The Slow Movement
Key: AWL to Study, Low-frequency Vocabulary
Slow food is one aspect of the Slow Movement. What do
you think the Slow Movement is?
Observation of Urban Centers
• obsession with speed:
 speed dialing, speed dating, speed
reading, speed walking, speed yoga
• Consumer culture and need
for material gain leads to
fast-paced, superficial lifestyles.
 Individuals work longer hours and
scramble to fit in as many activities
as possible.
Are consumer culture and long work hours prevalent in
your country?
Speed is an Addiction
• Speed addiction
 adrenaline rush and inevitable crash
• Kamei Hujui: Japanese trader
 strong work ethic
 when market collapsed, worked a 90+ hour workweek.
 died of a heart attack at the age of 26.
Do you think speed can be an addiction? Explain.
Stress from Overwork
• United States
 Americans clock 10 more years of work hours per lifetime
than Europeans.
• Canada
 One in four employees works more than 50 hours per week.
• Consequences
 lack of exercise and sleep
 substance abuse
 overindulgence in convenience food
• Canadian survey: 15% of workers contemplate suicide.
How many hours per week do you think people should
work? Explain.
Working Professionals
• Overburdened working professionals
 fill up their personal planners with too many activities.
 have no time to relax, reflect, and dream.
Do you fill your schedule with numerous activities?
Explain.
In Contrast
• The world’s great thinkers acknowledge the need for
reflection and stillness.
 Einstein contemplated the night sky.
• Most people get creative insight when they slow down
and shift thinking into an alternative mode.
 Hectic modern lifestyles make this a practical impossibility.
Do you take time out of the day to reflect?
Origins of the Slow Movement
• The Slow Movement was a reaction to the glorification
of speed.
• In Italy, Carlo Petrini
 headed a demonstration
against the opening of a
McDonald’s.
 founded the Slow Food
Movement.
If McDonald’s is fast food, what do you think slow food is?
The Slow Food Movement
• The Slow Food Movement opposes the global
standardization of food.
• Advocates




diversity of international cuisine
leisurely, pleasure-filled dining experiences
organic farming and sustainable food production
fresh and local ingredients
Why do you think that local and organic foods are
advocated for by the Slow Food Movement?
Scope of the Movement
• Slow cities
 population restricted to 50,000
• Slow travel
 displaces 10-city tour package
• Slow education
 emphasis on pursuit of knowledge and joys of learning
• Slow work
 flexible hours and less rigid schedules
Do you support the Slow Movement? Why or why not?