I was watching the nightly depresso-fest on the TV a few days ago (AKA the news) and there was a small piece about some protesters who stormed their way into a field of genetically modified potatoes (I believe some sort of research centre was doing some experiments with them, perhaps growing a mutant army from the eyes of the potatoes) and proceeded to stamp the plants into the ground in the name of the environment and human kind.
Now, I'm all for the environment and human kind and so forth, but sometimes I think such behaviour is odd. From what I can work out these plant-stomping parties are going on because no one knows the long-term effects GM foods has on humans. Nor does anyone know the effects GM foods may have on the environment. But is not knowing the effects enough to stamp experimental plants into the ground? If we stomped on every scientific experiment and discovery that was ever dreamed up we wouldn't be getting very far.I'm not saying I'm crazy about having GM foods in my diet when the side-effects are unknown, perhaps tighter government controls are necessary until their safety can be proven, but stopping such research strikes me as being premature.
If we're going to go about protesting technology why not protest something like mobile phones which have been proven to destroy bee populations (thus leading to their untimely demise after millions of years of existence but also doing great damage to the environment) and which the World Health Organisation has just recently declared as being "possibly carcinogenic to humans" I'd like to see these protesters running along the streets, ripping mobile phones out of peoples hands and throwing them to the ground screaming "NO MORE POSSIBLE BRAIN CANCER" and "SAVE THE BEES" while stomping some 15 year olds iphone into a billion nano bits. But that would probably inconvenience them. I mean if they are all about protesting stuff they need their mobile phones in order to assemble in the correct locations. Can you imagine trying to organise a plant-stomping protest in the middle of farmer-ville and everyone ends up in the wrong field and some poor farmer with NON GM crops is getting his rose bushes stamped while the evil GM potato farmer on the other side is enjoying a nice cup of tea and laughing his butt off. I don't think so!
So save the mobile phones, and stomp the potatoes!
Some of that genetic modification stuff is pretty scary, but you make a good point. We have to see where the science leads first or we'd never see progress. Of course, if people start turning into zombies or what-not because they ate some glowing green potatoes then I'm all for a flash mob stomping on the the little vines. :)
ReplyDeleteI am not concerned about eating genetically modified foods, I just want to be ready when the food turns against us.
ReplyDeleteFair points.
ReplyDeleteA lot of human energy is wasted on actions and fake solutions that often serve to soothe our conscience or our need to act (or rebel) more than they actually solve a problem.
I think part of the reason is that most problems are complicated and tie in to so many other issues that it's impossible to see a real solution. In such a situation, the only choices we seem to have are:
1) do something that will probably not make a (big) difference
2) do nothing
Before I act, I tend to look for compromises both my heart and my head can agree on, but unfortunately that means I often do nothing.
@L.G Smith Yes indeed action should be taken if it is proven harmful but not before then!
ReplyDelete@Munk Day of the Triffids style!
@K.C That's so true, I was thinking the person who organised the protest is probably the toast of the town with her small circle of friends because she's done something to "take a stand". I guess in a world where so many things seem to be wrong people just want to lash out and do something. These days I tend to make concious choices in my day to day life in order to make a different, witht he theory if we all do that something will change, as opposed to the big statements like potato stomping.
A few days ago I heard on the radio that the leader of the protest got fired from her job.
ReplyDeleteShe was a researcher at the university of Leuven, whereas the potato field belonged to the university of Ghent. Interesting plot twist. ;-)
@K.C Academic rivalry perhaps? Strange twist indeed! What a world where academics are destroying the research of other academics.
ReplyDelete