Not All Food Is Created Equal

Paper Summary:

From a Marxist perspective, contemporary multinational corporations are now poised as the dominant institution working in concert with the government. Putting forth the fast food industry as an exemplar of these dominant institutions, this paper examines the ways that corporations contribute to social stratification. The paper details how individualism legitimizes the negative impact of fast food industry, deflecting responsibility from the corporations to the consumer. It also shows how, given structural inequality, however, choice is not equally accessible to everyone.

From the Paper:

"Much has been said in recent years about the evils of the fast food industry. The McDonalds' of the world have endured criticism for their advertising techniques, nutritionally suspect products, negative environmental impact, and the list goes on. Without a doubt, public concern is warranted, however, much of the fast food debate has been overly industry specific, overshadowing the larger patterns of corporate irresponsibility in our advanced capitalist society. In theory and in practice, the leaders of the fast food industry epitomize multinational corporations in form and function as the latest incarnation of capitalist power. These organizations and their counterparts in other industries have joined if not surpassed the government as the dominant cultural institution. As such, their primary objective is to accumulate capital, an insatiable pursuit that exacts a hefty cost from society at large."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Counihan, Carole M. "Food Rules in the United States: Individualism, Control, and Hierarchy." Anthropological Quarterly 65.2 (1992): 55-66.
• Giroux, Henry A. The Giroux Reader. Christopher G. Robbins ed., Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2006.
• Gramsci, Antonio. An Antonio Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings, 1916-1935. David Forgacs ed., New York: Schocken Books, 1988.
• Henderson, Elizabeth. "Food and Agriculture in the United States at the Close of the Millenium." Genesee Valley Organic Community Supported Agriculture, http://www.gvocsa.org/foodandag399.html, 1999.
• Hodson, Randy and Teresa A. Sullivan. The Social Organization of Work. 3rd ed., Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2002.

More papers on Not All Food Is Created Equal:

• Argumentative Essay # 67882 : "Not All Kids are Created Equal"
• Argumentative Essay # 3106 : "All Animals are Created Equal"
• Persuasive Essay # 121771 : "Organic Food is Healthy!"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: