Episode 2143: Andrea Freeman on Food Genocide and Oppression in the United States
We’ve been on a food & farming run this week. First, we talked with America’s “lunatic farmer,” Joel Salatin, about how regenerative agriculture can regenerate the United States. And we followed that up with the food blogger and writer Nicola Twilley who explained about how refrigeration has transformed not only our food, and our planet, but also ourselves. Our guest today, Andrea Freeman, makes food policy central to the politics of America from its foundations to today. Her provocative new book, Ruin Their Crops On the Ground is intended as a kind of Fast Food Nation for the Black Lives Matter era. From the genocidal Trail of Tears to the anything but “free” school lunches in America today, Freeman argues that food has been always used by American corporate and political interests as a weapon of conquest and control.
Andrea Freeman, a pioneer in the field of food politics, is a professor at Southwestern Law School. A Fulbright scholar and author of Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice, Freeman has published and appeared in the Washington Post, Salon, The Takeaway, Here & Now, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Black Agenda Report, and more. She lives in Los Angeles.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Move Fast and Break the World: Jonathan Taplin on Trump as an Interregnum
So Are All Immigrants Manchurian Candidates? Peter Schweizer on How Mexico, China, and the Muslim Brotherhood Are Weaponizing Immigration
Gatsby Without the Romance: Michael Wolff on Why Trump and Epstein Are the Same Person
How to Reclaim the Internet: Olivier Sylvain on Platforms and Policy
No AI Good Guys? Andrew & Keith Ask If Altman Amodei, & Hegseth Have All Failed the Leadership Test
What Would Daniel Ellsberg Say About Iran? His Son Michael on America’s Most Famous Whistleblower
From the Muckers to the Mullahs: Christopher Clark on the Lessons of History
How To Fix Big Med: Halle Tecco and Robin Blackstone on American Healthcare and its Discontents
The Coming Storm: Odd Arne Westad Asks If We're On the Brink of World War Three
Racism as Entertainment: Rhae Lynn Barnes on Darkology and American Culture
A Chosen Land for a Chosen People? Matthew Avery Sutton on How Christianity Made America and America Remade Christianity
American Yellow Vests? Manissa Maharawal on the Fight Against Tech-Led Gentrification in San Francisco
Is Anthropic Wrong? Andrew vs. Keith on Amodei vs. Trump