Consumerism.

One thing’s for sure, I love food, but I do not agree with the mass production that is ever-so-present in our food industry.  Although I haven’t been able to go back onto the pescatarian diet I once lived (I fell completely off that boat on a trip to the east coast; In Philly, I needed to do the Geno’s versus Pat’s Philly Cheesesteak challenge or eat a hot dog at Gray’s Papaya in New York like they did in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), I’d prefer if animals were not treated like they are not living, breathing, creatures of this world.

A clip from the movie SAMSARA gives us an inside look at the process of industrialized food production.  It is shot beautifully, yet is disturbing.

I think this is the disconnect we no longer deal with that allows for us, as Americans, to partake in this indulgence with no conscience. I went through a phase when Costco would disgust me.  I would take a look around at all the packaged meats readily available in the masses for the simple convenience of our own consumption.  I wondered how much of this meat would actually be consumed, how much didn’t, how many animals died for nothing, and how many animals died inhumanely just for the sake of us being able to walk into a store and have the option to buy any meat, at anytime, at any store at our convenience.  I’m trying hard to not use the word convenience so frequently, but it’s hard not to when it is just that.  The accessibility of products made for us in the masses is our country, capitalism.  Our country thrives off of how convenient things are available for our consumption at the compromise of our health and the fair treatment of ourselves and animals.  As long as we keep consuming and they keep seeing profits, the vicious cycle will continue.

SAMSARA, however, is not a documentary on the food industry. It captures twenty-five countries over the course of almost five years.

From SAMSARA producer Mark Magidson:
“We are happy this clip has struck a chord with so many people, and we hope that the interest in this clip will lead viewers to see SAMSARA in its entirety. This clip represents only 6 minutes from a 100 minute long film, which was photographed in 25 countries and explores many other diverse aspects of the human experience. We would love for viewers to experience SAMSARA as a whole.”