Steroids Aren't Just for Illnesses

When Pollan wrote “Men have become the tools of their tools”, he was trying to draw attention to how reliant people have become on the aids they use to enhance their lifestyles. In regards to corn farmers’ lifestyle, the most obvious aid is the corn itself. The farmers become reliant on their crop to provide a living for themselves. The farmer then finds himself a slave to his crop because “a farm family needs a certain amount of cash flow every year to support itself, and it the price of corn falls, the only way to stay even is to sell more corn (54). Another aspect of this reliance is the use of chemical fertilizers. The fertilizers enable farmers to have high yield harvests. As “bragging rights go to the man with the biggest yield, even if its bankrupting him (55), it stands to reason that farmers try to capitalize on this new resource. Unfortunately, they find themselves caught up in this vicious cycle, undoubtedly leaving them feeling awfully similar to the tractor and other tools they use to till their land.

Women are usually in the spotlight when it comes to issues of physical appearance, diet and beauty. However, what about the men and their self image? Men and the pressures they feel are often left to the wayside. Stereotypically speaking, men are viewed as powerful authoritative figures, so it is expected that they have the physique to match. Just as thin females with perfectly toned bodies are pasted all over ads as ideal, tan men with bulging muscles and infinite muscle definition are the symbol of perfection. Sorry boys, but if you don’t have 37 pack washboard abs-that’s right thirty seven, clearly visible arm muscles when you are not flexing and the inability to turn your head more than 45 degrees in either direction due to bulging shoulder, neck and back muscles… then you are not a real man.