What is the omnivore’s dilemma according to Pollan?
Pollan explains that the omnivore’s dilemma is the difficulty of deciding what to eat when there are so many choices. Humans can eat almost anything, but not everything is good or safe. In the past, food traditions helped people make these decisions, but in modern America, those traditions have weakened, leaving people confused about what to eat.
8) Pollan suggests that vegetarianism and animal rights awareness have grown due to several factors. Traditions around eating meat have weakened, making people question old habits: “Perhaps as the sway of tradition in our eating decisions weakens, habits we once took for granted are thrown up in the air” (3). Philosophers like Peter Singer and organizations like PETA have encouraged people to rethink the morality of eating animals. Pollan also notes that society might be evolving morally, seeing meat-eating as a relic of the past: “It may be that as a civilization we’re groping toward a higher plane of consciousness” (3).
9) Pollan describes the “schizoid quality” as the contradictory way people treat animals. While many people spoil pets like dogs, they ignore the suffering of animals like pigs that are raised for food: “Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us ever pause to consider the life of the pig… that becomes the Christmas ham” (4). This divide is made easier because animals raised for food are hidden from view, allowing people to avoid confronting their treatment.
10) Pollan focuses on Berger’s idea that losing everyday contact with animals, especially “eye contact,” has confused our relationship with them. Berger explains that seeing animals’ eyes reminded humans of their similarities and differences, which allowed people to both honor and eat them: “That eye contact… brought the vivid daily reminder that animals were both crucially like and unlike us” (4). Pollan sees this as significant because the loss of this connection forces people to either ignore animals’ suffering or stop eating them altogether.
One thought on “Conservation 5 Janice Boefer”
Hello Janice, I like the point that you make about how people spoil their pets but ignore the suffering of other animals. It has just been accepted by society that animals like chickens, pigs, cows, and turkeys suffer in terrible factory conditions until they are slaughtered and served. Why is it so normal to not bat an eye at bad farm owners but to lose our minds over bad dog and cat owners?