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SPEAKER: In 2003, the internet was rocked by a parody so powerful it sparked a food revolution. More than a decade later, its message is more urgent than ever.

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FARMER: Here you go, Leo.

[OINKING]

MOOPHEUS: Leo.

LEO: Who are you? And how did you know my name?

MOOPHEUS: I am Moopheus. And I know a lot about you. Have you heard of the Meatrix?

LEO: The Meatrix?

MOOPHEUS: Do you want to know what it is?

LEO: OK.

MOOPHEUS: The Meatrix is all around you, Leo. It is the story we tell ourselves about where meat and animal products come from. This family farm is a fantasy, Leo. Take the blue pill and stay here in the fantasy. Take the red pill, and I'll show you the truth. Welcome to the real world.

LEO: Why? What is this horrible place?

MOOPHEUS: This is a factory farm, Leo. Places like this are where most eggs, milk, and meat come from.

LEO: How did this happen?

MOOPHEUS: I'll show you. In the mid 20th century, greedy agriculture corporations began modifying sustainable family farming to maximize their profits at great cost to both humans and animals. Factory farming was born. Animals are packed as closely together as possible. Most never see sunlight, touch ground, or get fresh air. Many can't even turn around.

These cruel conditions cause fights and disease amongst the animals. To fix this, the corporate machine began systematic mutilations, practices such as debeaking chickens. And they started adding a constant dosage of antibiotics to their feed, just to keep these poor wretches alive. This overuse of antibiotics breeds super strains of resistant disease-causing germs. Every day, we get closer to an epidemic that cannot be stopped.

LEO: Eww. What's that smell?

MOOPHEUS: 12 million pounds of excrement. This pollutes the air and ground water. That's why communities near factory farms often suffer from high levels of related sicknesses.

LEO: Well, it smells like-

MOOPHEUS: Shh. And what's more, factory farming corporations have been destroying communities and mistreating their workers for decades. Since 1950, over two million small hog farms have disappeared. If they continue at this rate, there'll be no real independent family farms left. That is the Meatrix, Leo, the lie we tell ourselves about where our food comes from. But it's not too late. There is a resistance.

LEO: Count me in. Ye-aaah. So how do we stop them, Moopheus?

MOOPHEUS: We are going to spread the word. But it's you, the consumer, who has the real power. Don't support the factory farming machine.

LEO: A lot has changed in 10 years, huh?

MOOPHEUS: Yes, it has. Millions of people have woken up.

LEO: Eww.

MOOPHEUS: And demanded change on their plates. Sustainable farms and new food choices are popping up all across the country.

LEO: Oh, problem solved.

MOOPHEUS: Not so fast.

LEO: Oh.

MOOPHEUS: The machine plods on. Even as the resistance has grown, so too have the factory farms. And they're fighting back hard to uphold the illusion. They're pushing laws that would silence our right to expose them.

LEO: Mhm. Mmm. Agh. That does it. Let's tell everybody what they can do.

CHICKEN: Don't support the factory farming machine. There's a world of alternatives.

LEO: You can use the Eat Well Guide to find sustainable foods near you.

CHICKEN: And tell everyone you know, we now have the tools we need to expose the lie once and for all. [SQUAWK].

MOOPHEUS: Together, we can change our food future.

LEO: The resistance need you.

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