HW 18 - Health & Illness & Feasting

Traditionally like every year I walked into my aunts apartment just as the sun was setting. My mother and I immediately offered our assistance for last minute preparation before the dinner started. My father walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. As soon as I realized that my help was not needed I joined my Dad. We sat there sprawled out on the couch waiting for the rest of our family to arrive. There was a moment of stillness and silence. The doorbell ran, Lucy my aunt’s dog started barking. My Dad and I sat up immediately, we didn’t want to appear too relaxed to the rest of our family.

I could feel and hear my stomach growling. I decided to not eat very much during the day since I knew I was going to be eating too much for dinner. We all sat in our uniformly alike chairs, with uniformly alike place settings. My mother scolded me for beginning to eat before everyone else was seated. My cousin walked to the table telling everyone how she wore pants too big for her so once her stomach expanded she wouldn’t have excess skin hanging out. As soon as she was seated my aunt started to make a toast. She mentioned how fortunate our family was and to recognize and remember all of those who weren’t at the table. We all clinked glasses and began to eat.

With my family food is like the background white noise. It seems at every meal spent together there is some sort of debate about an issue affecting us, and regardless of the subject it takes over the entire meal. This evening’s discussion was about Cathie Black the new head of the department of education. Many members of my family do not see eye to eye when it comes to education. Part of my family strongly believes in the private institution of education while the other part believes fully in public education. Voices are raised and instead of it being a civilized discussion it usually turns into an argument.

Once the turkey had been devoured and dessert was on the table, we went around the table saying what we were thankful for. I found this sort of strange and awkward. I didn’t really want to say what I was thankful for in front of my whole family. People started crying and once the last person spoke we went back to eating. I kept thinking about the real reason behind thanksgiving. Why were we honoring our own lives? Shouldn’t we be honoring those who were actually affected by this day? Throughout the whole meal it seemed like a number of people at the table were trying to attract so much attention, attempting to center the conversation revolving around them.

I left my aunt’s feeling stuffed and confused. Why is this day so important? Why is there always so much arguing? It feels like such a waste of energy and time. I thought about my Grandmother and her missing presence. I thought about how my cousin’s boyfriend was crying at the table, since he just underwent surgery. My aunt talked about how fortunate we were but no one mentioned anything about the food. If we had decided to not have this meal though we would have felt socially unacceptable. Weird.

How It Ends - DeVotchKa

Hold your grandmother's bible to your breast

Gonna put it to the test

You wanted to be blessed

And in your heart you know it to be true

You know what you gotta do

They all depend on you

And you already know

Yeah, you already know how this will end

There is no escape from the slave catcher's songs

For all of the loved ones gone

Forever's not so long

And in your soul they poked a million holes

But you never let em show

Come on, it's time to go

And you already know

Yeah, you already know how this will end

Now you've seen his face

And you know that there's a place in the sun

For all that you've done

For you and your children

No longer shall you need

You always wanted to believe

Just ask and you'll receive

Beyond your wildest dreams

And you already know

Yeah, you already know how this will end.

HW 17 - First Thoughts on the Illness & Dying Unit

I remember the day she died. I sat down on the couch in my living room; the expression on my parent’s faces worried me. At first I thought I was in trouble, they looked so upset. Hearing the words out loud seemed so strange. All I could think about was running through the wild flowers. Swimming in the summer time. Screaming at each other because we didn’t want to hold Kong the scary pit bull who was the neighbors dog, and then laughing so hard when he wouldn’t stop licking us. I started crying, how could she be dead? Gone forever and ever. I felt empty and scared; she was only a few years older than me. She wasn’t sick; she was healthy and full of life. In an instant she was gone, one wrong move and that was it.

We both sat in our pajama’s eating our cereal. I looked outside the window; it was snowing, coming down hard and fast. I looked at my Grandma and smiled, she said, “ I don’t understand why I am still here…” I was caught off guard by her blunt remark, never had I heard these words uttered from another human being directly to me. I reassured her that she was here for a reason. We continued munching on our cereal, and I forgot about what she had said. That afternoon as we backed out of my Grandmothers driveway, I watched her wave goodbye. It reminded me of what she had said to me earlier that morning. I thought to myself, what if grandma does die? Then I concluded that it would probably be a while before that would actually happen. This past summer we sat eating lunch; I was admiring her flowers. Suddenly she said to me, “I miss Grandpa, I don’t understand why I am still here.” Once again I reassured her that she was here for a purpose. This time as we backed out of the driveway, she waved at us. I thought to myself, what if grandma is dying? This was the last time I saw my Grandmother alive.

Six months ago if I was asked: What is illness and dying? , I would not be able to tell you. I would probably give a simple answer such as suffering, pain or sorrow. Although those are definitely elements of the topic, it gives us the idea that it is so simplistic. However until you experience first hand the effects of illness and dying the general idea does seem quite simple. So simple that we try our hardest to avoid questioning it.

Grieving is a strange process. It isn't just crying or feeling sad. It comes in waves. After my childhood friend died I was scared of the world. The way she left wasn't normal, it had nothing to do with illness. The earth had a flaw that in a chain reaction killed her. I didn't and still don't understand why this happened to her. I don't feel like she is really gone, it doesn't seem possible. It is the same feeling with my Grandmother. Although she had lived a long life the momentum building up to her death was my whole life. I never knew my Grandmother when she was not sick with something. So when she went into the hospital the last time we all figured she would bounce back again. But she didn't. Loosing people makes you loose faith in the world. Although we all know it happens to everyone, we aren't prepared for the event to actually happen. It comes as a shock that it really does happen. It makes you feel empty, you breathe in and literally feel nothing. The emotions that come along with death are unavoidable and our minds are unprepared.

After my childhood friend died I went to the park constantly. I kept seeing blue jays. I never see blue jays. The day my Grandmother died I was walking in the park with my Dad and we saw a red cardinal. I never see red cardinal's. I knew once I saw the bird that this was the day. Six hours later she died. Last weekend we saw a red cardinal again. The idea of dying is so complex and I think we look for signs, possible recognition that wherever they are, they are okay.

HW 12 - Final Food Project Two: Outline

Thesis: An individual living in our culture must recognize and respond to the nightmarish industrial atrocities at the root of dominant social practices in order to live a morally satisfactory life.

Major Claim: By not knowing or questioning where our food comes from, what conditions it comes from or whom it comes from we will continue to live in a world of illusion.

Supporting Claim One: Don't judge a book by it's cover, especially when it comes to food. People in the United States for the most part have decided if it looks "normal", tastes "normal" then it probably is "normal." However in order to fully understand how far from "normal" our food is we must find the root of where it is first brought into the world.

Evidence: A large amount of our food has had hormones injected and been covered in pesticides. (1,2,3)

Evidence: No longer are animals raised in farms for the most part, the new term is a feed lot. (1,2,3)

Evidence: The farmers growing the food are in debt and not treated equally. (2)

Evidence: Many products that claim they are better for you are actually owned by companies we associate to be unhealthy. (2,6)

Evidence: Major leaders and politicians in our countries government have some linkage to big food corporations. (2,5)

Supporting Claim Two: Many individuals have recognized the problem in our food system and found alternative ways of living and leading a healthier lifestyle. Instead of altering evolution they have decided to live by natural evolution.

Evidence: Polyface Farms. (1,2)

Evidence: Farmer's Markets. (1)

Evidence: Gathering and hunting your own food. (1)

Evidence: Instead of constantly eating at fast food restaurants, cooking food at home, knowing what is in your food. (1)

Evidence: Kevin's Law (2)

Evidence: Becoming vegetarian or vegan. (1,2)

Citations:

1. Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

2. Food Inc. 2008. Film.

3. Our Daily Bread. 2005. Film. Geyrhalter .

4. Dargis, By Manohla. "Movie Review - Our Daily Bread - What’s for Dinner? You Don’t Want to Know - NYTimes.com." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times - The New York Times. 24 Nov. 2006. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

5. "Monsanto Buys ‘Terminator’ Seeds Company." GlobalResearch.ca - Centre for Research on Globalization. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

6. "Stonyfield Farm." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

HW 11 - Final Food Project One

Over the past year, one of the most crucial ideas I have learned in relation to this class is to never trust the first opinion you hear. Regardless if what the person is saying makes logical sense isn't an excuse to not explore the alternative stand point on the subject. Specifically in regards to the subject of food, after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and watching Food Inc. I decided to continue to explore the company Monsanto and their relationship with the government and with the farmers. After understanding one view of the anti-corporation I thought in order to fully understand the subject I needed to see the full picture.

Before I began researching the pro-corporation I took a step back to make sure I completely knew all the facts of the other idea. I came to discover that, "The United States Government has been financing research on a genetic engineering technology which, when commercialized, will give its owners the power to control the food seed of entire nations or regions. The Government has been working quietly on this technology since 1983. Now, the little-known company that has been working in this genetic research with the Government’s US Department of Agriculture-- Delta & Pine Land-- is about to become part of the world’s largest supplier of patented genetically-modified seeds (GMO), Monsanto Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri." (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3082) Essentially the government wants the food out on the market as soon as possible. The quicker the production the higher the price. If they have the ability to speed up the growth they can create more quantities of the product.

As they said in Food Inc. former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary Clinton who now is our secretary of state, had a relationship with big food corporations dating back to the 1970's. Ten years later in the late 1980's friends of the Clinton's helped out George W. Bush's oil company. Is this to say that the food corporations predicted our presidential future? That behind our votes were actually supporters of G.M.O... even today Obama is endorsing Monsanto. If these significant leaders are for these causes that are hurting our health how can we trust anything they say? Is discussion of these crucial subjects over shadowed for reasons unknown to the public?

After collecting more specific information pertaining to one set of ideas I decided to see what Monsanto had to say. I explored their website and came to conclude that all of the messages that were being exposed by those not afraid to speak up were completely opposite the corporations stand point. First off the website seemed to appear pretty and shiny with images of "real" farmers doing "real" farming. It gave someone as myself a conception that what they were doing wasn't wrong at all. On their, Who We Are section they had a condensed version of their morals.

If there were one word to explain what Monsanto is about, it would have to be farmers.

Billions of people depend upon what farmers do. And so will billions more. In the next few decades, farmers will have to grow as much food as they have in the past 10,000 years – combined.

It is our purpose to work alongside farmers to do exactly that.

To produce more food.

To produce more with less, conserving resources like soil and water.

And to improve lives.

We do this by selling seeds, traits developed through biotechnology, and crop protection chemicals.

It seemed as though the information given in Food Inc. about the Monsanto spies was not touched upon in their campaign to encourage people to join the band wagon. It also did not mention the farmers being sued for trying to conserve seeds that were unused for next years growing. They didn't mention how they were shutting down seed cleaners. In Food Inc. they said how there used to be three in each town and now there were six in the whole country, and that was in 2008. The information being shared to the public about Monsanto doesn't seem like there is anything wrong with it, so the public doesn't question their true existence.

By investigating this underlying lie it essential proves that companies such as Monsanto are linked to political figures and are not in it to help the farmers but need the farmers to function. No where on their website do they mention the Clinton's or the Bush's, if they did mention the connection I wonder if people might begin to question it. Directly from farmers we know that they are not treated equally but in reality Monsanto owns them. People in this country don't think about two sides, they think about one, and if that one side is legitimate they don't find it necessary to find another side because they probably assume it doesn't exist.

Citations:

1. "Monsanto Buys ‘Terminator’ Seeds Company." GlobalResearch.ca - Centre for Research on Globalization. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

2. "Monsanto ~ Monsanto at a Glance." Monsanto ~ Home. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

HW 10 - Food Inc. Response

The food industry today isn't just damaging individuals, it affects our nation, the environment and the animals. Farming is no longer working in the fields, in the barns, it has turned into a factory system. Big corporations make sure it is kept that way, by inhibiting farmers that work for the companies to not have a voice. By doing this the customers are kept out of the darkness, and remain oblivious to the real conditions where the animals are being raised. If a farmer decides to speak up they are shut down, and left in piles of debt. If a citizen of the United States decides to speak up they are sued. The corporations do not want to leave foot steps of negativity that could and do affect their sales. The food industry is not honest with the people. Members of the government have close connections to these large corporations hence why no debate is brought up for public interest. Knowing exactly where are food comes from is rare, on average it is usually 1500 miles away. No longer do we have connections with basic necessities, diseases are rising, diabetes is rising and the link between our food and our health problems isn't often brought to the table.

The movie visually showed the examples instead of deeply explaining them. Images are concrete facts and lead us to see the realness in the situation. Instead of trying to imagine the circumstances it was displayed in front of our eyes. I think for the average person this is more effective. Unfortunately in our country today people are more willing to believe real footage than words. If we have a certain opinion about a topic we are more likely to find more information that backs up those ideas than to find information that puts down our ideas. In the book, The Omnivore's Dilemma there is more room for disagreement. Although the facts are being laid out for the reader it really depends on how you interpret them. Since in a movie the audience is all being fed the same information there is less room for disagreement. While in the book even though we are all reading the same words, our minds may break down the meaning differently. The book does a good job of explaining the hidden truth behind the problems but the movie does a good job of showing the actual outcomes of these problems. Since in the movie many different experts on the subject shared similar opinions the audience is more convinced. In The Omnivore's Dilemma it is Pollen and the people he meets along his journey. However, I think both do a good job of trying to convince the mass of the situation we are dealing with and how we all need to join together to fight against the messed up system.

Food Inc. was a great film to see as we finish up the book. It gave the book even more life. When I was reading I created my own images of the conditions we are dealing with but the movie made those images more clear. Some chapters in The Omnivore's Dilemma felt very repetitious to me, it seemed like the concepts were going in circles. While in the movie there was enough information of a wide variety of different issues. I was in shock while reading but once I saw the images of it, I couldn't believe my eyes. I am even more certain now that the government is our main source behind this. There is a law that people cannot complain about products. Politicians are linked to these food corporations. There are "secret agents" running around and tracking down those doing "bad." People are being sued left to right for criticizing big corporations. Meat packing used to be one of the best jobs in the United States and now it is one of the most dangerous. Workers and animals are treated the same. Joel Salatin of the Polyface Farm said, "We have allowed ourselves to become so ignorant with something so intimate." A farmer from Purdue who went against her contract said, "This isn't farming, it's mass production in a assembly line in a factory... It is like being a slave to the company." And after she gathered dead chickens, threw them in her truck said, "That's normal." The chicken council isn't even denying the state of strangeness to the concept of food, "We are not producing chicken, we are producing food." Animals are no longer animals, they don't eat like animals, they don't live like animals, they don't taste like animals. They are here for what many of us would like to think a purpose to benefit us specifically. So we treat them like machines, that eat each other, eat corn, are injected with hormones, live a life of darkness, and then are killed for us. They no longer live on farms, they live in practically cells, innocent creatures living in tortured lives. We see this as normal because when we sit down for dinner we are not thinking of the lab coats, the gloves, the illegal immigrants or even the animals, we are thinking about ourselves.

HW 7D- Reading Response

Chapter 17: The Ethics of Eating Animals

Precis:

For most of us killing humans is completely unacceptable but killing animals seems quite normal. However a less dominant group of people in our society feel as if humans and animals should be treated equally. Their ideas and opinions give the animals voices (theoretically) to attempt to shift the larger group of people into understanding the difference between a happy animal and one whose life has no joy. And until they understand this idea, animal after animal will continue to suffer during both life and the ending of their life.

Gems:

"We tolerate this schizophrenia because the life of the pig has been moved out of view; when's the last time you saw a pig in person? Meat comes from the grocery store, where it is cut and packaged to look as little like parts of an animal as possible." (Page 306)

"All the one all-important interest humans share with pigs, as with all sentient creatures, is interest in avoiding pain." (Page 308)

"Humans don't need to kill other creatures in order to survive; carnivorous animals do." (Page 310)

"Animals are treated as machines-"production units"-incapable of feeling pain. Since no thinking person can possibly believe this anymore, industrial animal agriculture depends on a suspension of disbelief on the part of the people who operate it and a willingness to avert one's eyes on the part of everyone else." (Page 317)

"Tail docking and sow crates and beak clipping would disappear overnight, and the days of slaughtering four hundred head of cattle an hour would promptly come to an end-for who could stand the sight? Yes, meat would get more expensive. We'd probably eat a lot less of it, too, but maybe when we did eat animals we'd eat them with the consciousness, ceremony, and respect they deserve." (Page 333)

Thoughts & Questions:

As I was reading this chapter I kept thinking about the movie: Daily Bread... animals are longer seen as living breathing beings but merely their purpose is to get fat enough to serve us. The quicker they get fat the better...

On one of the first days of school Andy asked us to define a number of words, one of these words was sacred, I remember not really knowing how to define it, I thought something that is special or appreciated. Now I understand how far we are from being sacred about our food. We treat it without second thought, three times a day we eat, two times a day we brush our teeth etc. There is nothing special to eating anymore it is just something we do.

Two summers ago I worked at Mount Sinai Hospital, basically I had to walk around and talk to the patients. They gave me a list of topics to discuss, the first one was food. Food is something we can all relate to because we all need to do it in order to survive. It is also a subject that some people have the fondest memories of doing. However I think today it isn't looked at as something so wonderful, our obesity rates are high not only because people are over eating... they are over eating for a reason: depression, anger etc. If you are eating alone of course you are going to eat more, based on your emotions and lack of judgement.

Chapter 18: Hunting - The Meat

Precis:

Hunting is a technique that no longer represents survival. Over time hunting has turned into more of a recreational activity. Today people would rather inject hormones, abuse the animals throughout their lives, make them so obese they can't move and then slaughter them as if it is nothing, because they find the act of hunting to be too gruesome...

Gems:

"Or it could be that hunting is one of those experiences that appear utterly different from inside than from the outside." (Page 337)

"Scientists still aren't certain what the evolutionary utility of such a system might be. Some researchers hypothesize that the cannabinoids, like the opiates, play a role in the brain's pain relief and reward system; others that they help regulate appetite, or emotion." (Page 342)

"Ortega believed that in hunting we returned to nature because "hunting is the generic way of being a man" and because the animal we are stalking summons the animal is still in us." (Page 343)

"The one emotion I expected to feel but did not, inexplicably, was remorse, or even ambivalence. All that would come later, but now, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, I felt absolutely terrific-unambiguously happy." (Page 353)

Thoughts & Questions:

During the summer time especially there are always bugs crawling around. People seem to get very aggravated by them hence we have created fly swappers, and the basic use of the bottom of our shoes. Why do we feel the need to kill these creatures that are so small compared to us. Is it the thrill we get after we have done the deed? Do we feel satisfied? Ahah killed the little sucker... forgetting or not even thinking about the reason why we did it in the first place...

What would people in New York City think if hunters started looking for birds and squirrels to kill? Would socially it be acceptable? Or would the general public find it disturbing? How likely would it be for all of those people to go out after they saw such a horrid scene and eat meat? Probably quite likely...

Chapter 19: Gathering - The Fungi

Precis:

The problem with scavenging for mushrooms is that although sometimes you may know exactly what it is, there may be other times where it is a complete mystery. Individuals who participate in this activity don't read a manuel, they use their internal senses to lead them to the "treasure."

Gems:

"But that is apparently how it goes with hunting mushrooms: You have to get your eyes on, as hunters will sometimes put it." (Page 368)

"Wild mushrooms in general throw throw that dilemma into a particularly sharp relief, since they confront us simultaneously with some of the edible world's greatest rewards and gravest risks. Arguably, mushroom eating poses the starkest case of the omnivore's dilemma, which could explain why people hold such strong feelings, pro or con, on the subject of wild mushrooms." (Page 371)

"(Mexicans call mushrooms carne de los muertos-"flesh of the dead.") The fact that mushrooms can themselves be direct agents of death doesn't exactly shine their reputation, either." (Page 376)

"Mushrooms are hinges in nature, now turning toward death, now toward new life." (Page 388)

Thoughts & Questions:

It seems like it might be very interesting hunting for mushrooms. I didn't realize how complicated it actually was. In Costa Rica I went to a forest, and the tour guide could find animals, birds, little bugs without even looking. The way that Angelo was described reminded me of that. They are so comfortable with the world around them and they notice little movements that lead them to finding incredible things.

I would like to hunt mushrooms, I have a feeling I would have an advantage after reading this chapter. Although I am sure it would be difficult at first I would be more likely to look out for sudden movements of leaves, and spot the camouflaged mysteries.

This sort of reminded me of growing sprouts. Even though we were searching for sprouts. Each day we saw progress gave a feeling of accomplishment. Furthermore since I had never grown my own food in a jar the whole idea of it was quite a mystery.

Chapter 20: The Perfect Meal

Precis:

Perfection is not any easy task to complete. Especially when it comes to creating "The Perfect Meal", there are many elements within a perfect meal that must be considered. Depending on the time of year, we must gather foods according to what is available to us. We must then cook these "gifts" with love and appreciation. This allows us to be one with what is around us, and one with the people who brought the food to life. Knowing how something started creates a sacred ending.

Gems:

"Perfect?! A dangerous boat, you must be thinking. And, in truth, there was much about my personally hunted, gathered, and grown meal that tended more toward the ridiculous than the sublime." (Page 391)

"No, little if anything about this meal was what anyone would call realistic." And yet no meal I've ever prepared or eaten has been more real." (Page 392)

"But as the conversation at the table unfurled like a sail amid the happy clatter of silver, tacking from stories of hunting to mother lodes of mushrooms to abalone adventures, I realized that in this particular case words of grace were unnecessary. Why? Because that's what the meal itself had become, for me certainly, but I suspect for some of the others, too: a wordless way of saying grace." (Page 407)

"Without such thing as fast food there would be no need for slow food, and the stories we tell at such meals would lose much of their interest. Food would be... well, what it always was, neither slow nor fast, just food: this particular plant or that particular animal, grown here or there, prepared this way or that. For countless generations eating was something that took place in the steadying context of family and culture..." (Page 411)

"For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world." (Page 411)

Thoughts & Questions:

By finishing the journey with a meal it ties in all of the factors Pollen learned throughout his experiences. From all of the things he observed he decides what is his best bet into a perfect meal. The simplicity of the meal lets the reader see how something that may seem so complicated is really just going back to original roots. We often assume that concepts that seem heavily complicated are actually underneath quite understandable. By exploring and discovering what lies beneath the surface we further our discoveries to something that could change us forever.

As I furthered my reading I became more aware of what I was eating. I questioned where my food came from, how the food was raised. I am almost unsure if I want to continue eating fish. I told my parents that I would like to begin shopping at the Farmer's Market in Union Square on a daily basis. I never want to eat McDonald's again, and I am pretty sure that I never want to go back to eating meat. When we started this unit I talked about my daily dinners, of sitting around and talking. Although it is a drag sometimes, I now realize how important those moments are. It isn't about the food, it is about who you are sharing the food with, and the company you are surrounded by. It seems as if the food is just the base or the root as to why we are sitting there, and instead of just going through the motions of eating, you are appreciating the aspects of the food from all different angles. Praising it meal by meal, day by day.

HW 9 - Freakonomics Response

Imagine this: industrial farmers running around their corn mazes, laughing, giggling, and thinking about all of the subsidies they will be receiving shortly. As you step out of the maze there is going to be a fence and behind that fence will be all of the (very few) pastoral farmers. The expressions on their faces will probably be disgusted, they think to themselves, “wow, they don’t even realize what they are doing…” The industrial farmers have now invited their government friends to join the party, subsidies are being thrown in the air. “It’s subsidy party” one of them shouts and like piñata the subsidies are thrown, the industrial farmers run around frantically trying to get at least one piece of “candy.” The industrial farmers look at the unwanted guests behind the fence, very confused as to why they didn’t try to get on the guest list… Freakonomics serves as an inspiration and good example to our attempt to explore "hidden-in-plan-sight" weirdness of dominant social practices.

For some reason whenever we see a number we automatically assume it is correct. In the movie Freakonomics they question these original numbers, by using different new numbers. Levitt and Dubner who are well educated use other well educated people who have similar ideas on economics to further making a point. Through statistics and data though it is easier for the mass to comprehend exactly what point they are trying to make. For instance, Steve Levitt and other economists from University of Chicago decide to experiment in a High school in Chicago. “Incentives matter…if you have a good idea of people’s incentives, you know how they are going to act.” (Levitt) They focus on two kids who start with more or less similar grades. The African American student seems much more entranced by the bribe they are giving them. If they get above a C in every class they get $50 that month. The Caucasian student is less enthusiastic. By the end of the experiment though the African American student gets the $50 dollars and improves his grades, while the Caucasian student gets worse grades. Although their experiment only showed an increase slightly in the some of the students the incentive did work for a number of people. If money isn’t the right incentive to use as a bribe that may be a reason why it didn’t work for some students. However, if students are given a push to work harder, maybe there isn’t harm in that at all. School is defiantly a huge discourse in this country, since we are a nation who struggles in this field maybe if students had more realistic goals they would be more likely to succeed. If people were given a incentive to eat better, maybe they would. People are not completely oblivious to unhealthy food however, regardless of all the information until they are confronted personally how much of a change are they really going to make?

The authors of this book/narrators of the movie use an array of tools to make sure all of the pieces fit. They used the tool of bribery as I mentioned in my first argument. In other words, they give an incentive to try and see if it makes the people push harder to succeed. They look at how the crime rates dropped from the 1980's to the 1990's, why this happened, what the media said happened, and then conclude what probably really happened. They compare the statistics of the track record of wins and loses for the sumo-wrestlers. They see how it makes no sense that on the final stage people who have consistently won all of the sudden loose. They figure out that our names are only a part of who we are. That where we grow up and the encouragement we are given are much more crucial to our success. However 33% more people were hired in the job market probably due to the fact that they had stereotypical caucasian names, so the people hiring could assume their race. The touch upon the subjects that are so normal to us we don't think about. They show us that if we questioned these subjects we may uncover truth that surprised us. Dubner says: "What if this thing everyone thinks is so, really isn't so..." I don't even if think it has anything to us being scared of the truth, I just feel like we think things happen in life that we cannot control, so why bother trying to figure out what is so wrong with it? "Is it possible to free ourselves from our delusions?" (Yukki 10/14/10) In regards to that question, we won't ever be free until something so drastic happens that we probably won't be prepared for or see coming. If we were more informed by the alternative points of view of all these core subjects, if our delusions were one day ruptured we may be able to not be so shocked by the truth revealed. In regards to food though, people are not going to change. They will believe what they want to believe. Even if all the evidence is laid right in front of their eyes, on their plates, in their stomachs, in their fat, they are going to keep living... because we usually think we are right. We don't want to admit that someone else may have a good point. Humans hate being wrong but how can we all be right all the time? It is impossible, so the real question is, who is right?

This movie touches on more than just the problem of economics. It is a bold clear example of how oblivious our nation is. We are judgmental and ignorant, we get so aggravated if someone tries to question our ideas. We can't begin to understand how they don't understand them at the same level as we do. Is there any solution to this huge mess? Everything we say is a contradiction of what someone else is saying. All of us live so differently, have different morals. There is nothing wrong with difference but what is right anymore? What is our best bet to having a long life. If the people informing us and backing up our ideas are giving false explanations than who can we trust? Is the only way to solve this to live the way you want to, and if it doesn't go as smooth as you anticipated than there is only so much more you can do?