It happens every once in a while that you read a book or two, and it/they change your eyes. I'm sure we can all name our favorite illuminating reads. Lately it was the one-two punch of reading (as opposed to skimming)
Fast Food Nation and then moving on to Michael Pollan's
The Ominvore's Dilemma. Both are about food supply and the political and moral choices we make -- or shirk -- whenever we buy food and eat it. So as a foodie, as a liberal, as a spoiled middle-class east-coaster, both books told me to stop using the industrial food supply to keep me fat.
Without recapitulating the books, I have come to think that if we follow these arguments to their conclusions, we have to start to question the wisdom of government regulations on some aspects of our lives. In one case (
FFN) regulations don't do their job of keeping some of the microbial and labor-exploitation grossness out of our food; in the other (
T.O's.D) regulations keep ethical, sustainable food away from my plate. This problem has got me thinking about my political affiliation. I'm a New Deal Democrat, a Progressive, a Euro-style Socialist, a utopian nutjob, depending on the time of day, what records I'm listening to, etc. But right now, I'm really wondering if the government oversight that goes with some of these political positions is the right way to make this society one in which I want to live. Basically, I find myself sympathizing far more with the "get gov. off my back" line than I ever thought possible. (The other moment that got me thinking like this was just before my 2 month old son was born and we bought and installed car seats. My thought: who mandated these evil contraptions? Could actual car seats -- the ones the factory robots build into the car -- keep my babies/ 12 year old children safe?) To wrap this up, I'm turning into a Libertarian. Has this happened to anyone else here? Is this bad? Any suggestions?