Balloons

 

The illustration, “Balloons'' depicts a clown (one that purposely resembles Ronald McDonald, mascot of fast food chain McDonald's) offering balloons to a young child. There are three very important details to note about this image. One being that the so called “balloons” are actually the heads of slaughtered animals that are used to make food, eaten by millions of people around the world on a daily basis (regardless of whether they are eating these carnivorous dishes at home, restaurants, or at fast food establishments). Second, the child is noticeably overweight and some may even say borderline obese. The third important detail to note about this image is that the child is wearing the same colors, at least on the upper half of his body, as the clown. In other words, the child is almost embodying what Kuczynski believes to be the stereotypical fast food consumer.

It should not come as any sort of surprise when I say that fast food chains target a very wide group of individuals. Typically though, fast food restaurants and chains tend to advertise towards lower class individuals that do not have access to more expensive, healthy and fresh foods. These chains are able to keep their costs low by providing food that, while it may be tasty, is loaded with chemicals, sugars, and low quality ingredients. The lack of care and quality ingredients in the meals provided by these huge corporations and chains that own and operate fast food establishments allow them to keep costs and prices low. However, the food being consumed at fast food establishments is absolutely terrible, in terms of nutritional value. In America, in particular, there is a huge problem with lack of availability of fresh, nutritious, and good food and ingredients for individuals in the lower class. In turn, their only option may be to live off of fast food. 

These fast food giants often try to come off as having the best interests of their customers at heart, but in reality, this is far from the case. Take a look at the clown offering the child a balloon in this image. The clown and the child both appear to be gleeful and happy. The child is thrilled to be receiving a balloon from the clown, but he is negligent to the fact that the product provided by the clown is of terrible quality and that it may ever harm him. This is symbolic of Pawel Kuczynski’s thoughts about how fast food conglomerates feel about their customers. These giant companies may attempt to come off as caring and compassionate, but at the end of the day, they only care about one thing: profit.

I also believe that Kuczynski is using this illustration as a means of attempting or challenging people to cut back on their reliance on animal products. The heads of lifeless animals that are being passed off as balloons have clearly been tortured and abused. Sadly, this is true of many animals that are slaughtered for food and goods used for human consumption or purchase. Animals in slaughterhouses are treated unbelievably inhumanely; they are pumped full of chemicals to fatten them up, they are abused and kept in absolutely terrible conditions, they are prematurely and horrendously killed, and overall, they are treated with absolutely no respect. The animal rights movement is one that Pawel Kuczynski is extremely passionate about, so there is no shred of doubt in my mind that he would attempt to express his