Dominant Discourses in America

      When discussing any topic, there's always a discourse. A discourse is a discussion about a topic, with unwritten rules on what can be said, and who can say it. The dominant discourse is the idea or person that is agreed upon by most to be "right". These discourses change over time. Right now the dominant discourse for food is saying that it's either good for you, or bad for you. The people that are published most in the media for this are doctors, politicians, college professors, and "health food" leaders.
       "The draft version of the federal government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which will be formally released in December, identifies obesity as the nation’s greatest public-health threat. It also notes the relationship of fast food (and physical inactivity) to unhealthy weight gain and emphasizes the importance of plant-based foods in the diet." (New York Times: Doctor's orders- Eat Well to Be Well) This quote is almost perfect to show the dominant discourse. It has who can talk about food. Which in this case is the government. It has what's being said about food. That it can cause obesity, or if you eat  vegetables you'll be okay. Which are some of the main ideas in the dominant discourse today.
    There are two main problems in the food industry that people think need to be changed. These problems are that people are eating foods that have no health benefit, and food that is unsafe. These problems are basically the frontrunners of the dominant discourse because the government acknowledges them, and is attempting to fix them. The senate now has a bill to pass that would put stricter regulations on food, that would make food safer. To address unhealthy foods, there has been many anti-fast food campaigns. When talking about food, this is what people want changed.
    There is a lot of talk today about food. It's basically all the same conversation repeated using different wording. "People eat too much unhealthy food, our food is not safe, and we need a reform in our diets to eat more healthy foods." That is the dominant discourse right now. Without a doubt that will change soon, but for now we can listen to the doctors and politicians talk.