Wendell Berry makes arguments that we should de-structuralize the food industry—take away the mechanical nature of it and “return agriculture to agriculture.” He gives plenty of reasons why food as a business is a bad idea: quality, culture, and health effects are all great causes to champion for, but he gives little guidance for how to fix the problems.
If almost all seeds are patented by one international corporation, a company that also owns patents on life, how do you reconcile this David and Goliath fight? Wendell Berry has no offerings about how to take on a corporation that will use endless lawyers to cost you endless amounts of money in court, effectively bankrupting you in the process of discrediting your claims. Food Inc reports on the intricacies of the evil corporations and their practices that destroy lives, but also offers no way in fighting against a regime bent on doing as they please.
One commenter in the film says every day we vote with our wallets. Voting only works if the system you’re voting in isn’t broken and corrupted by politicians in bed with big business. While it is easy to roll over and be run over by those in power, there has to be a way to fight back and take control of what we are putting into our bodies. Maybe it is just laziness, but I can’t help but feel as though I’m waiting around for someone else to tell me how to do it, rather than figure it out myself. I’m sure others feel this way too. Berry and Food Inc are great rallying points, but at the moment their views seem like pipedreams for those of us who feel too small to make a difference in the world.
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