Shame on who? : A Burkean Analysis of Forks Over Knives

     The American waistline is growing. According to the CDC , more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese.  Obesity causes serious or fatal health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and strokes. In response to this rising health epidemic, doctors Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn produced the documentary Forks Over Knives. The documentary aims to dispel beliefs that we must have meat and dairy products in order to be healthy. The doctors argue that placing animal proteins on a nutritional pedestal is the very reason that our nation ended up in our current health crisis. 

     Forks Over Knives points a finger at the food industry. According to Kenneth Burke's redemptive cycle, victimage (blaming someone or something else) is caused by guilt. It it this guilt that spurs a society in to action. For guilt to be experienced, order must be broken. In our society, the accepted rule is that people remain trim and fit. Because humans crave consubstantiality (the need to feel like we are one of those fit and trim people that we deem "good" in society), we feel guilt when when our bodies don't measure up to the gold standard. Our society doesn't look kindly on people who have broken the rules regarding body image, and people are often ostracized for being overweight (fat shaming). Burke says this guilt must be purged. Guilt is purged through mortification (blaming one's self) or victimage (blaming someone else). 

     Forks Over Knives relies on this victimage to ignite healthy changes it it's viewers. Being overweight is not necessarily the fault of the individual, but instead the fault of a greedy industry. The documentary tragically frames the food industry as a money driven giant, concerned more with profits than people. For example, the documentary asserts that the USDA sets it's dietary guidelines on what crops it is subsidizing, namely corn. Corn, which is high in sugar, if often broken down into

Depiction of  how different calories fill the stomach 

high-fructose corn syrup and placed into processed foods- a major component of the American diet. This corn subsidy also serves the booming meat and dairy industry, since cows (and other animals) are fed corn to produce more meat, milk, and cheese.The documentary uncovers that 6 of the 11 members of the USDA have known ties with the food industry. Pointing out this revolving door that the food industry seems to have in Washington shatters our trust in the food industry and our government's ability to regulate it for the health and well-being of the nation. 

     By the end of the documentary, the viewer feels outraged at being mislead by the industry, the government, and media. If the documentary stopped there, little change could occur. Burke believed that true societal change could only happen through comic framing. Comic framing in this sense doesn't mean funny. Instead, it allows us to view ourselves as comic fools - as individual who have been duped by the industry,  Forks Over Knives offers us the opportunity to see the error of our ways. This is illustrated by showcasing the journey of the documentary's director, Lee Fulkerson, In the beginning of the documentary, he downs two red bulls and one and half Coca-Colas in order to start his day. He admits that he eats fast food on a regular basis.  He is overweight, has high cholesterol and blood pressure, and is a prime candidate for heart disease. Through education about his diet and the evils of the food industry, he is able to see the error of his ways. He changes to a plant-based, whole foods diet and his health greatly improves. With a significant reduction of weight and improved health, he is now redeemed. His body image and health are no longer unacceptable in terms of society because his body image more closely resembles the norm. 

     In the end, the documentary inspires us to all be like Lee. We can see the error of our ways, transform our diets, and in turn, transform our bodies and our lives. You can check out the website here for more information regarding the documentary.