E. Coli Coverage in the New York Times

Hi, class,

Here's an excerpt from a New York Times story covering the E. Coli problem in Germany:

"The European Union operates as a single market but nations zealously guard powers over certain areas of national policy, including health policy and disease control. Even so, European efforts to track the source of the bacteria were far more effective than in other parts of the world, including the United States, one E.U. official said Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to be seen criticizing other health and food authorities around the world, said high standards of traceability meant that E.U. experts would soon pinpoint the origins of the outbreak.

What I think is interesting about this section is that--just as Babette utilizes the toxic event as a chance to cut down on fatty foods (a ludicrous act, we might think)--so too do E. U. experts use this scare as a chance to discuss their own preparedness. It's strange for a number of reasons. As the actual outbreak occurs, in other words, officials speak about how much more prepared they are than in other parts of the world. It seems logical to ask, though, why it happens in the first place, not how prepared we are. Also, the sense of "preparedness for risk" and the speed with which the E. U. located a culprit (nevermind that the Spanish officials are denying any wrongdoing) also speaks to Gladney's opening remarks about the station wagons rounding the bend into the college at the start of the novel. Social status means "massive insurance coverage." We come to equate prosperity with immunity from risk, even though the new risks we face are not deterred by insurance and data and capital.

Obviously, the fact that, according to this article, fifteen people have already died and over a thousand have been hospitalized is no laughing matter. We have to be careful not to do to this national health problem what Gladney does to Hitler: render it merely a literary trope. Still, the rhetoric deployed by officials in the government, by the media, and by other outlets is potent and "always already" inflected by ideological concerns. Let's tackle those, while also remaining sensitive to the fact that ecocriticism must deal with the "real," as well.