When I watched Fast Food Nation this week, I was struck by how this film reminded me of The Matrix, which is one of my all-time favorite movies.These films have several parallel themes. For example, both films reveal the human tendency to resist accommodating new information into our current beliefs. These films also show a hidden, yet present discrepancy between the actual "real world" and our perceptions of the "real world."
Turns out, I'm not the only one who's made these connections. To see these similarities for yourself, click here to watch this animated spoof on youtube.
2 comments:
Moofius! It's so true! I really wish I could buy products that I knew how they were raised. I would rather pay twice the price to have food that is grown sustainably as opposed to the agribusiness we now have.
You should look into this story that happened a year or so ago. An economist got a paper accepted in Science that describes how a terrorist could kill millions by putting botulism toxin in our milk supply. The CIA or FBI then asked science to pull the article, which it did. In response, the author submitted it to the New York Times, who published it. The whole conglomeration of these industries is scary, quite frankly. That the same company that makes baby formula makes cigarettes? Go Altrea (formerly Phillip Morris)!
You are so right - we are very resistant to include new information into already established beliefs. This is kind of what the paper I am working on right now is about - that our inductive categories contain more information about initially presented category instances than more recently experienced instances. But I don't want to make you think I'm any more of a geek than you already believe me to be!
Yah, now that I'm learning more about this issue, I want to buy more groceries at the Farmer's Market. There's one in town, which I frequent regularly.
I know a woman at the Farmer's Market who sells organic milk. I occassionally buy milk from her...but now I'm going to up the ante--no more industrial milk for me! Yah know, I wouldn't be surprised if she was the same person who milked those cows, either.
For me, it's definitely worth spending more money on food that's free from chemicals, hormones, and other contaminants.
Hey, thanks for mentioning that Science paper. I'd like to find that article in NY Times!
And good luck revising your inductive category paper!
:0)
M
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