Darn you Genetics!
Nov 27th, 2011 by sarahkeller
I’m put this piece in the Eugenics section because of the genetic modification idea, even if it doesn’t fit completely. It’s another rushed bit of writing, but the films for it were really interesting! Twas one of those end of semester times when I was trying to write three papers at once. It’s technically a sociology paper – but like I said in the “epiphany” part of this blog, most fields of study can fall under the study of the history of science.
A Film Review Assignment
When Canada began to genetically modify its food, the general population was never told beforehand, like in the 1960’s when Canada began to use chemical insecticides. Both were suddenly used with no warning from the government or on packaging, and both the chemical insecticides and the genetically modified foods were never tested to see if they were harmful to humans before they were utilized throughout Canada. That lack of testing before making changes to what people eat is the topic of “Seeds of Change” Likewise, restaurants did not know of the genetic modifications, as the foods could still be made into the same dishes and tasted to same as the non-genetically modified foods. This control over people’s foods through chemical pesticides and genetically modified foods makes Vancouver Chef, John Bishop, worry about what he was feeding his customers. He goes to find out about genetically modified foods in the film, “Deconstructing Supper.” But it’s not chefs who truly have to worry. Genetically modified plants are overtaking organic farms and the genetically modified plants are immune to herbicides. This lack of control is also researched in “Deconstructing supper.”
When Peter Schmeiser, a Canadian canola farmer has no choice but to have “Round Up Ready” brand canola on his originally organic canola farm, it is proof that whoever controls the seed supply controls the food supply. As he cannot get the pesticide resistant plants off of his land, he is obligated to pay for the Round Up Ready. As this happens to more and more farmers without them even knowing it, farmers have no control over their crops, or their future crops, as once they have Round Up Ready canola plants on their land, it is near impossible to stop growing them without destroying the soil of the land that the farmers have worked so hard to tend. The seed companies only being responsible to shareholders is prevalent in “Seeds of Change,” by the fact that the number of farmers are dwindling and the seed companies like Monsanto are not taking responsibility for this dwindling of farmers, even if it is their fault for genetically modifying plants enough that the weeds became resistant to what was supposed to kill off weeds in the original products – like Round Up Ready.
In “Deconstructing Supper” is it easy to interpret that by creating its own standards for safety, Monsanto has ruined the lives of many farmers for a large profit. By the letting the genetically modified food companies create their own standards for safety, the government of Canada is letting the companies potentially tamper with the health of Canadian citizens. New super-weeds worse than those resistant to the pesticides in Round Up Ready could be created very easily if scientists are not careful. Plus, organic crops will inevitably go extinct. What will need to be focused of in these safely regulations is keeping biodiversity, because without biodiversity seeds cannot become resistant to natural forces without being genetically modified to be that way. Based on what Happened with Round Up Ready, there could be cycle of genetically modified plants and super weeds beating each other out, not allowing enough food to be produced for Canadians.
“Deconstructing Supper,” shares a few kinds of agricultural knowledge, including that about Bio-technology in which genes from animals and other plants are implanted into the genes of plant seeds to produce a better crop with the healthy attributes from those genes. According to the film, this can even make a plant healthier as extra supplements can be added to it to make it more vitamin rich. On the less technological side of farming is that which is in India which depends on biodiversity, so seeds are traded so that crops are healthy. There is also organic fertilizer yielding good crops. If land is depleted there is a follow year – a method used since medieval times. In India some plants also considered weeds are eaten, so it doesn’t matter if a few of them happen to grow in a crop. In “seeds of change “, the main agricultural knowledge that farmers have is passed down from generation to generation. That can be said with the Indian people of the other film as well, but the Indian people don’t have to worry as much about that knowledge going to waste – yet.