On the important French Fry Question (morality of consumption decisions)

Maureen Anderson manders at midway.uchicago.edu
Sat Jan 27 20:21:26 PST 2001



> My position sounds nothing like that. Not purchasing from McD's has nothing
>to do with the source of the funds used to make the purchase. This
>comparision put words in my mouth or suggests the argument I put forth is
>related to this belief. I have never said anything to suggest I believe the
>above line of reasoning.
>John Thornton

I didn't really think you cared about the source of funds used for corporate junkfood purchases. I guess I thought that was clear by the flow of the thread, and I apologize if it wasn't.

The resemblance I saw to the indignant folks in line was the knee-jerk evaluation of a person's worthiness (here, political worthiness, at the supermarket, state-aid worthiness) based on whether they ever consumed nutritionally wasteful, corporate created, comfort foods.

I'm glad you feel politically empowered by always eschewing McDs, and by your home-packed brownbag lunches. Me, I'm glad I don't smoke cigarettes (though I must plead guilty to supporting some multi-national alcohol corps). But I don't get a moral-political charge out of this healthy habit. Moreover many of the smokers I know are much more energetic activists (anti tobacco or otherwise) than I'll ever be. Other of my smoking and junkfood consuming friends and relatives carry, out of life experience, a more profound understanding and visceral hatred of and resistance to social injustice than I will ever know.

Maybe you get my drift. Maureen



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