Fast Food Nation the Ramifications of Technology

¶ … Fast Food Nation

The Ramifications of Technology on Health Care and Welfare of Animals and Meatpacking Workers in "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser

In the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser, newfound information about the behind-the-scenes operations of fast food establishments such as the well-known McDonald's, had been discussed critically. In revealing the 'hidden operations' behind the production of merchandise associated with the fast food industry such as meat production, Schlosser was able to convey his message that technology had been more of a detriment than beneficial to consumers of these fast food establishments.

In arguing his position that the fast food industry was detrimental to consumers, he provided examples in which the technology of machinery had led to developments that only increased the chances of dangerous diseases to spread and thrive and worsened the conditions in which meatpackers worked. Moreover, these detrimental effects of technology had important ramifications on people at the personal, national, and global scales.

Technology had caused detriment for the individual, particularly the meatpacking workers, who were directly linked and dependent on the fast food industry for survival. With new machineries making meat production and packaging easier and faster, workers were forced to adapt to changes that their physical health cannot easily adjust to. Moreover, these technologies further worsened the unhealthy environment in which people worked, wherein focus was given only to increased and faster production than the safety and health of the workers. Schlosser cited the hazardous working conditions the workers inflict on themselves in meatpacking companies. He enumerated lacerations, tendinitis [sic], cumulative trauma disorders, back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and "trigger finger" as examples of injuries and illnesses that workers had developed over time while working in the meatpacking companies (172).

National concerns over the inhumane way of killing cattle through advanced means such as machinery had also been an issue addressed in "Fast Food Nation." Technology had evidently been detrimental to the welfare of animals raised as livestock for food production purposes. This was apparent in the knocking process described by Schlosser as follows: "Cattle walk down a narrow chute and pause in front of him ... And then he shoots them in the head with a captive bolt stunner- and compressed-air gun ... he misses a few times and shoots the same animal twice. As soon as the steer falls, a workers grabs one of its hind legs, shackles it to a chain, and the chain lifts the huge animal into the air" (169). This description put into focus how the meat production industry had created a system in which the reality that prevailed was that cattle are raised and cultivated only to be slaughtered in an inhumane manner.