Marx and Engels speak about how the ideals of the ruling class become the ruling ideas, because the group that controls the material forces of a society also controls the intellectual forces of that culture. They state that “the class which has the means of material production at its disposal, consequently also controls the means of mental production” (Marx & Engels 39). I was recently having a conversation with my friends about the food industry and how the rich CEOs of the industry are connected to high-up members of our government, and because of this, the most unhealthy and most processed food that is sold in our country is the cheapest, while freshly made, organically grown food is much more expensive. There are harmful chemicals going into our food, and people who have lower income cannot afford to avoid these substances because they do not have enough money to spend on organic, healthy food. The convenience and cheapness of fast food, paired with the expensiveness of food that is actually healthy and a povery-level minimum wage, forces low-income families to compromise their health and put harmful chemicals and un-nutritious food into their bodies. The wealthy CEOs of the food industry, who are connected to the government, are able to alter our food however they please, raking in millions while the poor have to eat the cheapest food available because there are few regulations in place regarding food. The food industry, being so intertwined with the U.S. government, has prevented much in the way of food regulation, and because of this, the less wealthy suffer. However, they present their interest as that of the common good, benefitting all members of society, with advertisements showing their “contributions” to society, such as McDonald’s Ronald McDonald House charity. McDonald’s, a corporation that has billionaire CEOs, is a huge contributor to obesity in the United States, yet it paints itself as doing good for society. This is not atypical of fast food corporations, which are doing much more harm than good. The promotion of the processed, un-nutritious fast food that is produced throughout the United States is an example of how the wealthy and influential rule our ideologies through their material influence.
Also, if anyone hasn't seen Food, Inc. yet, you definitely should! It is extremely eye-opening regarding the food industry and the corporations behind it. It's pretty graphic though, so just a warning, but it truly opened my eyes to how we as consumers are taken advantage of and led not to question the food industry and the chemicals put in our food. The film discusses the genetic modification and poor nutrition of animals that are raised for slaughter and consumption, and how this is bad not only for these animals' quality of life, but also for us humans who are consuming them. It also talks about how involved in the government many food corporations are, which affects legislation made regarding food. This film inspired me to go vegetarian because of its powerful message and fact-based arguments (although that only lasted about six months, haha).
This photo shows the evolution of the genetic modification and poor nutrition of chickens that are being raised for slaughter; chickens in 1950 used to be much healthier, and were fed grass and other food that chickens are supposed to eat. They also had a much longer lifespan and were killed to be eaten later in their life. Today, however, chickens have been bred to be fatter so that they yield more meat; they are extremely unhealthy because of this, and because they are fed only corn, which is not all that they should be eating. This is messed up, people!!!! Marx and Engels were (unfortunately) right!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/
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