Question

What point does eric scholosser make in chapter 9 of fast food nation

Answer 1

In Chapter 9 of 'Fast Food Nation,' Eric Schlosser provides a critical examination of fast food chains, highlighting worker exploitation and environmental issues. Conversely, Jerry Newman's 'My Secret Life on the McJob' offers a more nuanced view, recognizing positive attributes of fast food jobs such as skill requirements and employee dedication.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Chapter 9 of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, the author delves into the workings of fast food chains. Schlosser's point is broadly critical of fast food corporations, addressing a range of issues from worker exploitation to the environmental impacts of the industry. Schlosser contrasts the idealized image of fast food restaurants as providers of convenient, affordable meals with a darker reality of poor working conditions, low wages, and a negative impact on consumers' health and communities.

Meanwhile, My Secret Life on the McJob by Jerry Newman provides an alternative perspective by going undercover in the industry. Newman acknowledges that while there are downsides to fast food jobs, there are also positive aspects such as the honesty and hard work of employees, competent management, and the unexpected complexity of the jobs. Newman's findings suggest that working in fast food can even be seen as a positive on a résumé, indicating an applicant's reliability and ability to handle pressure.

Answer 2

Schlosser next focuses on the safety not just of factory workers in the meatpacking industry, but of the meat itself that that industry produces. Schlosser notes, throughout the chapter, that it is actually quite difficult to track the source of food-borne pathogens in the United States. There are several reasons for this, some more preventable than others: a great deal of meat is produced in this country; government oversight in meatpacking plants is rather low; and meat production is a complex system with many inputs, making cause and effect hard to determine.