Fast Food Nation Paper Essay

Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation is about the fast food industry and all its negative aspects and influences. Schlosser introduces Fast Food Nation with a description of the California orange groves of the past and the fast food influenced urbanization that has replaced the groves. Schlosser concludes through a bold statement, â€Å"The low price of a fast food hamburger does not reflect its real cost ? and should. The profits of the fast food chains have been made possible by losses imposed on the rest of society. † Eric Schlosser is incorrect in his assumption that the price of a hamburger does not reflect its true cost. Its price represents America’s gain from the blessing of fast food. The fast food revolution has aided in the creation of many new technologies. Research sparked by pressure placed on the cattle industry has resulted in new methods of cattle raising. It has been found that grain fed cattle grow at a faster rate than free range cattle. A method of grain feeding has been engineered and perfect, and it has resulted in a larger number of cattle to be raised and an increase in beef consumption. Increased consumption benefits both the fast food chains and the beef suppliers. Fast food has also influenced advertising technology. McDonald’s invented Ronald McDonald in order to attract children; who would bring their parents and grandparents. Many industries have realized the potential in advertisements aimed at children, such as Camel Cigarettes and Marlboro Cigarettes, and beer companies that use slapstick humor to entertain children. The fast food industry employs a large portion of the teenage workforce. Teenagers are often willing to work for minimum wage since they are dependent on their parents. Teenagers do not need benefits; therefore, they are perfect workers to work less than forty hours per week. According to Eric Schlosser the employment of teenagers results in their exploitation and abuse. Abuse and exploitation are prevalent inside industry and outside industry and if anyone searched for abuse in the workplace, he or she would find it in every business and industry. Schlosser writes about the effects of the big business fast food industry on the cattle and poultry industries. He states that the fast food industries’ control over the restaurant market has resulted in the ability to control the prices of meat. By driving down prices, the fast food industry eliminates the farmer rancher and forces poverty on the small farmer. I have had a personal experience that negates Schlosser’s entire argument. Over the course of the last year, my parents and I traveled to Maryland looking for a new home. All throughout the Maryland rural areas, people have small-scale poultry farms. The small scale poultry raising is the result of one of the largest meat packing plants on the east coast being built in Maryland. The only effect fast food has on the small-scale farmer is positive. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser is a one sided argument against fast food restaurants. When the benefits of the fast food industry, such as urbanization, which further aids in industrialization; teenage employment; and a large agricultural industry, are ignored, it is easy to see why Schlosser believes the price of a fast food hamburger doesn’t reflect its cost. The low cost, in reality, represents the many benefits fast food has given America.