A GMO debate goes horribly wrong:
Wednesday’s Intelligence Squared debate-the motion in favor of the benefits of genetically modified crops and foods was approved resoundingly by almost 2-to-1-infuriated GM science opponents began trashing their own carefully selected spokespeople on social media.
GMO Free USA-one of the most anti-science fringe NGOs-posted a scathing infographic on Facebook accusing Mellon and Benbrook of being on Monsanto’s payroll. “MONSANTO EXECUS PAY MELLON AND BENBROOK TO THROW DEBATE!” they screeched.
Grab a coffee and view the debate here.
i hate this organic nonsense, even crude oil is organic.
Notice that GMO Free USA is linked to Greenpeace, and ActForClimate. The anti-GMO groups are just more of the same radical anti real science, anti oil anti everything crowd.
It figures that GMO FREE USA is connected with those stupid GREENPEACE idiots their always cuasing trouble for everybodylocking coa; ships with their garbage scows zooming around in those damn Zodiac boats occuping oil dericks climbing up on buildings to to unfirel their stupid banners with stupid slogans and poppycock on them and even deface Mt Rushmore with that picture of Obama the Fink. These back to nature hippy freaks need to either get a job or just GO AWAY
Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Michael Ignatieff at 1:37:58??
Why a debate? Is anyone forcing you to eat food grown in “pigshit”? Is “pigshit” food costing you anything as a tax payer? Are “pigshit” food eaters damaging you in any way – other than having to expend the time and bandwidth to slag them? Why a debate over personal eating choices which have no impact on you?
Unlike the PETA militant vegan creeps, organic/whole foods people don’t want to punish (regulate) you for being a meat eater, they are as well (non-GMO fed livestock) – or change your diet in any way. Most of the non-GMO (“pigshit” food) folks I know would be happy to be left alone to choose their own diet without government or special interest interference – just like you.
If people want to eat this type of food let the market decide if they’re loony. You can still eat your preferred food. However bear in mind that people who want to eat “pigshit” food are willing to pay extra to do so. So in simple demand market dynamics there is a need to expand supply. Are we concerned that this minute fraction of agricultural capacity is expended on “pigshit” food demand? Are we that socialist? Most of the people I know who are into the whole foods thing grow their own food and/or directly contract a local farmer to grow their food to their specifications (and there are many popular/upscale restaurants doing this now) – this is actually great for the shrinking local family owned farm base.
The health of the freedom of choice left in our nation, and the remnant of the free market can be gaged by such anomalies as people who want “pigshit” grown food to have access to it.
Are we suggesting the market should ignore niches because we deem them silly? What’s next, come at this like a jack-booted proglodyte and regulate “pigshit” food eaters out of existence or just jail them? GMO uber alles!?? I thought we hade evolved beyond this kind of “debate”.
I don’t know anyone saying society should not let people consume organic “labelled” food anywhere.
But I have read a hell of a lot of untrue articles about the dangers of “conventional” agriculture, and how the way it is produced should be regulated out of existence. Oh yeah, and how Monsanto runs the world.
I recently had an interesting chat with an anti-GMO advocate.
He:We just want to know what is in the food we eat.
I:If a food product contains fat chances are that fat is oil and that oil will be GMO. Short of the redundancy of labeling everything GMO doesn’t it become an honesty issue?
He:We just want to know what is in the food we eat. Monsanto spent millions in our state to prevent our prop from going forward.
I:Just like COOL(country of origin labels) GMO labeling will take anything labelled GMO off the shelf because of segregation issues. It won’t be worth the hassle for the wholesaler or grocer. Labelling will reduce choice.
He:We just want to know what is in the food we eat. There might be a few bugs to start with but after the new system is in place…
I:Say didn’t Lenin say something like that.
He:We just want to know what is in the food we eat.
I:How’s your family doing?
“…..or is that Michael Ignatieff at 1:37:58?? ”
Looks like that other loon….Bill Nye “the science guy”….
Occam, I think you’re missing the point here. It’s the anti-GM crowd that wants your freedom of choice removed. And they want it done in one of two ways. First make GM products illegal, or second force such discriminatory labeling that the public is essentially scared off by a propaganda exercise.
I agree with you about market forces, but it’s the anti-GM crowd that wants to suppress them. Hence the debate exists because the issue is being forced to the extent they can by the anti-GM side.
Bing results…
“ban organic food” 2,380 results
“ban GMO foods” 21,500 results
And where can I buy inorganic carrots?
You might say they are the radical left – different means to achieve the same goal – fascism.
Their goal is to seize political power to achieve their radical agenda, anti GMO is simply a means, as is AGW hysteria.
If they truly opposed GMO’s simply as a breeding method, they would oppose traditional Mendelian breeding as well, as it is less safe and exact than GMO methods.
The anti GMO freaks are just another type of watermelon, creating public anxiety about food safety to achieve greater control by their movement over the life of the individual.
Unlike the PETA militant vegan creeps, organic/whole foods people don’t want to punish (regulate) you for being a meat eater… Occam
But the leaders of the movement do. For instance, in the US there are USDA rules for so-called organic food labeling- definitely an affront to a free market in such food. And the same people whinge on about how pesticides, fertilizers, etc. etc. are killing the planet.
If only the organic people would leave everyone else alone, there wouldn’t be a need for a pushback, such as some posts here do. And as for those organic types who do try to lecture down to everyone about the evils of their different taste in food, it is impossible to slag their actions strongly enough.
I’m always amused at the people who don’t like pesticides ‘Because they’re poison’. If pesticides weren’t poison, they wouldn’t work.
Is anyone forcing you to eat food grown in “pigshit”? Is “pigshit” food costing you anything as a tax payer? Are “pigshit” food eaters damaging you in any way – other than having to expend the time and bandwidth to slag them? Why a debate over personal eating choices which have no impact on you?
Exactly. I do not support the anti-GMO folks, and I do not support the anti-organic folks, and I do not support the PETA people. People should be free to shove whatever they want into their pie-hole.
What I do object to is anyone who slags someone else because of their food choices. That’s stupid intolerance, and there is already too much intolerance in this world, especially over inconsequential things like religion and food choices. Learn to be tolerant of other peoples beliefs, especially those which have no impact on your personal life, you will be happier if you do.
Organic food is too darn expensive for me when compared with food that is grown regulatly but these eco-wacko back to nature freako fringe groups are always getting the media attention and wanks like Ralph Nader are just one of these green nut cases and theres that FRANKEN FOODS stufff they were balbbering about a few years ago
cgh and small c conservative, exactly.
It is the anti-GMO and organic types that want to restrict our food choices and make it more expensive for folks to feed their families with good food. But then this fits their world view of there being too many people on earth and with any luck many would starve to death. And all of this based on a pakc of lies.
SPURWING! You’re BACK!!!
Thanks, but you put it more succinctly: ” But then this fits their world view of there being too many people on earth and with any luck many would starve to death.” Exactly so.
Missed you Spurwing. Who was it that invented the phrase “frankenfoods” occam? I like bug, and disease free food … you like it if grows in pig shit with disease and insects … I’m OK with that.
BTW: Occom – which side of the fence do you think started the “debate”? What side of the “debate” has killed more people?
You’re completely naive if you think that anything stupid doesn’t have a cost.
Oh, to have a “thumbs up” widget for Ural’s comments.
Judging by most of the comments, it looks like I’m the only one that actually watched the video, all of it. The debate was over the safety of GMO’s as well as the viability of feeding 9 billion people in another 36 years. The against GMO side really had nothing except that progress was so slow in coming. The for GMO side pointed out the reason for that is that everything related to GMO is being fought tooth and nail even though in over 20 years and thousands of studies by every country, not a single study showed harm to the consumer in any way. The audience gave overwhelming approval for the GMO side after all the facts were in. You’re welcome.
…organic types that want to restrict our food choices
That’s quite the generalization. Can you provide a couple of specific examples of “organic types”?
All of the people I know who eat any organic foods, make that choice because they want clean, uncontaminated food. They buy organic for products that have tested high for contaminants, like apples, and ‘non-organic’ for everything else. None of them are evangelical about organic food, all of them could care less what other people eat.
All of them are in favor of expanding our food choices. There is a big enough market for organic foods that all major markets have a section. Everyone’s food choices have been increased. What’s the problem with that?
People who eat junk food think organic is silly, and people who eat organic think junk food is silly. Both have choices, don’t you?
If someone wants to develop any sort of GMO food so the starving 8 billion out of that 9 billion can feed themselves, fine by me. Feed them GMO Soylent Green for all I care. It’s not our responsibility to ensure they don’t starve.
I don’t have to eat specific GMO foods if I chose not to for any reason. The market will fill a niche for “Non-GMO” food if enough people want it. That’s what free market capitalism is all about.
A significant % of the anti GMO crowd do not want 9 billion people on the planet anyway. Many think the planet can only support 1 billion. Explanations on how to reduce the number are unclear. I am sure Dr. Suzuki has some ideas.
Abstract thought is regularly confronted by working science which produces concrete results. There in lies the conflict. Successful GMO research threatens the rice bowl of many ‘intellectuals’.
CT. Many of these back to nature freakos have fallen hook,line & sinker for this Population Bomb nonsense from that Pual Ehrlich wacktard even after all his rediclous predictions didnt happen