So, the film Food Chains is coming out and I just saw the trailer (attached below). It is considerably disturbing in that it makes it seem that food chain organizing only focuses on the top of the food chain, as opposed to at every node in the food chain. In particular what is disturbing to me is the emphasis away from the agricultural industry and refocus on the grocery industry as the solution to farm worker exploitation. Though both are valid targets, as a scholar whose expertise is on the agricultural industry, one of the problems I see with organizing solely at the level of the grocers is that it is so far removed from farm workers themselves, that the direct pressure and accountability mechanism of strikes and boycotts is lessened. In broad brush strokes, what I am concerned about what this message is going to influence audiences of consumers to think is that change at the top will trickle down to farm workers. This has not been, and will not be the case for the liberation of farm workers. Trickle down economics has already been disproven, and to apply it broadly as the way to change the system will result in failure. Im in this struggle to win as a child farm worker myself, I want the industry to change, I do not see a permanent change where farm workers are not the direct agents of their own liberation. I hope that the film makers will consider this in the larger part of the film, as it does not appear to do so in the trailer. Context for Film Makers: Eva Longoria was educated at Calfornia State University Northridges Chicano Studies program and Eric Schlosser is a journalist who has in the past taken it upon himself to address problems on behalf of farm workers without their permission in Santa Maria (see: Reefer Madness).
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:40:43 +0000
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