HW 12 - Final Food Project 2 - Outline

Overarching Thesis:

Many of the dominant social practices in our society - practices that define a "normal" life - on further investigation turn out to involve nightmares and industrial atrocities. 


Argument 1 (Food)

Major Claim:    
The processes by which food has been produced for the last 50 years or so were not acknowledged until fairly recently, when it became widely known that industrialized food is unhealthy and even dangerous for everyone involved in its production and consumption.

Supporting Claim 1: There has been a lot of media attention directed at industrialized and processed food in the past few years.

Evidence 1: Food, Inc. and related movies: Food Matters, The Future of Food, Fast Food Nation, Super Size Me.

Evidence 2: Micheal Pollan's book sales in 2009 (Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food).

Evidence 3: NYT articles - Michelle Obama's food campaign, and the controversy it is causing.

Supporting Claim 2: Industrialized and processed foods are harmful to everyone involved in their making, along with everyone who eats them.

Evidence 1: People who make industrialized foods are not paid fairly, and are subject to illness and unfair treatment (The Omnivore's Dilemma - Chapter 9. Also mentioned in Food, Inc.)


Evidence 2: Most processed foods are made with high fructose corn syrup, because of the surplus of corn - however, these foods are extremely unhealthy (Omnivore's dilemma - Chapter 6).


Evidence 3: How industrialized meat is unhealthy,  because of what animals are fed, where they are forced to live, etc. (Omnivore's Dilemma - Chapter 4).