Entangled in the roots of each blissful moment and every maniacal feat, there is a driving force that fuels the world. It is embedded in the food we eat, the clothes we dress ourselves in, and the roofs over our heads. It casts its shadow on society under the illuminating light of day, and lurks in dark alleys behind dented, tin trash cans during the opaque hours of night. This notion sits under our feet, establishing an obscure common ground between all of humanity. Greed: a word originating in the 1300s, evolved with time to stand as one of the most pressing yet overlooked issues facing the world today.
During the primitive, evolutionary periods of Homo sapiens, there was born the concept of natural selection. Coined as natural selection or “Darwinism” by scientists in the 1800s, this concept pertains to the scientific theory and philosophy of human evolution. In early mankind, those who were able to hunt, gather, and survive to procreate were seen as the “fittest,” while those who died out in the rat race were not genetically and physically able to progress onward. Studied closely by esteemed scientist, Charles Darwin, this theory was coined as “survival of the fittest.”
Progressing to new centuries and eras, this concept began formulating in the economical and social marketplace, predominantly during the times of the steel and coal empires. Referred to as Social Darwinism by notorious industrialist Andrew Carnegie, this idea proclaims that those who succeed in marketplace and society are genetically predetermined to progress, while those who lag behind are synonymously predestined to fail. Applied to the marketplace, this allowed for large corporations and industries to monopolize and steal all of the competition, leaving lesser companies in the dust. In years to come, this would eventually be regulated by the government, but no authority possessed the power to eliminate the greed behind these companies and their executives. Nevertheless, this socioeconomic greed hindered throughout the course of history, and is ever-so-present in modern society.
Looking at this through an ethos focused lens, it raises the interesting and controversial idea of whether this practice, lifestyle, and cycle of interaction is ethical and just. One might argue that it is not greed that drives humans and corporations, but the will to survive, succeed, and prevail to the top. Despite this other side of fence, the practices, procedures and paradigms of people prove time and again to not serve the best interest of mankind, but rather, the personal agenda and wallet. Gathering research and thoroughly examining and analyzing the concept, this exhibit of real life experiences, facts, and figures navigates the sticky abyss of the world through both marketplace and social sector. There is an insatiable greed instilled in human beings, and it fuels every step we take.
Fast forwarding to modern society, the idea that greed is infused in the decisions and actions of humans is alive and well. Recently, the popular online review website Yelp made a major change in the way it presents business ratings. According to a report by the Associated Press, this site “can lower or raise the rating of a business depending on whether it advertises with the company.” What ever happened to the wholesome, old-fashioned way of reviewing a business or company based on legitimate statistics and proven facts and figures? Essentially, this allows big corporations, despite success level, can pay a price to have a falsified ranking of their company. Throwing honesty and ethics out the window, this leads people stray and offers a potential mediocre product and service to the public. Instead of releasing true results, this website is merely looking for money, and is willing to climb to the top using any means necessary, even if it means paying off the competition.
Shifting the lens to an industry that hits closer to home, there lies the contemporary food industry in America. Buried behind the factory conveyor belts, high fructose corn syrup, and innocent, hanging cows is this installation of greed. In modern times, the food that lines the shelves of markets is a compilation of processed and modified ingredients that can hardly even be deemed food. We place our trust in these corporations and chains, naturally expecting to buy a food item that fuels our body in a positive and beneficial way, but alas, we often unconsciously unaware of the deception below our noses. So, go ahead and place that bag of assorted produce in the shopping cart. Wheel a bit farther down the aisle, turn left, and stack the snacks and assorted pantry essentials in the basket. What really is below the skin of that bell pepper? How could the meat industry possible procreate its livestock fast enough to keep up with consumers? Better yet, what exactly is that Dorito made from?
Envision the typical, American family dinner in the home. For me, I picture a plate topped with some type of meat, perhaps a starch, and possibly some type of vegetable. Now envisioning the population of this country and the amount of food needed to fill these plates seems insurmountable. Keeping up with consumer demand is an aspect where greed comes into play, because these industries must keep up with demand in the quickest and most prolific ways. In the meat industry, animals are injected with various hormones to grow faster and larger. “Estradiol, progesterone and testosterone are sex hormones that are made naturally by animals,” notes Renu Gandhi, Ph.D. BCERF Research Associate and Suzanne M. Snedeker, Ph.D., Research Project Leader, BCERF (Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors). Not only are these hormones not FDA regulated, but “it is possible to detect residues of zeranol and trembolone acetate in the animal's meat.” (Gandhi & Snedeker). Instead of bearing in mind the health of the population, corporations are more concerned with gaining profit as quick and efficient as possible, resulting in meat featuring various unknown additives. Okay, so there are people who choose to be vegetarian and would rather snack on some chips or pretzels. The same concept applies to these foods as well, for thousands of these food items contain added preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, and chemicals. According to Teaching the Food System, A Project of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, “Food manufacturers process foods and raw ingredients to add value to their products, in the form of longer shelf lives, added dietary nutrients, appealing textures and other features.” Personally, when I am hungry and stuff my face with a snack, I am looking to fuel my body with a healthy and valuable product. Due to the warped ideologies of the food industry, the concern does not revolve around health or the nutritious quick fix to my hunger, but rather, acquiring the largest customer base to gain money using the cheapest ingredients.
From corporate to cafeteria, people and their industries in both old age and modern day are gilded with a sense of greed. Not only is society led astray, but health and longevity is synonymously threatened by companies who are driven by the dollar. There is hardly a fine line drawn between the need to make money and profit, and the path of unethical action and injustice to humanity. Take a closer look at your plate at the next family dinner and see the corruption marinating in the beef. Question that bag of chips that is mostly filled with air, and see that it is ridden with a cloud of gluttonous, low budget schemes. Search for a reputable review of a company, stepping back to see that at the top of that list of “best sellers” is the driving force of our economy: greed.
Works Cited
"Court Decides Yelp Can Change Ratings." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
Gandhi, Ph.D. BCERF Research Associate, Renu, and Suzanne M. Snedeker,Ph.D., Research Project Leader, BCERF. "Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food." Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food. Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State., 2 May 2003. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Heldman DR, Hartel RW. Principles of Food Processing. New York: Chapman and Hall; 1997
"Natural Selection: Charles Darwin & Alfred Russel Wallace." Natural Selection: Charles Darwin & Alfred Russel Wallace. University of California Museum of Paleontology, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
"Teaching the Food System." FOOD PROCESSING (n.d.): 1-9. A Project of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
Ushistory.org. "New Attitudes Toward Wealth." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
During the primitive, evolutionary periods of Homo sapiens, there was born the concept of natural selection. Coined as natural selection or “Darwinism” by scientists in the 1800s, this concept pertains to the scientific theory and philosophy of human evolution. In early mankind, those who were able to hunt, gather, and survive to procreate were seen as the “fittest,” while those who died out in the rat race were not genetically and physically able to progress onward. Studied closely by esteemed scientist, Charles Darwin, this theory was coined as “survival of the fittest.”
Progressing to new centuries and eras, this concept began formulating in the economical and social marketplace, predominantly during the times of the steel and coal empires. Referred to as Social Darwinism by notorious industrialist Andrew Carnegie, this idea proclaims that those who succeed in marketplace and society are genetically predetermined to progress, while those who lag behind are synonymously predestined to fail. Applied to the marketplace, this allowed for large corporations and industries to monopolize and steal all of the competition, leaving lesser companies in the dust. In years to come, this would eventually be regulated by the government, but no authority possessed the power to eliminate the greed behind these companies and their executives. Nevertheless, this socioeconomic greed hindered throughout the course of history, and is ever-so-present in modern society.
Looking at this through an ethos focused lens, it raises the interesting and controversial idea of whether this practice, lifestyle, and cycle of interaction is ethical and just. One might argue that it is not greed that drives humans and corporations, but the will to survive, succeed, and prevail to the top. Despite this other side of fence, the practices, procedures and paradigms of people prove time and again to not serve the best interest of mankind, but rather, the personal agenda and wallet. Gathering research and thoroughly examining and analyzing the concept, this exhibit of real life experiences, facts, and figures navigates the sticky abyss of the world through both marketplace and social sector. There is an insatiable greed instilled in human beings, and it fuels every step we take.
Fast forwarding to modern society, the idea that greed is infused in the decisions and actions of humans is alive and well. Recently, the popular online review website Yelp made a major change in the way it presents business ratings. According to a report by the Associated Press, this site “can lower or raise the rating of a business depending on whether it advertises with the company.” What ever happened to the wholesome, old-fashioned way of reviewing a business or company based on legitimate statistics and proven facts and figures? Essentially, this allows big corporations, despite success level, can pay a price to have a falsified ranking of their company. Throwing honesty and ethics out the window, this leads people stray and offers a potential mediocre product and service to the public. Instead of releasing true results, this website is merely looking for money, and is willing to climb to the top using any means necessary, even if it means paying off the competition.
Shifting the lens to an industry that hits closer to home, there lies the contemporary food industry in America. Buried behind the factory conveyor belts, high fructose corn syrup, and innocent, hanging cows is this installation of greed. In modern times, the food that lines the shelves of markets is a compilation of processed and modified ingredients that can hardly even be deemed food. We place our trust in these corporations and chains, naturally expecting to buy a food item that fuels our body in a positive and beneficial way, but alas, we often unconsciously unaware of the deception below our noses. So, go ahead and place that bag of assorted produce in the shopping cart. Wheel a bit farther down the aisle, turn left, and stack the snacks and assorted pantry essentials in the basket. What really is below the skin of that bell pepper? How could the meat industry possible procreate its livestock fast enough to keep up with consumers? Better yet, what exactly is that Dorito made from?
Envision the typical, American family dinner in the home. For me, I picture a plate topped with some type of meat, perhaps a starch, and possibly some type of vegetable. Now envisioning the population of this country and the amount of food needed to fill these plates seems insurmountable. Keeping up with consumer demand is an aspect where greed comes into play, because these industries must keep up with demand in the quickest and most prolific ways. In the meat industry, animals are injected with various hormones to grow faster and larger. “Estradiol, progesterone and testosterone are sex hormones that are made naturally by animals,” notes Renu Gandhi, Ph.D. BCERF Research Associate and Suzanne M. Snedeker, Ph.D., Research Project Leader, BCERF (Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors). Not only are these hormones not FDA regulated, but “it is possible to detect residues of zeranol and trembolone acetate in the animal's meat.” (Gandhi & Snedeker). Instead of bearing in mind the health of the population, corporations are more concerned with gaining profit as quick and efficient as possible, resulting in meat featuring various unknown additives. Okay, so there are people who choose to be vegetarian and would rather snack on some chips or pretzels. The same concept applies to these foods as well, for thousands of these food items contain added preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, and chemicals. According to Teaching the Food System, A Project of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, “Food manufacturers process foods and raw ingredients to add value to their products, in the form of longer shelf lives, added dietary nutrients, appealing textures and other features.” Personally, when I am hungry and stuff my face with a snack, I am looking to fuel my body with a healthy and valuable product. Due to the warped ideologies of the food industry, the concern does not revolve around health or the nutritious quick fix to my hunger, but rather, acquiring the largest customer base to gain money using the cheapest ingredients.
From corporate to cafeteria, people and their industries in both old age and modern day are gilded with a sense of greed. Not only is society led astray, but health and longevity is synonymously threatened by companies who are driven by the dollar. There is hardly a fine line drawn between the need to make money and profit, and the path of unethical action and injustice to humanity. Take a closer look at your plate at the next family dinner and see the corruption marinating in the beef. Question that bag of chips that is mostly filled with air, and see that it is ridden with a cloud of gluttonous, low budget schemes. Search for a reputable review of a company, stepping back to see that at the top of that list of “best sellers” is the driving force of our economy: greed.
Works Cited
"Court Decides Yelp Can Change Ratings." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
Gandhi, Ph.D. BCERF Research Associate, Renu, and Suzanne M. Snedeker,Ph.D., Research Project Leader, BCERF. "Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food." Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food. Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State., 2 May 2003. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Heldman DR, Hartel RW. Principles of Food Processing. New York: Chapman and Hall; 1997
"Natural Selection: Charles Darwin & Alfred Russel Wallace." Natural Selection: Charles Darwin & Alfred Russel Wallace. University of California Museum of Paleontology, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
"Teaching the Food System." FOOD PROCESSING (n.d.): 1-9. A Project of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
Ushistory.org. "New Attitudes Toward Wealth." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.