![]() ![]() The bootstraps ethos also is called the “Horatio Alger” story. ![]() In American society, we typically call this sentiment the “boostraps” ethos. With hard work, drive, and perhaps some ingenuity, anyone can succeed, even if he or she starts out with no connections and very little resources, including a formal education. ![]() In telling this story, Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation advances a deeply entrenched American belief about what it takes to succeed in a capitalist market. The narrative, which appeared serially in Rolling Stone magazine, is divided into two parts: the first discusses the history of fast food and locates its emergence in Southern California during the 1940s the latter-half of the book focuses on labor and safety issues, particularly as they relate to factory farming.įast Food Nation, then, isn’t only about fast food but also “the values it embodies and the world it has made” (Schlosser 3). This year, I’m a discussion leader and grader for a 100-level American Studies course on citizenship and identity called “What is America?” This semester, we read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, and this post is inspired by my lesson plan for discussion section (I lead three).įast Food Nation (2002) exposes the underbelly of the fast food business and the industries that support it. ![]()
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