The idea of a food waste bureaucracy that is more concerned about profit than feeding people seems to me to be as unethical as it is appalling given the numbers of people that go to bed hungry each night. This story reflects the greed that is so persuasive from Wall Street to Main Street in today's American society. I also was able to relate to the stigma associated with "dumpster diving." In many ways we have all been socially conditioned to reject the idea of eating food that has been discarded by another. As Lindeman points out, "Trash, regardless of what the plastic bag contains, is psychologically dirty, unclean, tainted, and unfit for human consumption."

In many ways Freegans are to be admired for showing their gumption by repurposing what others consider garbage. Corporate America wants and needs people to consume in order to survive. Lineman's 1930 quotation of Richardson Wright, the editor of House...

People are expected and encouraged to consume, and to consume recklessly. The myth of more is propagated relentlessly thought advertisements and the media.
This article forced me to reconsider a number of my viewpoints. I believe as a society we need to rethink our attitude toward consumption and waste. Finding ways to repurpose, share, and barter to obtain food and other necessities can be framed as a noble endeavor. However, most of the messages we receive and put out as a society are still contrary to this belief. In a world where so many are starving it is nice to know that some people have the capacity to take a stand against waste.

Works Cited

"2012 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statisics." Hunger notes. World Hunger Education Service. 11 December 2011. Web. 22 May 2013.

Lindeman, Scarlett. "Freegans: The…