Am I the Enemy?
Yesterday, I went to a nutrition club event held on campus by a student. I heard they were going to be talking about organic produce and other nutritional facts, so I decided to attend. The original speaker did not show up so they brought in a guest speaker at the last minute. The guest speaker was basically trying to sell weight-loss smoothies and somehow got on a tangent of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). From then on, it turned into a church sermon.
Although the speaker (don't recall his name) told me that he wasn't trying to sway my decision about organic agriculture, he definitely put pressure on me to believe that all GMOs are poison. He kept telling everyone in the room to do their research and educate themselves on the topic of organic agriculture and the "horrible" risks of genetically modified (GM) crops. The entire lecture was on the horrible effects of GMOs and that you should only buy organic. If you buy GM food, you will die, develop cancer and destroy your body.
I was angry. My insides were heating up and I started to shake. My adrenaline was so high and all I wanted to do was yell how wrong and ignorant every person in that room was, but I didn't. I had to calm myself down. What really sent me through the roof was the fact that the presenter used the well-known GMO rat study conducted by the French scientist, Seralini to defend his position on organic food. The experiment was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology and was retracted in 2012. The science community quickly criticized Seralini's methods in conducting the experiment. Scientists react to republished Séralini GMO maize rat study is a compilation of the comments that the Genetic Literacy Project put together.
I won't go into detail of the flawed experiment, but you can educate yourself about it.
GMOs=Poison. That's what the presenter continued to tell the audience. The people in the room soaked up every bit of misinformation coming from the speaker's mouth. But when I tried to say something about the pros of GMOs, I was attacked and laughed at. The possibility of me being right about GM foods was the most ridiculous thing someone in the audience ever heard. Everyone in that room was extremely close-minded. They refused to accept my beliefs and that theirs might be wrong. At that point, I felt like the enemy. After all, that is exactly what the presenter said about people who support and create GMOs.
Every time I spoke up about the benefits of GMOs, the presenter continuously told me and everyone in the room to "educate themselves". When someone tells me to educate myself, I automatically look at both sides of the spectrum if it's a controversial topic. You should look at both sides of the story to become more knowledgeable about what you are an advocate for. Since the entire lecture was completely one-sided, I asked the lecturer, "Have you ever researched the pros of genetically modified organisms?" His response? "No. "
To me, he will forever remain ignorant. He is an advocate for organic farming and has never researched what could be the benefits of the technology.
I am always open to research that is for or against GMOs. If you have doubts about GM crops, visit the Genetic Literacy Project. There is a lot of useful information there. On the other hand, it's relatively easy to find sites that are anti-GMO. The Non-GMO Project is a good one.
Become well-rounded in what you are presenting to someone. Give sources and facts, not the beliefs that someone has. I shouldn't consider myself the enemy but going into the public health field, I can't help but believe that I am going to be ridiculed for my passion. I just have to grow a thicker skin.
Since I can't find a relevant photo, here's a picture of my dog, Jack, smelling the roses.
Although the speaker (don't recall his name) told me that he wasn't trying to sway my decision about organic agriculture, he definitely put pressure on me to believe that all GMOs are poison. He kept telling everyone in the room to do their research and educate themselves on the topic of organic agriculture and the "horrible" risks of genetically modified (GM) crops. The entire lecture was on the horrible effects of GMOs and that you should only buy organic. If you buy GM food, you will die, develop cancer and destroy your body.
I was angry. My insides were heating up and I started to shake. My adrenaline was so high and all I wanted to do was yell how wrong and ignorant every person in that room was, but I didn't. I had to calm myself down. What really sent me through the roof was the fact that the presenter used the well-known GMO rat study conducted by the French scientist, Seralini to defend his position on organic food. The experiment was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology and was retracted in 2012. The science community quickly criticized Seralini's methods in conducting the experiment. Scientists react to republished Séralini GMO maize rat study is a compilation of the comments that the Genetic Literacy Project put together.
I won't go into detail of the flawed experiment, but you can educate yourself about it.
GMOs=Poison. That's what the presenter continued to tell the audience. The people in the room soaked up every bit of misinformation coming from the speaker's mouth. But when I tried to say something about the pros of GMOs, I was attacked and laughed at. The possibility of me being right about GM foods was the most ridiculous thing someone in the audience ever heard. Everyone in that room was extremely close-minded. They refused to accept my beliefs and that theirs might be wrong. At that point, I felt like the enemy. After all, that is exactly what the presenter said about people who support and create GMOs.
Every time I spoke up about the benefits of GMOs, the presenter continuously told me and everyone in the room to "educate themselves". When someone tells me to educate myself, I automatically look at both sides of the spectrum if it's a controversial topic. You should look at both sides of the story to become more knowledgeable about what you are an advocate for. Since the entire lecture was completely one-sided, I asked the lecturer, "Have you ever researched the pros of genetically modified organisms?" His response? "No. "
To me, he will forever remain ignorant. He is an advocate for organic farming and has never researched what could be the benefits of the technology.
I am always open to research that is for or against GMOs. If you have doubts about GM crops, visit the Genetic Literacy Project. There is a lot of useful information there. On the other hand, it's relatively easy to find sites that are anti-GMO. The Non-GMO Project is a good one.
Become well-rounded in what you are presenting to someone. Give sources and facts, not the beliefs that someone has. I shouldn't consider myself the enemy but going into the public health field, I can't help but believe that I am going to be ridiculed for my passion. I just have to grow a thicker skin.
Since I can't find a relevant photo, here's a picture of my dog, Jack, smelling the roses.
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