Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 16

This chapter in Omnivore's Dilemma is all about... well just that, an Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan discusses how humans and rats are both similar in the since that they are both omnivores, but unlike rats, humans have fallen away from natural instincts on choosing foods and began to rely on advertisement, and scientists to chose their diet for them instead. Pollan also discusses how this is a Capitalist doing, and that it's all about making money. Michael Pollan right or wrong is a very clever opinionated man. Whether he bends the words of others to get his point across, or if he just lays out cold hard facts, he leaves me with a sense of just wanting to stop all this packaged, marketed crap and go back to home grown farms and family dinners where everyone actually sits together and enjoys the same home grown meal. After all wasn't that once the "American Dream"? All in all Pollan seems to leave me longing for a new movement away from fast food and back towards farmers markets every time I read a chapter. So if this was his goal he did a very good job at getting it through to me.

They Say, I Say; Chapter 6

Planting a "Naysayer" in you texts proves to be very clever. Nothing like putting your worst critics in their place by addressing the problems they were hoping to point out. One should really try to pick an argument that doesn't need to have too many flaws pointed out though because if your argument is that flawed then maybe should be arguing against the topic, not for it.
I really liked the section on naming your "Naysayers" because it all just seems like a mild way to be as professional as possible while still being a smart ass. haha i love it. The examples they used are all common "Naysayers" as well so maybe that's why this area made me chuckle. "Feminists" haha. But yes, we should also remember that stereotyping hurts and is also unnecessary, so we must refrain from doing so at all times if we wish for our works to be taken seriously. So needless labeling should always be avoided.
This chapter will hopefully prove to be useful in the papers to come and I must admit that it has been quite some time since I have "planted a Naysayer" in my works so I hope I will get the chance real soon. Maybe a research paper in the future?

Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 12

These little mom and pop shops are what I grew up on. My family used to own the only butcher shop in our town till we sold it to another family that had also grown up there. Going out on the butcher truck with my grandpa and dad was not an uncommon thing for me. I think back now and wonder how I didn't turn out messed up, watching countless animals being shot, skinned, gutted, and then hung in the back of the truck each time. Watching this while I was little was fine for me but as I got to be about 10-11 years old I finally started to see through the animals eyes. In Psychology you learn that there are 4 cognitive stages to your childhood. The 3rd one ranging from ages 6-11 years old is where a child gains the ability to see through the eyes of another person or thing. If you were to ask a 5 year old in the audience what the person up on stage can see, they will most likely reply, "the backs of people's heads". This is because they have not yet made the connection that other people visually see things differently then them. Once I roughly reached 10-11 years old I began to see the view the animal saw right before a bullet penetrated their skull at 1800fps. This very quickly became unbearable for me to watch. The sheer helplessness of the animal crushed my heart and mind. As I got older I began to realize that the animal seemed more and more emotionless and I got over the killing part, but for a while their I had to go in front of the truck and plug my ears so I wouldn't actually see nor hear any of the killing happen. It's funny though,I couldn't watch the animal be killed but as soon as in was droped and bleeding out I was fine. I think it was the whole taking of life thing that got me. The animal was alive and thriving and with the squeeze of a finger it's life was ended. I just couldn't take it. Like I said though, that was a phase I went through, I finally understood when I was about 13 that the animals had no idea what was going on and had no feelings towards me nor the rifle. When Pollan discusses the cutting of the chicken's neck it bring me back to that feeling I once had when I was so little. Telling myself that the animal wasn't alive any more, it wasn't suffering, it's movements were nothing more than a fight or flight instict, involuntary. That is all long gone now and by taking one look in my dorm room you'd never think I cared about the life of an animal(deer head hanging on the wall), but the truth is, I believe animals do not precieve death the same way humans do, they do not fear death the way humans do, therefore they cannot be compared. I'm not quite sure what my argument was for this blog other than the fact that I too have felt the same feelings Pollan did when taking an animals life and maybe my question to you is, what do you think is wrong or right? Do animals know exactly what is going on right before they're helplessly executed and my opinion is just a fabrication I developed in my mind to get over death? Or is my way of thinking correct? Do animals have no clue what that stick pointed towards them is going to do? MAybe a class discussion could be in order?

Paper 2 Peer review article citation

Title:
Alcohol Advertising and Alcohol Consumption by Adolescents
Author:
Saffer, Henry; Dave, Dhaval
Author Affiliation:
Unlisted; Unlisted
Source:
2003
Publisher Information:
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, NBER Working Papers: 9676
Publication Date:
2003

Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 9

As Michale Pollan discusses in Omnivore's Dilemma many organic company's sell their product based off of their story they put on the label. We see a story that reminds us of the ways we always remembered animals when we were children and immediately are willing to pay an arm and a leg for the product. We think to our selves, this product was raised correctly and will be healthier to consume so I must have to pay more for it right? What I would like to know is how, doing things the right way became more costly? Why do we think it is alright to pay extra for something correct and pay a moderate price for shit? And what's with the retailers who slap an organic label on a box of crap and watch it sell off the shelves... that's ridiculous. Michael Pollan states that he tracked his so called organic food back to it's origins and found that the animal he chose for dinner that night had never even touched a blade of grass, instead the animal was fed a grain mixture that was deemed certified organic in it's feed lot. Talk about lies. Obviously the definition that the public is familiar with compared to farmers and retailers is completely different. I don't even know where to make an argument on this subject because the entire thing makes me furious. Ahhhhh!!!!! (I actually growled in furry). Our whole system is f 'd and the public has no say. Welcome to AMERICA!

Omnivores Dilemma Ch 2,6,7 & TSIS Ch 1-3

They Say I Say:
Ch 1: This chapter discusses how to open your paper with an argument, or the book states it as "They Say". It starts with a conference and throughout the conference the book author discusses how they never knew what the speaker of the conference was basing his conference off of. I think it is crucial to base your argument off of what other people are saying because this gives you reason to be writing or taking in the first place. Without this, as the author of TSIS states, you don't even know why you are there at the conference or reading this paper in the first place. So the low down of this chapter was starting with what "They Say". It helps you build your own argument in doing so.

Ch 2: This chapter talks all about "The Art of Summarizing". The author gives many ideas on how to summarize effectively such as putting yourself in the shoes of the person or thing you wish to summarize. This chapter also discusses the fact that you can also misunderstand a reading and summarize it the wrong way and if you try to make an argument with that summary later you will ultimately look like a fool. The way you summarize can make or break your argument in some cases and so though it is a summary it deserves much more credit than most people give it. In a way a summary can tell you the summarizer’s feelings behind the subject at hand, unless they have read this section of this book and learned that a good summary comes from the shoes of the original readings author. This chapter also brings up the proper use of signal verbs such as verbs that make a claim, express an argument, disagree or question, and verbs that recommend. This list of verbs seems to be very useful because I myself have a hard time sometimes introducing summaries into my writing. This chapter should be a great resource for future papers and arguments to come.
Ch 3: This chapter talks about "The Art of Quoting"(Graff C., Birkenstein C., 2006, p.39) :P and how quotes, like summaries, can also make or break your argument. I have come across many arguments where their quotes have told me whether or not to challenge their argument or agree with the writer and I definitely agree when it comes to using quotes to support you. Someone else has already done the research so why not use that research to write a paper or base an argument? I mean why not, it'll definitely save you a very large amount of time, but in return it is only kind to show them the same amount of niceness when you quote and cite their work. This chapter also discusses how to find proper quotations and the process of what to do after finding them. DON"T BE A HIT AND RUN QUOTER!!! Selecting a quote that has very little relevance to your assignment does not in any way fulfill your need for a quote, once you've selected a quote like the reading says, explain your quotes, don’t be a hit and run quoter who just hits the quote and leaves it there to defend for itself out on a open country road with plenty of scavengers around and doing this will surely get you incarcerated. Haha… This chapter also gives you a very good tip on blending the author’s words with your own when quoting. I think this was the more beneficial of the three chapters because it was the only one that if not done properly could get you in DEEP… oh what’s the word? POO…

Omnivore’s Dilemma:
Ch 2: Corn now days has become so widely needed for basically everything your average U.S. citizen consumes that I find it very much so CRAZY! Not only has our need gone up but our yield has gone up quite a bit too. Your average Iowa farmer yields anywhere from 160-200 bushels of corn per acre and compare to when this agricultural trend all started in the 1920’s is a 140-180 bushel increase. An even crazier thing is this my friends, Omnivore’s Dilemma only discusses half of it. The Author, Michael Pollan chose to do his research in Iowa and it kind of makes you want to assume that all our corn comes from there but that’s not even close, corn is such a desired cash crop that it is massively produced all over the U.S. where adequate soil has been established. Farmers are striving to plant so much of this stuff that they are actually pushing out the other plants, animals, and people who live in Greene County Iowa. I think the point Michael Pollan is trying to make is that corn has become such a great crop for the U.S. in many ways but we are now coming to find that corn has caused so many problems too and we as a nation need to take a step back and decide what we want to place into our bodies and into our atmosphere.
Ch 6: This chapter focuses on us the consumer, hints the title in case you haven’t read it yet. Haha. I had no idea that some many American’s in the early 19th century were having such a good time. What happened to us? Going from 5 gallons of spirits a year to 1, that’s a big difference and if studies show that alcoholism runs in the family, I think Michael Pollan just supplied me with reason otherwise. I mean 5 gallons a year is accurate think about how much they didn’t get done. No wonder we haven’t been able to travel through time yet, it was those damn 19th century foke slacken off. Lol alright back on topic. So Michael Pollan wants us to see that our drinking habits back in the early 19th century are very much so comparable to the eating habits of a modern U.S. citizen. Well I say NAY! I’ve never see someone sit down and eat themselves to death but I will admit that I have seem a few close one’s with alcohol. So I ask you Michael Pollan, where do you get off!? Haha ok in all serious now (bored). We are eating so much that this is the sad thing, our eating worldwide eating habits in 2000, took over nourished people and passed under nourished people 1 billion to 800 million. Can you believe that number? I just find that to be so astonishing I don’t know whether to be angry or laugh. Can a human being honestly be that selfish? 1 billion of the world’s people can eat themselves to death slowly but very much so surely, while 800 billion starve and die within weeks? I feel like we need so major televised/ broadcasted awareness program to guilt the people of the world into giving up their money for their morning box of donuts or midnight snack of McDonalds to go to the 800 million people or more of the world who are starving at this very moment. It would not only help out 1 billion people but 800 million as well. So there you go, there’s my two cents. I could go more into corn in this chapter especially on ethanol but I’m honestly becoming tired of typing so this is my last words: Type II diabetes and obesity KILL! LETS FIX IT! Enough said…


Ch 7: This chapter in Omnivore’s Dilemma talks about, “The Meal”, which is probably what you guessed it was about, “fast food”. Who would of thought this stuff could be bad for you right? I mean how could something deep fried in a vat of grease ever hurt you? Right? Haha lmao (my sarcasm kills me). I think Judge Sweet is right about this who McFrankensteinian chicken McNugget thing. Fast food retailers need to make the ingredients and the harm that may come from consuming this product, just like cigarettes do, available and easily attainable to the public. If we don’t know what’s in it, why would we ever put it in our mouths? That’s like having a stranger sit you down, blind fold you, have you open your mouth, and eat whatever they give you. Doesn’t sound to bright to me. Michael Pollan also brings up how much of our food comes from corn, now I don’t know how much you guys knew about this already but this is my second time reading Michael Pollan’s book and every time I read that such a high percent of our food we consume comes from corn I get shocked. He provides what would ridiculous and farfetched numbers and the scary part is he claims they’re true. So how bout we take an oath as a class to slow down on our fast food consumption, maybe even donate some money to a nutritional charity rather than paying for slop and then eating it. It was fun blogging with y’all. Peace out.