What illusions do we have about the food system? What are factory farms like on the inside? What can we do to reform the factory farm system? All of these questions are answered in “The Meatrix 2: Revolting.” An entertaining and informative parody of the “Matrix” movies, this video distinguishes the meatrix - the lies saying that modern farming involves families and animals living happily and symbiotically - from the realities of farming - in which cows live in small cages, get their tails cut off, receive growth hormones, and create real health risks for humans.

“The Meatrix II: Revolting” is just that - revolting. It uses some powerful and disturbing images to describe factory farms and it might just be enough to make you stop eating meat from factory farms - or even throw back up the meat that you just ate. In “The Meatrix,” a cow named Moopheus helps a pig named Leo “look through the illusion of the Meatrix” to see the true reality of factory farming. He is not impressed, to say the least. In fact, Leo is the one that will lead the fight to defeat the agents of factory farming and improve the future of farming.

Ironically, given that Leo is “the one” that will save our food system from the agents, Moopheus steals the acting spotlight. Maintaining his character well throughout the video, Moopheus appears to truly disdain factory farm practices and his intelligence and insight are what helps Leo - and thus the viewers - see through the Meatrix. I predict that Moopheus will win an Oscar for best non-living actor in a short animated movie about food systems.

The Meatrix I and II both end by encouraging consumers to make more informed decisions about where our food comes from and what system our food dollars support. This is where the true beauty of The Meatrix lies. Almost no factory farms let in cameras to film the true conditions in which pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals are kept, The Meatrix uses a clever parody to revolt consumers about factory farming.

Make sure to surf around on The Meatrix website to learn about the food we eat and the ways that we can improve our food systems. Use the “Eat Well Guide” to search for sustainable foods near you - including farms, restaurants, and organizations - that can help you eat healthier and support more sustainable and ethical agricultural practices.

As in the Matrix, where Neo continues to fight because he “chooses to,” consumers can choose to make different food decisions and use the power of the consumer to drive the food system in more positive directions. Neo has the free will to fight the agents of the Matrix, and we have the will to protest the factory farm system. Even if we can’t all stop bullets, master kung-fu, and fly through the air, we can at least eat like we know both Neo and Leo would - sustainably.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 4th, 2006 at 5:14 pm and is filed under Look. Both comments and pings are currently closed.