We Need To Talk: GMOs & Foods

A couple of years ago when GMOs came on my mom’s radar it was all she could talk about. I sort of rolled my eyes and went about my business, but in the last year, I have been paying attention more and rolling my eyes less. A couple of years ago when my mom was freaking out and telling me how bad GMOs were, I should have been listening a little more closely....because now they are practically everywhere and it’s scary.

What exactly is a GMO? It’s a genetically modified organism which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques. Translation: that shit ain’t natural. Why would someone want to genetically alter food? Well, the answer to that is simple....at the start.
Because at the start of anything the road is all paved in good intention, and we all know where the road to good intention leads....hell. HELL!

In the beginning GMO were created to make plants resistant to certain diseases and bugs, which on the surface sounds like a good thing. As things progress, though, and we go down this wonderful road of life, we realize that we need things like  bugs and that maybe creating a plant that when they eat it explodes their stomachs, might pose a sort of harm to our ecological system.

And let’s just marinate a second on something: if a bug eats a plant--say, a strawberry that has been genetically modified--and it’s tummy explodes and it then dies, do you think it’s safe for humans? Really?! Because I freaking don’t.

“They” say that these foods are no more harmful to humans than any other non-genetically modifies substance...but who are “they” and what are “they” talking about? If you are in the business of selling a product are you going to admit it might be bad for people? That would be bad for business, and if it’s one thing we know it’s that most corporations put their dollars above human interest. It’s just how they function.

So do I think we’re being lied to about the safety of GM foods? Yes, I do. Plain and simple.

Another concern that I have about the genetically modified organisms is that Monsanto wants to start patenting their seeds--they want to control what other people can have and grow with. This proposition scares the hell out of me...and I hate to go all 1985 on you guys, but if we can own the genetic makeup of a plant, can we own the genetic make up of animal? And if we can, then how long before we start genetically modifying people....and can you own the patents to the modifications on their genes? Can you then own the person? Slippery slope and I have no intention of going gently on this one.

Animals are already being altered genetically, and this has probably been going on longer than we would like to think. The same with plants. The bottom line? Nature really does know best. We don’t need to fool with a system that already works fine on its own...if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

I just don’t like the idea of GM foods, and I am glad to see that people are joining together to speak out against them. There is a lot about food production that we just don’t know anymore...and I urge everyone to take a little more personal responsibility for the food they nourish their bodies with. I like to do my part by canning and freezing in season food and eating venison instead of beef. I try to make my own foods whenever possible, including pasta and bread. The easiest way that you can do begin your journey is to know what you eating by checking labels at the grocery store and educate yourself more and more about the quality of the foods you are eating.

And remember: this is not a political issue. This our food supply--this is a human issue. There are so sides when it comes to the safety of our most basic and fundamental rights, one of which is the right to produce food that isn’t laced with poison...even if the start of the poison was originally laced with good intention. The road to hell is paved with good intention.

But I want to hear from you. What do you guys think about genetically modified foods? Do you think it's wrong, right, or are you largely indifferent? Leave it for me in the comments section below--let's talk about it!!!