Alison’s Ted Talk caught me off guard a little— purely based on the title, I wasn’t expecting to learn how racism is so deeply rooted in the food industry in the U.S. However, it wasn’t very surprising to learn the facts of this. Personally, I have a strong interest in the socio economics of the agriculture industry and Alison’s talk contained many facts I was unaware of.
A memorable part of the video for me was when she spoke about how access to healthy foods was less prevalent in lower-income neighborhoods. Lower-income neighborhoods, as a result of systematic racism, are usually comprised of black, Hispanic, and Latino people. Therefore, these communities are most affected by “retail redlining”. I find that people truly do not grasp how this process itself perpetuates more racism. More division between cultural communities (haves vs have-nots) ultimately casts more prejudice.
Another point she makes is how we view foods outside of our cultural foods. Different ingredients, different smells, and different preparations of foods outside of what is “accepted” in society are seen as “gross” or “weird” purely because they are unfamiliar. This is the same kind of prejudice when someone judges another on their choice of eating “unhealthy” food. Lower-income communities lack access to healthy foods leading those communities to choose what is available at the price they can afford. We judge the mom who can only afford to feed her children McDonald’s for dinner tonight, instead of judging the industry that forces these options or lack of options.
I am a firm believer in food is a right to all humans. All basic necessities should be available to everyone at lowest price possible or for free. No one should have to choose to pay bills, put gas in their vehicle, or pay for medications over being able to feeding themselves and their loved ones.
5 comments:
I absolutely agree with you that food is a right to all humans. Not only do I believe food is a right to all humans, but I think that all humans have a right to fresh and healthy food. If you live in a food desert and are unable to get fresh produce, that can have negative consequences on your health and even shorten your life. People should not have to live like this because they have no other option and can't afford anything else.
Love that you feel the same. I also believe that the foods we all have a right to should be healthy options. I like to sometimes reflect on that in terms of racial bias as well. It seems as though that the propaganda we are presented with by media of all forms further pushes processed options vs healthy options. Is this a way to possibly further segregate cultures? Many traditional meals in most cultures have no use for processed foods. Possibly to also further push profits in this big industries?? Hmmm... makes you think for sure!
I agree that inequality between two groups only will breed more tension or resentment between the two over time. We've been collectively trying to solve these kinds of issues for decades now as a society, and seen mixed results. A lot of these issues are complex and controversial to talk about, so being able to bring the conversation down to something as simple as access to enough food and health food totally has the potential to start a snowball. Dr. Alkon not going into more detail about this topic when she brought it up was one of my main complaints about the video.
I agree that it's not the anyone's fault other than the industry. Everyone should have the option to eat healthy, fresh, nutritional food. I completely agree that food is a right to all humans, and it is a basic necessity to survive. Food can be prepared in so many different ways and we should just stop judging each other and embrace that we have the ability to access so many different kinds of food.
I disagree. While issues like food deserts exist, the solution lies in promoting self sufficiency and reducing regulations that hurt small businesses, and dont encourage competition, rather than expanding government welfare programs. As for global issues, the U.S. should prioritize strengthening its own economy and focusing on our issues before taking on the role of helping others.
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