How Uniformity Killed The Cat (and Many Others)
In Eric Schlosser’ Fast Food Nation, Schlosser reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly secrets that brought fame and fortune to many fast food companies. One distinct reason why Schlosser believes that fast food companies gained a large amount of power is because of uniformity. Many corporations and their leaders claim that “the key to a successful franchise… can be expressed in one word: ‘uniformity’. (5)” However, according to Schlosser, uniformity is more of a vice than it actually seems to be. Schlosser exposes how the demand for uniformity from fast food companies such as McDonald’s caused severe economic problems for potato farmers and beef ranchers who cannot keep up with larger corporations. However, the same demand for uniformity undeniably creates millions of low-skill jobs that boost America’s economy. In addition, uniformity makes food more affordable for lower-income families with it’s value pricing (115). Indeed, uniformity can be seen as something positive because of
…show more content…
Schlosser states that, “in 1968, McDonald’s bought ground beef from 175 local suppliers. A few years later to achieve greater product uniformity...it reduced the number of beef suppliers to five” (136). Furthermore, Schlosser explains how few large meat-packing corporations fueled by the need for uniformity, gained a monopoly, an unfair control of the supply or trade of a commodity, by secretly fixing the prices of meat and ensuring that ranchers were paid the lowest amount possible for their cattle (136, Monopoly). Even with the federal government trying to break the “Beef Trust” with the help of strict antitrust laws, today, only four meatpacking companies control and provide for 80% of the nations cattle
In Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, the argument being made is contrary to that of the general American population. Since many people view the fast food industry and its effect on the world as positive, the author must gain his audience’s trust through establishment of ethos. Schlosser first establishes understanding and solidarity with the reader through acknowledging the other argument. For example, he describes the experience of purchasing fast food in vast detail, following with reasoning as to how “the whole experience of buying fast food has become so routine,” (Schlosser 3) Here he subtly hints to the reader that he understands the lure of fast food and how it has all become ingrained into the minds of the general public.
In the early twentieth century American ranchers tried to break up the Beef Trust. In 1917 there were four main companies that controlled the entire industry. While this trust was effectively busted, allowing ranchers to sell their cattle at competitive prices for a few decades, the Reagan administration allowed the top four meatpacking companies to combine. In 1970 they slaughtered 21% of the nation’s cattle today the slaughter 84%. This is causing many ranchers to sell their cattle and quit.
In the case, dairy farmers in the Southeastern United States brought a class action lawsuit against Dean Foods– the largest US fluid milk processor– and DFA– the largest dairy cooperative in America – for conspiring to monopolize and monopsonize the market for milk in the Southeastern region. Among other allegations, the plaintiff farmers contended that these entities had violated the antitrust laws by implementing exclusive, full supply contracts to its subsidiaries, creating a non-competitive market for farmers, and fixing and suppressing milk prices.38 Moreover, the farmers argued that through predatory conduct, including vertical integration, Dean Foods and DFA had been able to control over 90% of milk within the Southeastern United States. After years of litigation, the parties reached a settlement on the eve of trial. Overall, DFA agreed to pay over $158 million dollars to the plaintiffs and vowed to implement over a dozen different changes to improve their business operations throughout the Southeast. Most notably, this involved DFA agreeing to “execute annual conflict of interest certifications, which will be subject to review by DFA's Audit Committee,” have all financial reports “be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and…audited by a nationally-recognized accounting firm,” and “post on its member-only website an annual disclosure of all material related-party transactions, specifically broken out and identified by
Eric Schlosser's purpose in writing Fast Food Nation is to inform the American readers that they personally withhold the power to change solve the nation's fast food crisis. Schlosser exerts and Authoritative tone in his passage, "how to do it, which guarantees the reader that demanding the fast food industry to change will yield amazing results. The authoritative tone embodies the reader with a sense of reassurance and safety. Schlosser wants the reader to know that, "Even the anticipation of consumer anger has prompted McDonald's to demand changes from its suppliers" in the past (269). The reader is provided facts that make them believe that they have leverage over the industry.
A Rhetorical Analysis of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko Sara, a single mother of two kids, is driving home from a grueling day of work. She’s worked overtime all week and has some tightness in her back. Upon looking at the clock on the dashboard of her 1996 Volkswagen, she realizes that it is way too late to go home and cook a nice dinner for her two children. She turns into the nearest McDonalds, orders some chicken nuggets, and brings dinner home. Can you blame a mother who just wanted her kids to eat?
Most people in this world have, at least one point in their lives, dreamt of having a perfect family, a nice house, a good healthcare plan, an affordable car and the list can go on forever. Imagine a situation where all these desires and hopes of have an enjoyable lifestyle are suddenly taken away from you. Think about a circumstance where you return home to your wife and children and realize that you don’t have enough money to even provide them with basic necessities. According to Eric Schlosser’s, Fast Food Nation, the majority of fast- food industry workers lead poor lifestyles and are financially unstable because they do not receive adequate compensation for their work and do not have a chance to improve the situation due to the power
Novelist, Eric Schlosser, in his novel, “Fast Food Nation”, expresses how fast food has spread. Schlosser’s purpose is to make us see how addicted we are to fast food. He adopts a shocking tone through the use of diction, Logos, and diction in order to get people to make better choices. For starters, one of the strategies that Schlosser used in this text is diction. Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker /writer.
Chapter 7 of Fast Food Nation discussed the starting of meatpacking industry and its downfalls. At first, Iowa Beef Packers (IBP) used the same principle as McDonald’s principle to make fast foods. IBP hired unskilled workers just to do simple and repeated work all day. However, competition with other companies made IBP low wages and health insurance options. This caused slaughterhouses to move West to gain cheap labor and land.
Packers are causing this because USA beef goes more than other beef in the world. So for an example if they mix a Brazil cow with an United State cow they don't have to label what it is so that's where they make the money because people might think they are still getting USA beef, but really are getting USA beef and another country's beef. They also don't have to label the product being sold if it is salted, roasted, or smoked. How can they change that packers can't do this and farmers get what they should be making? Go to the Congress and get the Country's Origin back together that stops the packers to do this" (R-Calf).
In the introduction to Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser states something very significant and memorable: “We are what we eat.” The drastic change in America’s eating habits has caused this American culture to grow into something never before imagined, for better and for worse. Our culture is eating so much worse than in the past, and it's affecting the world around us as well. “In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food [over the course of the year]; in 2000, they spent more than $110 billion” (Schlosser 3). What Schlosser is saying is that America’s addiction towards fast food is increasingly worse.
Many advertisements target a specific group of consumers whether it be classified through gender, age group, or those that share similar interests. Companies try to create advertisements that leave a lasting impression of a certain product so that it can resonate in a consumer’s mind. Often, companies shape an advertisement based on the type of customers they want to attract. For example, McDonald 's, a fast food chain is likely to target children than adults. By attracting children, there is a likely chance that the children will will insist their parents or grandparents to bring them to the restaurant, which ultimately for the restaurant is about making thrice the profit.
On January 17, 2001 Eric Schlosser, a contributing editor at the Atlantic Monthly and author of Reefer Madness, depicts “The Dark side of the All-American Meal” in his novel Fast Food Nation, one of TIME’s 100 best nonfiction books. In the novel, Schlosser employs many different rhetorical strategies throughout the chapters to inform and convince his audience of the scandalous nature of the fast food industry. Schlosser describes the unseen truths of industry in order to dissuade not only the American public, but all supporters of fast food. He writes to all members of society who eat fast food, so that he can alert them of what is happening beneath the surface of one of America’s most profitable and private industry’s. Chapter five is divided
Human beings have always gravitated toward competition and success – from the first wars of the earliest humans, to the fierce franchise wars of the twentieth century’s prospering fast food industry. Eric Schlosser defines and analyzes what it means to be successful in one of the world’s greatest industries throughout, but particularly in the fourth chapter of his book, Fast Food Nation. Through his argument, it is clear, that Schlosser believes there is a sizeable gap between the success of those at the top and bottom of the fast food industry. Schlosser includes a great variety of rhetorical techniques to convince the audience of his claim. By using conflicting points of view, irony, tying in religious references, and giving anecdotes, Schlosser is able to effectively prove that success is not attainable for all fast-food workers.
In Margaret Visser’s essay, “The Rituals of Fast Food”, she explains the reason why customers enjoy going to fast food restaurants and how it adapt to customer’s needs. Some examples of the most loyal fast-food customers are people seeking convenience, travelers, and people who are drug addicts. First, most loyal customers are people seeking convenience. The reason why fast food restaurants are convenient because longer hours of being open, the prices are good , etc. As Visser said in her essay, “Convenient, innocent simplicity is what the technology, the ruthless politics, and the elaborate organization serve to the customer” (131).
Throughout the last few decades, fast food companies have started popping out everywhere. With the