Tuesday, December 4, 2012

12


Nathaniel Burbury                                                                                                                   Freshman Comp                                                                                                                                   Mike Lohre                                                                                                                            11/28/12

Exploration 12
I very much enjoyed the documentary “Fresh.”  Their choice of music was quite amusing.  Using happy piano music for scenes with the organic farmers, and ominous tones in scenes with the big operations, they made their cause twice as appealing without using any facts at all.  I believe that one of the main, underlying ideas of this film was the words of the hog farmer’s foreign friend “The only thing that Americans fear is inconvenience.”  When given some thought, these words strike painfully close to home.  We are all guilty of seeking a life of convenience, we have all at some point or another eaten fast food because we didn’t feel like making something nutritious.  And that is simply the culture we live in.  It is hard to change an entire culture because of a personal conviction and a few good examples of success.  There must be a flip side to the small farm coin because a couple hundred years ago that is how all of America lived.  So why did it change?  What aspect of the “Fresh” lifestyle have we romanticized?  Part of it is simply the amount of work that is required to live such a lifestyle.  To operate a farm like the one shown in the film would require a full day of hard manual labor every day of ones exhausting existence.  I am not saying that it wouldn’t have its benefits.  But there was a reason that we moved away from this lifestyle so many years ago.  Also the steps they are suggesting we take are unfathomably large and would affect so many people that do not see a problem with our current society.  Many of them are smart people that can prove that they are right, just as the makers of “Fresh” proved they were right.  I believe that organic living should be a personal choice, and that your choice should not affect the lives of any that do not share your convictions.

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