Summary
According to Michael Pollan, the omnivore’s dilemma is not just about not knowing what to eat but knowing if it is good enough to eat or not. In his text, he says "certainly the extraordinary abundance of food in America complicates the whole problem of choice", highlighting how the omnivore struggles to pick what to eat.
Q.8 One of the reasons Pollan gives for the rise in the popularity of vegetarianism is “But it could also be that the cultural norms and rituals that used to allow people to eat meat without agonizing it have been broken down for other reasons”(3). Just like Pollan, I agree to this too. In an ever growing technological advancing world, religion and culture are slowly losing their grip on people. People no longer determine right or wrong based on what a set of rules say but what they think and so, even though culture may say it is safe or right to eat cats, people may say no, cats are not animals to be eaten, and can decide to advocate for them or other animals too, leading to a rise in vegetarianism.
Q.9 The “schizoid quality” that Pollan identifies refers to our relationship with animals today, in which sentiment and brutality exist side by side. He says”Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us ever pause to consider the life of the pig- an animal easily as intelligent as the dog- that becomes the Christmas ham”(3). Pollan uses this to highlight the contradiction in how we treat animals—showing love and care for pets like dogs while rarely considering the lives of animals like pigs, even though they could be just as intelligent as the dog.
Q.10 Pollan thinks Berger’s point is important because it shows how we ignore the way we treat animals. Berger says, “the loss of everyday contact between ourselves and animals- specifically the loss of eye contact- has left us deeply confused about the terms of our relationship to other species”(4). This loss of contact with these animals makes it easier for us to forget their pain as stated in the later part of the text. I think it is important for Pollan because it shows how we make excuses for the way we treat animals, which is, as products.
2 thoughts on “CONVO #5”
Hi Patricia!
First I love that you put a picture so accurate with the topic! And it’s really true. The fact that we have a lot of options to choose from, makes all the decisions be harder to make. If hypothetically we just had 2 choices for example, it was gonna be much easier for us to make a choice. Another point is about Berger’s essay. I think I never though about the problem that don’t have much contact with some species could bring, like that fact that if you are not used to see one specific animal, like a pig, you have the tendency to focus on it just being a food, not an animal. That’s so real.
I agree with you when you said that people now make decisions about eating meat based on their own beliefs instead of just following cultural norms.I think it’s really interesting how you connected this idea to the rise in vegetarianism. It shows how much society has changed and how Pollan’s points still apply today.And I love how creative you are by adding that picture of the fish! It’s such a unique touch and really ties into your ideas about the way we think about animals. Great work overall!