(no subject)

[annissamazing]

I finished reading "Fast Food Nation." I expected to hate fast food restaurants when I finished with it, but I don't. And since I don't often eat at fast food restaurants, I suppose that's ok. The meat packing industry on the other hand, I find dispicable. I always knew how cows were slaughtered, so I'm not at odds with that. It's how their workers are treated that bothers me. The story of Kenny resonated so much with me that I had to put the book down for a while.

Last week I was talking to my boss, Ed, about the illegal aliens responsible for picking oranges. He argued that American citizens are unwilling to do the work. I argued that American citizens would be more than willing to do the work if they were paid a fair wage. Agricultural jobs are truly back-breaking work. They deserve to be paid more than they're being paid. But, he said, that would raise the cost of produce so high you wouldn't be able to buy it. Well, I said, maybe some things deserve to be luxury items. Oranges used to be a luxury, perhaps they should be again. Cathy jumped in at that point to say that she was glad they were so cheap because her son, Jasper, likes them.

Jasper is 100% mayan. Cathy and her husband adopted him from an orphanage in Guatemala. The people who come to the U.S. (sometimes illegally) and are paid under the minimum wage to pick those oranges could very well be his blood relatives. If his birth mother hadn't dropped him off on the steps of the orphange the day after he was born, it could have been him.

Besides, if you had to pay a premium for oranges, then you couldn't afford to buy as much crap from Walmart. Is this an appropriate place for a rolley-eyed emoticon?

Comments

[monztre.livejournal.com]

hell yea.. cept I have gripes with the slaughtering of animals which for the most part would not exist if not for the industry that raises them purely for purpose of clothing, food, furniture, etc .. I don;t understand why more people don't agree with me on that one. Granted, it's difficult to buy anything in our culture which doesn't support evil.. The industry has a mind and power all its own.. more people don't think about the rights and wrongs, cuz it is on the shelves of your walmarts and supermarkets at low low prices.. The arguements people use to support not only propogating the industry, but supporting illegal foreign cheap labor have much in common with the excuses given to the north why slavery should be allow to continue.. it's hardly an analogy tho.. this is slavery.. save a buck, fuck the world, and shit on your soul.. woo!

Point

[raven789.livejournal.com]

The only way I see a raise in oranges and such, would have to be done for everthing (food only) all at once. Because if only the price of Oranges raised people would stop buying oranges. That would kill one produce / food product at a time. It would have to be togeather to put the point across that it time to start paying those who work.

I whole heartly agree that our farmers are not getting paid enought for the work that they do. I helped out on a farm for Erin Fitzgerald one summer. I know that I didn't even see the whole top of the iceburg of work that has to be done.

One thing that I've opened my eyes too since I've been in the Navy is how big corporations are good as long as you use them only when you need to. Otherwise try to use your local mom and pop places.

~Klo

Re: Point

[annissamazing]

I see your point. I was really just using oranges as an example. The same goes for other produce, but some produce is much easier to harvest than others. The peas I picked that one summer, for example, were picked by fairly paid workers. We weren't unionized, but we were paid a fair wage plus benefits. The workers in the factory got paid more because they were union. Maybe the price of peas should go up to subsidize the cost of oranges?