Today sees the release of a movie called Fast Food Nation, based on the 2001 book by Eric Schlosser of the same name. If you’ve ever read this book, you’ll know what irritates me about it.
Like other leftist dross in the same vein, it’s dressed up as ‘investigative reporting’ - an ‘examination’ - of the history and growth of the fast food industry. Underneath, apart from its mostly civil biographies of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and others, it belongs in the ‘horror’ part of the ‘fiction’ section. Fast food is an easy target; merely by drawing on the bombshell moments that occur when you describe food production techniques in detail, one can convince any reader that fast food is a horrible, objectionable invention. Such reactions are easy to produce, especially when aggrandising accounts are told using select adjectives and carefully chosen truths. Unfortunately that isn’t ‘investigative reporting’ at all, purely charlatanism. Schlosser builds a man out of french fries, and then proceeds to tear him to shreds.
Even when Fast Food Nation goes on to talk about the success of the fast food industry, marketing techniques, demographics, and many other things, the most prosaic details take on the damning feel of the rest of the book. By the time Schlosser finishes giving the grisly details of how hamburger meat is prepared, the sentence ‘Ray Kroc believed in Santa Claus’ could become loaded with incriminating significance, even though it means absolutely nothing.
Anyway, I don’t need to tell most of the readers of this blog about the methods used by anti-corporates to persuade the masses of the evils of a burger and fries; most of you already know that.
The book is regarded as nonfiction. I regard it to be nonfiction in the same way that Michael Moore’s ‘Bowling For Columbine’ is nonfiction: ARGUABLY. But the movie based on it does not pretend to be nonfiction. It is a ‘fictional adaptation’ of the book. So. Like ‘Super-Size Me’, this movie has the capacity to take this paranoia to another level. When you can use music and menacing images and ‘Ugh’ moments and sinister voiceovers (all of which Spurlock did on ‘Super-Size Me’) and you can make use of paid celebrities like Bruce Willis, Avril Lavigne and Kris Kristofferson, and you can set up scenes and write scripts to make your point, you have the capacity to buy the emotions of the masses for your cause.
Fast Food Nation premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where not even the faint whiff of carnivora can be smelled, and is due to be released to theatres here in the fast-food demon-possessed United States of America tomorrow. From what I’ve seen, it appears to focus on the pitiable workers of the fast-food industry more than anything. I don’t understand how a job paying $6 an hour at McDonald’s is worse than not having a job at all, or how voluntarily joining the staff of your local Burger King is the equivalent of being in some kind of forced labour or something… but - believe me - that barely grazes the surface of the differences there are between my worldview and that of the schmucks that made this film.
On the movie’s website backwardshamburger.com, the flash movie presents some ‘facts’ about fast food.
“Americans spend $134 billion per year on fast food, much of it filled with toxic trans fat.” Aside from the fact that this detail is redundant - see my article here for the reason why - the adjective “filled” is clearly bizarre, a nicely emotive, amplified and, like the book, an imaginative version of the truth.
“The average fast food meal is shipped 1500 miles. Lots of artificial preservatives keep it ‘fresh’.” So fricking what? There’s a constituent out there who only need to see the word ‘artificial’ to conclude that it’s obviously evil and obviously going to kill you eventually. The glasses on their faces would seem to suggest otherwise, of course. I don’t know what in hell this ‘fact’ is supposed to prove, and I can’t understand what is meant to be so awful about preservatives. By the way, the image accompanying this scene on the website is of a truck running over a cute, furry rabbit in the countryside. No explanation, no particular link; but roadkill emphasises the point, I guess.
“A typical burger may contain pieces of over 1000 different cows and a little serving of their manure.” Yes, when beef is ground and mixed to produce burger patties, it is mixed enough that there could be thousands of cows involved in the product. And, the point is what exactly? If the number of cows involved in a single burger could be reduced, would it be a better product somehow? What would be the maximum number of cows acceptable to the creators of Fast Food Nation? 500? 90? 3? This is a truly pathetic spin on reality.
And the bit about the manure is even more contrived. Food safety with regard to E. Coli and other fecal bacteria has always been an issue, and would be, regardless of whether the fast food industry existed or not. That’s why we have the FDA and the EPA and so many food quality standards throughout all food industries - as if the filmmakers didn’t know that. Those standards have IMPROVED during the time the fast food industry has been in existence, not worsened. It is plainly fraudulent to try and imply that the fast food industry is the cause of the proliferation of any such pathogens, and to provoke a freaked-out reaction from the public by telling them that they’re eating manure is at best shameful, and at worst categorically malicious.
As far as I can tell, seeing this movie would be like being in the back of a taxicab whose driver is an obsessive compulsive conspiracy theorist. Such ramblings may be entertaining, but aren’t worth a second’s heeding.
What’s more: if you think I’m irritated by the fact that this malevolent hogwash exists, you people living in the United Kingdom should be even more piqued, for this piece of hogwash exists on your dime. That’s right, suckers - BBC Films helped put up the cash for this propaganda - your cash, obtained, as we well know, by forcing all TV watchers to pay an annual Licence Fee. If you doubt that they would actually have the gall to take the money they get from this form of taxation and use it to pay for such a project, check out this Guardian story from February of this year.
I gotta tell you, folks, this movie stinks worse than the grease pit at your local McDonald’s. But here’s the difference: McDonald’s doesn’t serve you that shit. Only the BBC does that.
John Wright
13 responses so far ↓
1 Stephen // Nov 17, 2006 at 1:12 am
Yeah, this pisses me off too John. Here’s an old article from my blogsite that I wrote some time ago when Spurlock’s film came out:
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It seems that the weird and wonderful world of Leftism continues to churn out it’s intellectual mush. Much has been said of the new “heavy on polemic, low on actual substance” documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael “Bend the Facts” Moore. But there has been an even more bizarre show released recently. The cinematic treat I refer to is called “Supersize Me,” but I was simply too bemused by the content to remember the name of the buffoon who made. It certainly wasn’t Ronald.
Basically the documentary is anti-McDonalds (films made by such types are always anti-something – war, Bush, Blair, America, the West, criminal justice, capitalism, guns, property, wealth, blah de blah de blah). In an effort to persuade us just how bad McDonalds food is for our health, some eegit decided to live off McDonalds meals for an entire month, always ordering a supersize meal when it was offered to him. By the end of the month his physical health had greatly deteriorated; he had put on a significant amount of weight, and his mental state had been worsened (if indeed such a thing was possible).
But his efforts were surely not a total waste of time. We’ve learnt a very valuable lesson, haven’t we, kids? We now know what happens to any naughty little boys and girls who eat McDonalds meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner – they get sick and fat.
Well, Duh! I have to ask: Who is this film actually made for? Are there really people alive on planet earth that need to be convinced that eating junk food morning, noon and night, averaging 5000 calories a day – that’s double the recommended daily allowance for an adult male – is a bad thing? If people are so stupid then it must be time to ‘trim the herd.’ And what better way to do it than allow such people to eat until they pop.
McDonalds is a favourite whipping-boy. Not only does it sell food high in fat to those who can barely fit through its double doors, but also, even worse, it’s a large, successful, global chain. I suspect that the real reason behind this film is not a deep concern for the health of the nation but is rather another chance to take a shot at a large global corporation for it’s gross sin of, well, being successful. Leftists never did like large successful corporations very much. They make money, and money is an evil unless it’s being ‘redistributed’.
Let’s face it the charge that McDonalds makes people fat or damages your health is grossly misleading and inaccurate. McDonalds does not make anyone fat. If someone eats a burger from McDonalds each week then their health or waistline isn’t going to be affected one iota (well, unless, of course, the burger consumed is 20 square feet). But, obviously eating 10 or more burgers will cause us to move up a dress or trouser size or two. There is one primary reason why people get fat – it isn’t because they are brainwashed by corporate advertising and it isn’t because they are genetically addicted to Big Macs. It’s simply because they continue to stuff their fat faces without moving except to press buttons on the TV remote.
It might also come as a surprise in certain quarters to hear that it is possible to get fat without going to McDonalds. In fact, people in the year 2004 (where McDonalds restaurants abound) are actually consuming fewer calories than they did a couple of decades ago (no McDonalds in sight). Even more shocking is the fact that a person can get fat without eating food that is high in fat. Our physical and mental health, along with our waistlines would not be in terribly good shape if we were to dine on nothing but pasta morning, noon and night for a whole month, and pasta is regarded as relatively healthy food. Come on, has Atkins taught us nothing? Our bodies are fat making factories, and we don’t need to eat a lot of fat in order to get very fat.
What a pity the maker of this documentary didn’t just do us all a favour and eat arsenic for a month – supersized portions of it of course. As for me, I’m off for a burger and fries.
Stephen Graham
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SG
2 Gman // Nov 17, 2006 at 4:07 am
Re: the comment on corporate advertising. They wouldn’t spend so much on it if it didn’t work would they? I read the book but won’t be going to see the movie. It was the production line carcass processing that made me blanch. I would like my food to be prepared with hygiene in mind. Another thing that surprised me was the union busting stance of McDonalds. If an employee makes noises about forming a union the union busting squad gets on the corpotrate jet and flies in to sort them out. I don’t know if this is true but it does make the company sound big and menacing. What are they afraid of if it is true ? Personally, I don’t eat in corporate franchises. I would rather have a local company get my money and the food is usually better, in my opinion. Homogeneity is for some but I like difference.
3 Kenny, FL // Nov 17, 2006 at 8:34 am
Gman, hygiene is paramount at any of McDonald’s meat contracting plants, have you ever been to one? I have! They are fanatical about hygiene and anal about keeping the standards…. and another bit of trivia for you all…. McDonald’s was responsible for coming up with many of the fast food practices we know today, and their express concern at the time was to not only meet but far exceed the food standards mandated by the government…. Ray Kroc thought that would be cheaper than having the government always look over his shoulder to see if they were doing things right. Trust me my friend….. fast food is among the most high standards of food quality anywhere.
4 S Quinney // Nov 17, 2006 at 9:21 am
Unions are an unnecessary, unwelcome intervention in the free market, Gman. If you don’t like the wages or the working conditions at your local McDonald’s, then leave! Don’t work there! And the net result of everyone doing that is that fast food restaurants compete for their workers. What’s so horrible about that?
5 Claire // Nov 17, 2006 at 10:20 am
Oh John that last line! That was biting. !!
6 John Wright // Nov 17, 2006 at 10:24 am
Yes Claire, we are the Kings of the Biting Last Lines. Check out Stephen’s last line on this post from Wednesday.
7 Mark // Nov 17, 2006 at 10:26 pm
My wife is a manager at a meat processing facility. Has been for over 20 years. Trust me when I say that it is much cleaner than the restuarant itself. These plants are under FDA/USDA control and supervision, and every company has it’s own Quality Control department that is responsible for food safety, as well as a team of legal advisors who’s sole job is to keep the company from becoming involved in any type of consumer issues. I know way more about this industry than I really ever wanted to, and I have complete confidence in the practices in place.
Specifically for this film trailer–
1) If a cut happens on a line in real life, the line is stopped, and all meat in the area is condemned. That means it is not used in any way. The equipment is then washed with high pressure HOT water and sanitized with commercial sanitization materials.
2) Sad cows. The worried looks on their faces. Aww. I’m going to eat them. As for the cow with the heifer, breeding stock are not used in processing.
It kills me when people sat “you need to educate yourself” when what they really mean is “You need to come around to my way of thinking.”. This is thinly veiled animal rights propaganda, and I’m sure PETA is not far from it. Did you see the poor bunny getting run over by the evil meat eater?
Don’t need to read a book or watch a film on this one. We have first hand knowledge from real life. Don’t want to eat meat. Don’t. But don’t try to guilt everyone else with fictionalized accounts of a highly regulated industry.
8 Rosalita Paglia // Nov 18, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Haha I absolutely loved this piece! It is so true, these horror stories about fast food are so 1980s, I thought sensible people were over it by now, fast food is a part of many people’s lives, get over it! and if you don’t like fast food then don’t eat it -period!
9 John Wright // Nov 18, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Mark and Kenny- Great to hear inside scoops that totally contradict these assholes… Rosalita, Quinney, thanks.
A shocker that no-one has come on to disagree!
10 Gman // Nov 20, 2006 at 6:58 am
Don’t like it so I don’t eat is something I live by Rosalita. Kenny, I haven’t been to a certified McDonalds supplier but I have been in one or two chicken processors. I wasn’t overly impressed with the standard of hygiene. If the fastfoodnation book is complete nonsense then I take it that the stories from production line workers etc are false?
A highly regulated industry….the watchmen aren’t there all the time are they? Every business takes shortcuts, some more than others, granted. Why should food processors be any different in this repsect? Supersize me made me laugh. Will he do one in which he eats nothing but salad for a month, or maybe just salad dressing?
11 Liam Looney // Nov 20, 2006 at 9:04 am
S. Quinney:
Unions are a necessary evil to protect the the unprotected in society!
12 S Quinney // Nov 20, 2006 at 9:50 am
Liam, everyone can leave a job they don’t like. A job is a trade, my time for your money. Don’t like the terms of the contract? Go somewhere else! What is so difficult to understand about that? Strikes and picket lines and union wranglings are pathetic immature and destructive.
13 Billy // Dec 5, 2006 at 5:01 pm
Are we on strike!
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