Disconnected

I recently handed out small fliers that asked people if they know where they food comes from and listed several facts about migrant farmworkers in Michigan. I used facts that have already posted to the blog and can be found in the post about migrant workers in Michigan. I passed them out on campus in the areas where people eat their lunch or dinner. Most people just took the fliers (and probably threw them away later) and walked away. Others I heard made comments, revealing how they didn't know that Michigan was the 4th largest employer of migrant labor and that 38% of Michigan's agricultural  crops depend on hand-harvesting or processing. Although it didn't surprise me that these facts surprise other people, I was glad that people at least thought about the information, which I guess is something. There was one particular comment that was made that reminded me of how disconnected we are, as a society, from the earth. As Americans we are afraid to get our hands dirty and actually understand where our food comes from. Our Capitalist society keeps us complacent through consumerism and consumption, where questioning the process of manufacturing and production is not encouraged. We are too consumed by the next best electronic or fashion trend to understand where our food comes from.