Crisis has a way of revealing cracks, weaknesses, and tensions. Be it racism, economic inequality, or healthcare, the crisis produced by the pandemic has melted the patina that covered these subjects. Still resilient, they cannot hide as they did before and what once felt unsolvable now feels as if it might get the multigenerational attention that has long been needed. At least this is what I hope.
The new thinking on racism and inequality is partially fueled by infection rates. Across the US, minorities and the impoverished are the people most likely to get sick and also the most likely to die. There are many factors that influence these statistics, but there is one in particular that should horrify us all and needs to inform our thinking about the future: Who processes our food and how are those people treated?
Two podcasts have gone deep on these questions. The first, a summary of a New Yorker article, looks at the larger picture and also shows how one major Trump donor, Ron Cameron, trades his employees' safety for profits. The second, from the new Spanish-language news podcast El hilo humanizes the plight of migrants working in the US food industry. Taken together, they provide a multilingual and more complete idea of the human price that is paid for the food that we eat. These issues have existed for years, but the importance of accessing food during a pandemic has brought them to the forefront. Hopefully this attention means positive change for the men and women who process our food.
The podcasts:
The new thinking on racism and inequality is partially fueled by infection rates. Across the US, minorities and the impoverished are the people most likely to get sick and also the most likely to die. There are many factors that influence these statistics, but there is one in particular that should horrify us all and needs to inform our thinking about the future: Who processes our food and how are those people treated?
Two podcasts have gone deep on these questions. The first, a summary of a New Yorker article, looks at the larger picture and also shows how one major Trump donor, Ron Cameron, trades his employees' safety for profits. The second, from the new Spanish-language news podcast El hilo humanizes the plight of migrants working in the US food industry. Taken together, they provide a multilingual and more complete idea of the human price that is paid for the food that we eat. These issues have existed for years, but the importance of accessing food during a pandemic has brought them to the forefront. Hopefully this attention means positive change for the men and women who process our food.
The podcasts:
