The section on animals was particularly heart-wrenching. In a society built on consumer excess, the meat industry has proliferated to the extent that it has become a disgusting parody of itself. We are no longer talking about families gathered around the table for a weekly pig roast. Now, Americans feel entitled to eating hamburgers twice a day, chicken every day, pork, beef, lamb, in various forms. The sense of entitlement to gorging leads to the overproduction of meat and the crossing over of ethical boundaries with regards to humane treatment of farm animals. Moreover, the gluttony evident in the American diet is also the primary cause of a wide range of health problems -- and not just obesity.

Then we see how corn and soy production has proliferated to the extent that (a) monocrops are destroying the viability of the soil and the integrity of local ecosystems; (b) food manufacturers...
[ View Full Essay]