Have Our Appetites Switched their Moral Cores?
It Began in the Garden of Eden
I came upon a very interesting, thought provoking paper from the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, that raises the question “Is Food the New Sex?”. It’s worth reading the entire article, but I’ll try to summarize the main points.
Author Mary Eberstadt argues the point that our two main, human drives are food and sex, and she questions what happens when we have unprecedented access to both. Whereas once there was a society-wide acceptance of a moral code for sex, and food preferences never invoked moral judgements, the two have reversed roles. Society accepts many diverse sexual choices regarding pre-marital, extra-marital, homosexual, and pornography without feeling the need to pass judgement. On the other hand, she argues, there is a new morality regarding our food choices and whether we’re eating food that is organic, free-range, unprocessed, etc. Her conclusion is that humans need to have a moral code somewhere in our lives, and if the sexual code has been dropped, we can apply it to our food choices, as silly as that may seem.
I believe that for some people, her point may be true, but I don’t feel that it’s universal. After all, there are many in our society who don’t think twice about the food choices they make day to day. But it’s interesting to ponder all of the other possible moral switches that may have occurred. In the same way some people are religious about their food choices, others may be religious about the way they raise their children – condemning others who don’t pursue the insane parenting program they’ve adopted. In another example, the point has recently been raised in the media that breast feeding advocates have taken on a militant, judgemental role, accusing those who choose to bottle feed their babies.
Finally, I would also argue that this switch has happened, not because our sexual moral code has been loosened, but because traditional religions have lost their hold over our society, and people adrift are seeking a new moral code to follow. What do you think?
Comments
One Response to “Have Our Appetites Switched their Moral Cores?”
Got something to say?
Why does Kosher food pop into my head? If you look at many major religions they have always had some rules invoving food. They have also had rules invoving sex. Hunger and sex are basic instictual drives in every species. I find it interesting that the religions find it necessary to provide moral guidance for basic biological needs. Is God trying to tell us something? But I digress. I think the consideration of a moral code is a luxury of those who live in the lap of excess food and free time. People who are starving have little use for moral codes. I believe the true imorality is the unequal distribution of food in this world. If we are lucky (or by the Grace of God) to live with access to an excess of food we need a moral code to justify the inequality we sense but I think the morality is misplaced. It is almost as if we don’t see the forest from the trees.