Industrial Corn Michael Pollan Analysis

In the article “ The Busy Trap” Kreider tries to convince readers to chose time over money. He makes numerous points including how boasting about busyness takes the form of a complaint. He insults those who voluntarily take on obligations by remarking that they are obsessed with always being occupied. However, the basis for such a conclusion is founded on only a few examples of individuals who were negatively affected by the burden of work. In Kreider’s opinion it is wasteful to be busy all the time because life is too short to work more than 5 hours per day and not spend enough time in one’s happy place. What is your happy place? Picture it and stay there for a while letting your thoughts flow. Notice that your thinking becomes more positive and somewhat out of reach. Next, imagine a life with minimal stress that includes little to no work and much enjoyment; now you 're floating back to reality because that type of life is not in the grasps of most. Similarly, Kreider writes his article as if most people have plenty of time to waste, and to enjoy themselves, as he has. Kreider’s overall point that people keep themselves busy to escape the feelings of emptiness is both ignorant and a reflection of his narrow perspective of the world. His opinion that people feel apprehensive when not working, along with the fact that most people wouldn’t be content living the lifestyle Kreider is promoting, plus his support towards the propositions of full unemployment and a

Mark Twain thought that everyone should aside themselves from corn pone opinions. He wanted people to be independent and follow their own values and ideas. His desired for people who could put aside their instinct of wanting to fit in with the crow was and is unrealistic. In today's society we live among corn pone opinions, it's what runs our world. It has infiltrated our morals, believes, fashion and even our government. We the public do not have a choice, but to continue living like this.

“He worked himself to death, finally, and precisely at 3:00 am Sunday morning.” Although humans need a purpose in life, those who live on the clock often find himself being controlled by the clock, perishing in the process. In “The Company Man,” Ellen Goodman criticizes Phil’s workaholic attitude to showcase her disapproval toward our society based on work.

The author also insinuates that modern-day society supports busyness and most Americans have inserted themselves into this pattern, “if only by our own acquiescence” (Kreider 983). The author argues that busyness “is something we collectively force one another to do” (Kreider

In E.P. Thompson’s essay “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism”, he argues how the rise of standardized time, which coincided with employed labor and capitalism, changed how people view time from how “time passes” to “time spent”. Time became a commodity in which it could be bought and sold. Time that was not spent “properly” was considered wasted, which Thompson calls time-thrift, which preindustrial societies were not very preoccupied with in comparison. Thompson explores this transition of the sense of time in relationship to the Industrial Revolution, benefits and disadvantages to the new time-discipline, and a possible mixture of the old and new time-disciplines in the future.

In 'Industrial Corn-Destroying Our Health & Environment ", Pollan points out that zea is a common crop that grows into corn. It is the most commonly planted ccereal crop, and serves, Pollan argues, to serve political interests rather than authentic human needs. Taxpayers pay farmers to grow corn, despite the already plentiful growth of the crop, and zea/ corn has become indispensable to the American food sector. This is so because corn is cheap and therefore it benefits the govenment to produce it. To that end, everything and everyone, from animals to humans, is fed on a steady diet of corn.

The theme of overemployment is a current problem in the United States. Americans are overworked. Workload has increased and society has experienced a loss of leisure. Overemployment and overworked can be defined as negative effects that occur when individuals are required to work more hours than they want to work. “Personal perceptions of workload are critical, as individuals have diverse reactions to the number of hours worked depending on their needs, lifestyle, expectations, and experiences. Individuals have different tolerances for demands and stress. While many, including professionals

Work is not something anyone look forward to stress, back pains, and talking to people. Americans work an average nine to five shift. Five

Over the last two decades, American workers have been clocking more and more hours on the job, and they now work more hours than workers in any other industrialized country. Annual work hours are 4% higher than they were in 1980, amounting to an extra 1 hour and 30 minutes at work per week, on average (ILO 1999). Workers are also clocking more overtime hours. Almost one-third of the workforce regularly works more than the standard 40-hour week; one-fifth work more than 50 hours. The growth in overtime work, while helping to drive the healthy growth in output in the U.S., has unhealthy social costs. It is taking its toll not only on workers, but on their families, communities, and, ultimately in many cases, patients, customers, and

When people ask what Food Studies is about, I tend to refer them to passages from Michael Pollan, because I think he paints such an incredible image of the joy and power of being in touch with one’s food. However, I find the suggestions of Wendell Berry to be of greater importance. His words encompass not only the personal benefits of growing and cooking food at home, but the positive impacts on the land, food workers, environment, and the political “vote” we make through our food choices for the kind of future we envision.

The essay by Mark Twain, “Corn-pone Opinions,” describes how many people follow the directions of others whether they agree with it or not. Also through it’s contrasting conformities and independent verdict of people’s ways of thinking, Twain suggests that in order for people to express how they truly are, they must first trust their own abilities without having to depend on others. This signifies that every person must have a friend or relative critique his or her style to feel gleeful. Moving forward three supporting reasons in favor of Mark Twain’s predicament describe the equal trends that people follow of fashion in today’s society, secondly, worldwide statistic have indeed shown that the majority of people who are peer pressured let bullies take over their choices and finally how religion influences children, students, adults, and families. These are clear reasons as to why I am in favor of Mark Twain’s statement of opinion. To make people comprehend and understand that everyone should have their own way of thought and not relay in others to do it for them.

Arlie Russell Hochschild is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Hochschild’s interests of research are in the impact of contemporary capitalism on everyday life. In the essay she wrote, “From the Frying Pan into the Fire”, Hochschild argues the growing emphasis on efficiency is affecting our lives. We have allowed the idea of workplace efficiency to infiltrate within the home life, in significant and negative ways. Hochschild’s study of the influence of efficiency directly applies to other aspects of life, such as the way we eat food, communication, education and vacation.

According to Richard W. Judy and Carol D’Amico in the article “Work and Workers in the Twenty-First Century”, Americans are figuring out how to deal with the dramatic changes in the workforce. The journey to become a productive worker will not be easy to achieve but the hard work Americans put in will pay off in the long run. There are four forces that explain the dangers and satisfactions that are ahead for American workers. The four forces to be considered are as follows: technological changes, globalization, the aging population, and ethnic diversification. All four of these factors play a role in coping with the changing workforce.

There has always been a common misconception that we must work hard to find success. In some cases this is true. However according to Ellen Goodman in her article “The Company Man” success is not measured through how many hours a person works a week, but how we choose to live our life. Goodman’s article targets the atypical hard working middle class who tend to dedicate their entire lives to their job; in this case a 51 year old workaholic man named Phil who worked himself to death. She explains how the life’s of these type of people slowly deteriorates. She describes Phil as an overweight man who has no hobbies nor is involved with anything out side of work including his family. We must evaluate what is important in life and not have our whole lives revolve around work. It is important we prioritize family, have hobbies, and realize that we are just an employee nothing else.

Corn on the cob brings the memories of a childhood. When I was young, this great appetizer was very popular at summer. Back then, I was actually not a big fan of corn, maybe because it was a kind of a regular dish on the table.