Lost in the public imagination: The dismissal of political consumerism in news and entertainment food media

In the 1990s, there was impressive growth in two food categories---organic and gourmet foods. Media discourses around food are one element of the cultural context for understanding these two food movements. This dissertation traces the public discourses around these two food categories in news and entertainment programming. It is argued that these discourses sustain consumer over citizen identities and silence voices of critique of the food industry. Instead of realizing a new level of political consumerism, where market choices are meant to challenge production and labor practices and certain uses of chemicals and land, the larger ideology of "market democracy" suggests that there is no need for such consumption.; Using the concepts of frames and hegemony, I examine the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in public discourses around food. I look at newspaper coverage of organic foods and entertainment programming aired on the Food Network. In news coverage, there was a focus on organic food in terms of quality and individual health. This was instead of addressing environmental issues and collective responses to perceived risks. I contend that as organic food has gained in market share, it has lost in its ability to nourish political consumption. In relation to the Food Network, I argue that the cable channel works hard to create consumer fantasies for its audiences. I pay special attention to the pleasures that the network offers, especially the possibility of social connection, sensual stimulation, and virtual intimacy. Then I analyze the ideological dimensions of programming. I argue that the Food Network irons out class tensions through a careful construction of what I call "rarefied egalitarianism." All viewers are deemed equal in their ability to consume a range of products. This creates the illusion of a "democracy of taste," a "democracy of excellence," and a "democracy of goods." What is left outside of news and entertainment frames is serious discussion about the social and environmental implications of our food system, and the nutritional values of the featured dishes. Giving support to hegemony theory, this dissertation illustrates how dominant ideologies are able to absorb critique and sustain themselves.