for the world, and how it affects us and our surrounding environments in a negative outcome. The one thing I enjoyed reading from this article was the supportive use of evidence through facts to support the author’s thesis statement. However I would argue that the authors, when writing this, didn’t do a thorough job on keeping the subject professional, detailed, unbiased, and citing the sources for their information.

In the story, Against Meat, Jonathan Safran Foer spent many years of his life conflicted on whether he should consume animal products or maintain a vegetarian lifestyle. His grandmother and babysitter played influential roles throughout his childhood. However, both had opposing views on eating meat or animal products. Jonathan struggled with this conflict during the majority of his college and adult life. Depending on the situation or the people who he spent his time with, he would transition from having a broad diet to a strict vegetarian diet. Foer was taught by this grandmother that all food was valuable and to eat everything that was given to him. As Jonathan grew older, he was informed by his babysitter that eating meat was a form of hurting animals; this experience is something that would forever alter his perspective on the consumption of meat.

Ever since the beginning of time, meat has been a staple of the human diet. People have many reasons why they chose not to consume meat. One of the most common reasons some people chose not to eat meat is because they believe that it is unethical. There are many processes required in order to produce meat for conception, and these processes have become widely known to the public and cause a great deal of controversy. Animals are often tortured, genetically modified, and live in squalid conditions before they become the meat we put on our dinner tables. In Michael Pollan’s book, An Omnivore’s Dilemma, we are focused on many different views of eating meat and other foods that are products of animals. The majority of those who chose to consume

Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.

As diets and health become more and more of a public concern in America. Two authors weigh in on their opinions on how the American public should handle the problem of obesity as well as their solutions to the overwhelming issue. In one article, “Against Meat,” published on the New York Times website in 2009, points out that the solution to obesity should be vegetarianism. Johnathan Foer who is a vegetarian, claims that his diet and way of living is his the way of improving health in the American public. Foer’s article provides a sense of humor as well as personal stories to attempt to persuade his audience for the ethical treatment of animals along with his personal solution for his own health and the health of his family. On a differing take on the solution, “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan provides the complete change of our diet and way of life based around cooking and eating meals. however creates a more powerful and logical argument against the “Western Diet” in his article, He uses a combination of his credibility from his publications on health and foods, evidence against the practices of the medical community, along with his solution to the issue of obesity to create an article that draws in audience’s emotions and rationale.

The addictive food that is sold by supermarkets is made to appeal to the consumers’ taste and make them addicted to it. In Michael Moss’ “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” he mentions that the potato chip is a snack that provides a feeling of pleasure as well as a rewarding sensation in the brain through its coating of salt and fat (490). Small details food companies put in the food make a difference in the taste, which tends to attract more consumers without them aware of how they are being addicted to the food. In food companies’ perspective, the engineering of food to add more flavor and attract more consumers has no issue since it is how companies make their profits. Stephen Sanger, head of General Mills and the Yoplait brand, was able to produce $500 million in revenue from a new dessert that originated from the yogurt since it maintains a nutritive image with consumers (Moss 475-476). However, the new modified dessert contained twice the amount of sugar than the original yogurt (Moss 475). In addition to the product being unhealthy, Stephen reportedly said in a meeting that people bought what tasted good and that he would continue to promote his business. Nevertheless, when adding more sugar or simply modifying the product to appeal the customer it makes it more addictive and more likely to be bought again. To continue manipulating the food without informing the customers that the product is now more addictive becomes a moral issue. The responsibility then lies with the companies to inform the consumer of such engineering in the food to allow them to make their own independent decision of purchasing a

In this article “Against Meat” Jonathan Safran Foer describes his personal experience with struggling whether he eats meat or not and what he went through to become a vegetarian, his main reason was he didn’t want animals to suffer. Foer had a lot of influence in his life, starting with his grandmother who he considered her as a role model he loved her passion with food, although she had one recipe

In the United States, according to the North American Meat Institute, the average man will consume about 6.9 oz of meat in a day, while a women will consume about 4.4 oz. Meat companies in America produced 25.8 billion pounds of beef and 38.4 pounds of chicken just in 2013 alone. People walk into grocery stores and purchase meat but never think twice about the environment their food, or the workers that handle the animals, were in. Upton Sinclair exposed the industry with “The Jungle” in 1906, people were now fully aware of what was sometimes in the meat, this lead to the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906. Therefore, once the 1980s came along, companies relocated to rural areas and became a non-union workforce. Not only were unions not allowed

In both David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame The Eater” and “ Radley Balko’s “What You Eat is Your Business”, the argument of obesity in America is present and clear from opposing viewpoints. Both articles were written in the early 2000’s, when the popular political topic of the time was obesity and how it would be dealt by our nation in the future. While Zinczenko argues that unhealthy junk food is an unavoidable cultural factor, Balko presents the thought that the government should have no say in it’s citizens diet or eating habits.

For example, Miyun Park, the vice president for farm animal welfare at the Humane Society, explains, “Today, economic growth and development around the world are leading to a rise in the demand for animal products. According to the World Bank, increased global demand caused total meat production in the developing world to almost triple between 1980 and 2002- from 45 million to 134 million tons” (Park). With only an abrupt time to adapt to the demand, farmers don’t have time to improve their farms. Also, they need more animals to slaughter. So, the farms are usually overcrowded and unsanitary because the farmers are not thinking about what's best for the animals; they only think about the production speed and if they are slaughtering enough animals to pacify the demand. Also, in the article, "The Globalization of Animal Welfare”, it explains that, “the average person in an industrialized country still consumes far more animal products each year: 181 pounds of meat, 459 pounds of dairy, and 29 pounds of eggs, as compared with 68 pounds of meat, 110 pounds of dairy, and 18 pounds of eggs for each person in the developing world” (Park). An abundance of animals have to be slaughtered because people are “dependent” on meat. Farmers are not doing there job to their full potential. Farmers only care about quantity, if they are producing enough, rather than quality, if the

In the article “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home” the author, Daniel Weintraub, argues that parents are responsible for the obesity of children, not anyone or anything else, the parents. Weintraub supports his claims by explaining data and research used to show that most studies focus on “...the increasing consumption of fast food and soft drinks, larger portion sizes in restaurants, the availability of junk food on campus, advertising of junk food to children and their families, and the lack of consistent physical education programs in the schools” said in paragraph 8. The author’s purpose is to raise awareness that parents need to take responsibility so that their children stop blaming others for something that others have

However, people’s action to sue fast food companies seems hardly sensible, because their foods are not poisoned, spoilt, or molded. Although their foods are far from healthy and their advertising tactics are extremely cunning, fast food restaurants are not the only one to blame for today’s rocketing rates of obesity-related health problems. It is entirely a person’s decision whether or not he or she chooses to eat fast foods. It is largely known that fast foods are junks for the body, yet people still buy them wanting a quick fix for their rumbling stomach. People can always avoid fast foods and make healthier options if they want to, and suing the fast food restaurants will not make them lose any weight or fat they have in their body. If

Is eating meat a detrimental threat to the environment? This debate over meat’s involvement in the global warming crisis was what inspired Nicolette Hahn Niman to write, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma.” Niman hoped writing, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma,” would cause her audience to understand that eating meat, raised on traditional farms, was a superior alternative to vegetarianism. Niman supported her claim by explaining how industrialized farms and vegetarians produce more of the three greenhouse gases that caused global warming, than that produced by traditional farms. Niman’s article fell short of being effective due to flaws in her supporting evidence and conclusion. The author's use of a compare/contrast structure and the appeal to ethos to support her claim was effective. However, her use of the hasty generalization and “Red Herring” fallacies caused the audience to doubt her claim, that meat from traditional farms was better for the environment, had sufficient evidence to

In today’s world, there is a division among the people in the world regarding whether or not it is ethical to eat meat. After researching about eating meat and vegetarianism, I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed ethical to eat meat in today’s society. Sure, eating meat might have its drawbacks, but I have found that the benefits of eating meat far outweigh the negatives of eating it. Eating meat not only helps improve people’s health, but it also helps strengthen our economy and it has little difference in the environmental impact that involves in the farming of vegetables.