"To Serve Man"... science, diet, and unintended consequences

from JoeUser Forums
Some years back, during the heyday of the original "Twilight Zone" TV series (the old black and white classics, with Rod Serling and friends at the helm), there was a great show done swirling around the words "To Serve Man".

I don't want to spoiler the show for anyone that never saw it, so I'll recommend that you scroll down a bit and skip past some comments I'll include in a smaller font below. Please note that you've been warned, though the show is obviously an old classic, and it's not something many would go out of their way to see. (Though I highly recommend the show as it was a classic, and is great sci-fi).

In anycase, spoilers up-coming. Again, skip past if you don't want to know.

Last warning.

Absolute last warning, the small print info is considered "spoilered info".

Stop reading here and skip past if you don't want to know....


In the original Twilight Zone show, the show was about a group of seemingly benevolent aliens that came to Earth and offered to share their technology and assist man with curing all that ailed us. They would show Earthlings how to increase crop yields several times over, how to maximize food production, and even eventually offer an exchange program where the aliens would welcome Earthlings to their home world when the Earthlings were ready.
The world leaders were obviously skeptical of the aliens when they arrived, and the U.S. government especially was interested in decoding some information from a book that the aliens brought to Earth with them.
The code was especially complex, and took about a week to decode even the first page. The first page had only 3 words on it which translated into "To Serve Man." With that information decoded, the decoders and intelligence agencies informed their superiors that the aliens were definitely benevolent, and were here on Earth to "serve man."
The show continued with one of the code breakers still intriqued by the code and the book, and the hero of the story still a bit leery of the visitors. Slowly though, the world saw the benefits of the alien technology, and eventually even the hero of the story opted to take a spot on one of the exchange shuttles. Just as he was about to board the ship, his code-breaking intelligence employee comes running up screaming "don't do it, don't get on the ship."
It turns out that the rest of the book that the code-breaker was obsessing about was a cook book. One that documented how to serve man as food. The poor code breaker stood helpless while watching her boss get on the ship to be taken away.
The story ended with the hero refusing to eat food as the ship travelled through space towards the alien's home world.



OK to start reading again here...

Again, it's ok to start reading here again if you want to avoid the spoilered info....



So what reminds me of the show I reference above, and why bring up something that may be related?

Well....

Over this last weekend, in the USA Today Weekend magazine (inserted into several news papers throughout the country) there was a blurb that in many ways reminds me of the story above.

I don't think discussing the news blurb will give away too much of the original show, though I recommend anyone wanting to truly avoid spoiler info try not to read the comments, as I'm not going to ask respondents to avoid any spoiler info in their comments.

Anyway, the note in the USA Today Weekend was this:



EatSmart JEAN CARPER


Acne link to milk, sweets

Can diet cause acne? Dermatological dogma says no. New research says yes.
  • White bread, doughnuts, soft drinks and other high-glycemic-index foods spike insulin and blood sugar. High insulin, says Colorado State's Loren Cordain, incites the overproduction of male hormones and the formation of zits. For glycemic info, visit www.glycemicindex.com.
  • In Harvard research, teens who drank three-plus glasses of milk a day, especially skim milk, reported the worst acne. Outbreaks were 44% higher in skim milk drinkers than in non-milk drinkers. Possible reason: hormones in milk. Buying organic might reduce the hazard.



In the name of full disclosure, I'm someone that is typically very skeptical of science. I know enough to know that what our scientists don't know is far more than they do. Even when they think they know something they tend to come back some years later and figure out that what they originally thought turned out to be about 180 degrees opposite what is reality.

With that said, I think the second paragraph (bullet item) from the clipped article above is most definitely "on to something." Something that is showing up more and more with citizens of this country in general and perhaps the world at large.

We seem to be medicating ourselves and enchancing ourselves into being more and more obese. We're getting fatter and fatter thanks to eating bio-engineered foods that are designed to be more tender, more full of meat, or more productive in giving milk, cheese, eggs, or other consumable items. With vegetables we're eating foods that have been engineered to resist disease and insects (and other natural enemies).

And again, because of the results of our scientific accomplishments we're lowering our own children's life expectancies. Even this weekend there were TV news reports touting that fact.

Will we find in the future that eating these bountiful harvests of food is the cause of most of our health problems? It very well could be, as evidenced by the news item about skim milk above.

And that reminds me all the more of the first comments (in the small print) above.
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Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've not seen that Twilight Zone episode but the Simpsons clearly referenced it in their first Halloween special (although the outcome was the reverse of the one in TZ)

The fact that developed countries are beginning to have falling life expectancies regardless of the fact that Medical Science is advancing almost daily points to the fact that we have a crisis on our hands. We are literally taking great steps towards an early grave by shovelling so much calorie laden, nutritionally empty food into our gaping maws. We like the path of least resistance and as such choose 'convenience' foods which are stuffed with E numbers, saturated fats, salt and sugar, sugar, sugar. We refuse to do even simple exercise like walking to the shops or getting up to change the channel. Heck, one flight of stairs seems to be too much of an ask for some people.

Our food is no longer natural. Most people's diets consist of one colour delivered in various shades - the golden brown of the deep fryer, or the slick dark brown of greasy meat. People aren't educated enough to know how to feed themselves nutritionally balanced meals and pass their poor diets on to their children. We are actually creating such a huge crisis that developed countries are worried about how on earth our health systems are going to cope with the over flow of self inflicted lifestyle diseases.

My solution? As a start, tax the fuck out of foods that contain additives, excess fat, salt and sugar. Subsidise farmers that produce organic, or close to organic, food. Educate children at school as to how to feed themselves best. Get the parents involved as well so as to re-educate entire families. Basically, create a society where it is cheaper and easier to eat good, fresh, nutritious food. As long as fast food continues to be fast, cheap and convenient we're never going to overcome our own laziness and hence our own downfall.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
'Possible reason: hormones in milk. Buying organic might reduce the hazard.'
Depends upon exactly what hormones they're talking about. Even 'organic' milk contains hormones. Of course, these are hormones that are extremely beneficial - but only if you are a young calf, not an adult human.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't think its our various advances in food production that's making us fat, its our reduction in physical labor thats done the most harm.


Actually LW, I think it's both -- it's advances in food, including the hormone enchanced meat and milk, and a general laziness about physical exercise and labor.

Kids that used to play outdoors sit and play video games instead. Instead of playing baseball on fields, they play baseball on TV/video game screens.

And people definitely don't "sweat" as much as they used to. Instead of working outdoors building, tending farms and yards in the heat and sun, they instead work in air conditioned buildings, jump into climate controlled vehicles and go to climate controlled homes to sit on their duffs watching tv or typing on computers.


I don't like the idea of taxing the unhealthy foods we consume, but I can see it coming. Eventually some "do-gooder" health care providers/insurance companies/consumer advocacy groups will convince the government that they can sin tax us into social change. When it happens, the McDonalds (and their ilk) of the world will still feed us, but instead of it costing $3.99 for a combo meal it will be $31.99 with a coupon for a free check up at the local doctor. Ugh.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I remember the episode well! In fact I referred to it in another thread.

Food! It is what life is all about!