Wednesday, March 12, 2008

"The Jungle Revisited" The Cows are Mad!

Or did you mean - Mad Cow Disease?

Warning: What you read and see below may be highly offensive!

Remember the book by Upton Sinclair - "The Jungle"

"The Jungle (1906) is a novel written by American author and socialist Upton Sinclair. It was written about the corruption of business during the early 20th century. The novel depicts in harsh tones the poverty, absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and hopelessness prevalent among the have-nots, which is contrasted with the deeply-rooted corruption on the part of the haves. "

Okay, the truth be told, "The Jungle" is a complex book addressing complicated issues. But if you asked someone who read the book what the book was really about and what they remembered from the book, you might get something like this: "The book is about the corruption in the meat packing industry and the morbidity of the working conditions therein."

The aftermath of the book according to wikipedia:

Foreign sales of American meat fell by one-half. In order to calm public outrage and demonstrate the cleanliness of their meat, the major meat packers lobbied the Federal government to pass legislation paying for additional inspection and certification of meat packaged in the United States. Their efforts, coupled with the public outcry, led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established the Food and Drug Administration.

Now comes the whammy! I recently ran across the following video. It grossed me out!







Lots of issues to consider here. Inhumane treatment of animals? Health concerns? Wage Slavery? What about Muckraking?

1906 and 2008. Over a hundred years later but the same corruption and greed. It's unfortunate, but I detect many similarities. Sinclair wanted to persuade his readers that the mainstream American political parties offered little means for progressive change. I'm not trying to make a political statement but I will give it some thought the next time I order a burger!

2 comments:

Speedcat Hollydale said...

Something I think about too. It seems so far removed that a buger or taco from a resturant actually began it's journey to our mouths from places like this. I cannot hunt, or want to for that matter, because it seems to cruel. I'm the kind of person that would make friends with a deer in my back yard.
No, I'm not a Vegan, but there really should be more control over this industry. You can get in major trouble for harming a cat - why is it OK to treat "select" animals with such inhumane actions?

Ohhh the world .... such a miracle, and such a cruel place at the same time.

intrepidideas said...

Hey Speedcat, thanks for dropping by. Yeah, this is a bit more morbid than some of the funny stuff I find on your blog and the goofy topics I usually post... But it's true. And I rarely think about the journey of the meat from it's origin to my plate either. But wow! Seeing those cows forked and dozed kind of sticks in my head...