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♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇
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« on: February 25, 2013, 10:54:32 PM »

I recently did a humorous video about this, but now I want to get this off my chest, just shooting straight. This is copy/pasted from my facebook, but I figured it would make a great discussion here. This was inspired by an argument I got into with some people who spammed Lay's Facebook page with copy/pasted messages 'I choose the non-GMO flavor oh wait there isn't one' . Or, they would post attacks at anybody posting there who said they liked Lay's chips. One true fuckaroo actually compared this woman to Hitler because she said her son didn't like the Sriracha chips...he told her she was a bad mother and might as well have gassed him like 'her hero' Hitler. I about flipped my sh*t when I read that. Anyway, here's my rant, and I'm interested in getting your takes on this.

        **********************************************************

Those protestors speaking out about GMOs and Monsanto have their hearts in the right place, but are going about it completely wrong. Spamming companies' Facebook pages isn't doing anything good...it just makes them look like whack jobs. Those pages aren't read by anybody 'important' in the company...just by somebody probably making minimum wage, working part-time. The thing that makes me ROFLMAO is the fact that they are saying 'X company uses GMOS...boycott. Eat Y instead', when company Y may not be made from genetically modified corn, but contains milk from cows...who have eaten genetically modified corn. I would rather eat organic food, but there are several issues with that. First, the price is prohibitive much of the time. Second...the way food is regulated makes it easy for a company to put on a sticker that says 'organic' when it also contains crap. If you see something that says 'natural flavors' in the ingrediants, run like hell. These 'natural flavors' are just as harmful for you as the artificial ones. Why do you think they aren't identified? Who regulates whether or not something qualifies as a "natural flavor?" Who does inspections at factories and laboratories, or is that left up to the manufacturer, much like the way it's up to vaccine manufacturers to report adverse effects? When the police themselves are crooks, there's no "policing" of the crimes they are committing. In fact, the whole differentiation of GMO & artificial from Natural & Organic has become a murky mess. The line of distinction between foods labeled "all natural" and cancer causing food is not only blurred, it barely exists. Remember...arsenic and cyanide are both natural. So when you buy something that's organic, vegetarian, or vegan, and it has "natural flavoring," you could be eating a pig, cow, turkey, chicken, or lamb which was shot up with growth hormones, fed GMO pesticide-laden corn and grain - probably mixed with other animals of it's same breed, then shot up with antibiotics due to infections and diseases from living in confined quarters on slats covered in feces. Yummy. Protest all you want, but remember that the time you spend protesting against Frito-Lay/Pepsico, just to use that as an example, should be spent protesting against the FDA itself. Wasting time protesting against those companies is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot. I guess it doesn't matter WHAT we eat, because no matter what, we're going to be eating something harmful whether we realize it or not. Guess I'll go eat me some chips and hope for the best. Life's already too short...might as well enjoy it while protesting, folks.
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« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2013, 10:59:33 PM »

I just have trouble with the word organic in that definition anyway (even though I do like organic food). By definition, all food is organic, it's carbon-based!
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« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2013, 11:19:11 PM »

Good point... that is one of the reasons why labeling can be so deceptive.
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« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2013, 01:11:14 PM »

What's stopping people from growing their own produce in their own backyard? Seeds aren't exactly difficult to come by
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« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2013, 01:14:33 PM »

That's what more people should do. Land issues can be a problem in more urban areas though.
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« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2013, 01:34:33 PM »

exactly...

I might be naive, but I see protesting such companies as pointless, because all we have to do (as free market consumers) is stop buying said companies products and they would go belly-up. End of story.
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« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2013, 01:46:56 PM »

exactly...

I might be naive, but I see protesting such companies as pointless, because all we have to do (as free market consumers) is stop buying said companies products and they would go belly-up. End of story.

Not that simple when most people will still be uninformed/won't care about GMOs.

Protesting is good because it gives awareness to people who wouldn't likely know about GMOs (they're not going to hear about Monsanto much on the news). After people get informed, they have to decide whether it's worth the trouble of planting a garden, harvesting, spending more at the butcher, etc. Most people are so heavily ground into the current culture that they won't care.

I agree, protesting on facebook doesn't do much (and most of those people probably still support Monsanto in some way). But it does help make people aware of a problem. Unfortunately, we were all forced into a society that is addicted to cheap food...so I doubt too many will care anyways.
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« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2013, 02:18:03 PM »

Rab otm. Awareness is key.

Heard about the horsemeat thing going on here? Apparently because of incredible deregulation in the industry, coupled with the massive need for el cheapo food, and (the govt thinks) a criminal conspiracy, horsemeat has been finding its way into beef products, from bargain ready meals to IKEA meatballs, and most things inbetween, like school dinners to prison and hospital food.

Now I'm a reasonable man, but I don't really fancy eating horses. I don't even like horses that much alive, let alone being ground into mince and mis-sold to me.

The thing is, who the hell am I supposed to boycott if everyone's at it?  It's a good time to be a butcher, I suppose. But the same is key with GM food - if everyone makes it and sells it, simply saying 'boycott' isn't good enough as there isn't much alternative for some things.

Just thinking out loud tbh.

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« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2013, 02:22:01 PM »

And people wonder why we age faster than in previous generations...
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« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2013, 02:27:25 PM »

Nice rant and well written!
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« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2013, 02:36:49 PM »

The thing is, who the hell am I supposed to boycott if everyone's at it?  It's a good time to be a butcher, I suppose. But the same is key with GM food - if everyone makes it and sells it, simply saying 'boycott' isn't good enough as there isn't much alternative for some things.
There will of course be alternatives if people demand alternatives, producers will pick up on that in an instant.

Most people don't care what's in their food so why should producers? Most people just assume what's sold is not bad (but they probably know it is not that good). Using horse meat instead of cow meat is an act of crime and the ones guilty will therefor be investigated (if they find out who's guilty). I am pretty sure large companies like IKEA (the oldest IKEA in the world is situated 40 minutes from where I live, yes I'm digressing) are now very likely to control the meat they sell meticulously from now on. They can not afford another scandal --> the quality of their meat products will go up. That is the beauty of capitalism - private companies always have to please their customers and they always have to improve due to tougher competition, new technology, change in customer demand and so on. The market will correct itself.

My main point is if it is hard to boycott something it is because people in general are satisfied or don't care. Long story short. Smiley
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« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2013, 02:38:30 PM »

Rab otm. Awareness is key.

Heard about the horsemeat thing going on here? Apparently because of incredible deregulation in the industry, coupled with the massive need for el cheapo food, and (the govt thinks) a criminal conspiracy, horsemeat has been finding its way into beef products, from bargain ready meals to IKEA meatballs, and most things inbetween, like school dinners to prison and hospital food.

Now I'm a reasonable man, but I don't really fancy eating horses. I don't even like horses that much alive, let alone being ground into mince and mis-sold to me.

The thing is, who the hell am I supposed to boycott if everyone's at it?  It's a good time to be a butcher, I suppose. But the same is key with GM food - if everyone makes it and sells it, simply saying 'boycott' isn't good enough as there isn't much alternative for some things.

Just thinking out loud tbh.



Then what we do is support local butchers!

But then if we all support local butchers and all the huge meat outfits go under, do the local butchers form one big corporation where demand skyrockets, as do profits, and then before we know it: in goes the horse-meat?

And Swedish Frog: I hope you're right, but human greed knows no limits no matter what tern you use to describe it.
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« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2013, 02:45:04 PM »

The thing is, who the hell am I supposed to boycott if everyone's at it?  It's a good time to be a butcher, I suppose. But the same is key with GM food - if everyone makes it and sells it, simply saying 'boycott' isn't good enough as there isn't much alternative for some things.
There will of course be alternatives if people demand alternatives, producers will pick up on that in an instant.

Most people don't care what's in their food so why should producers? Most people just assume what's sold is not bad (but they probably know it is not that good). Using horse meat instead of cow meat is an act of crime and the ones guilty will therefor be investigated (if they find out who's guilty). I am pretty sure large companies like IKEA (the oldest IKEA in the world is situated 40 minutes from where I live, yes I'm digressing) are now very likely to control the meat they sell meticulously from now on. They can not afford another scandal --> the quality of their meat products will go up. That is the beauty of capitalism - private companies always have to please their customers and they always have improve due to tougher competition, new technology, change in customer demand and so on. The market will correct itself.

My main point is if it is hard to boycott something it is because people in general are satisfied/or don't care. Long story short. Smiley

I think people do care - the newspapers were up in arms about it for two or three weeks (a long time considering Oscar Pistorius, a resigned pope, someone having a go at Kate Middleton and former Cabinet Ministers resigning, etc),  butchers have reported massive leaps in sales, supermarkets are apparently suffering on the stock market, who knows about their profit margins yet - and I think you give people far too little credit. Just because people eat cheap food doesn't mean they don't care what they're eating! If I get a McDonalds, I'd at least like to think I was eating beef (granted, the shittiest beef known to man, but still, beef). But over here the public furore has been rather strong. Hopefully the govt goes against type on this one and actually regulates something in the public interest.

....We can't avoid the horse, Pinder!
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« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2013, 02:55:35 PM »

If you buy a burger from Burger King you have both "signed" a contract once you have paid for the burger. If BK then hands over a burger of meat that is not the type of meat that was agreed upon they have violated your contractual agreement and that is when the government and the judicial system come into play.

They way I see it.
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« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2013, 02:58:52 PM »

I find it funny that they've been referring to the "Mr. Ed in my meat" product as being "contaminated" ...... So, they're saying that patties formed by the scrap bits of SEVERAL different cows and mashed together and infected by ...... MEAT? ....
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« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2013, 03:06:16 PM »

My main point is if it is hard to boycott something it is because people in general are satisfied or don't care.

Or they're are misinformed/uneducated. My beef (no pun intended heh) with Capitalism is that when your society is dumbed down, the market can only really benefit the smart/rich ones (as America has proven today). We're so susceptible to ridiculous marketing ploys that 'Natural Flavors' sounds healthy to us (and as Billy mentioned above, they're not). We're slaves of the oil companies (you can't just boycott gasoline) and we're destroying our ecosystem because of it.

Humans are short sighted. We're not all well educated. And these factors contribute to why I think the free market doesn't fairly work in todays world.

But I'm just babbling haha
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« Reply #16 on: February 26, 2013, 03:09:47 PM »

I find it funny that they've been referring to the "Mr. Ed in my meat" product as being "contaminated" ...... So, they're saying that patties formed by the scrap bits of SEVERAL different cows and mashed together and infected by ...... MEAT? ....

Well, there is also the risk of horse tranquillisers and other such medication given to these nags but not suitable for humans entering the food chain if you decide to cut a corner or two and throw them in the grinder, as was discovered in France. 
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« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2013, 03:19:11 PM »

My main point is if it is hard to boycott something it is because people in general are satisfied or don't care.

Or they're are misinformed/uneducated. My beef (no pun intended heh) with Capitalism is that when your society is dumbed down, the market can only really benefit the smart/rich ones (as America has proven today). We're so susceptible to ridiculous marketing ploys that 'Natural Flavors' sounds healthy to us (and as Billy mentioned above, they're not). We're slaves of the oil companies (you can't just boycott gasoline) and we're destroying our ecosystem because of it.

Humans are short sighted. We're not all well educated. And these factors contribute to why I think the free market doesn't fairly work in todays world.

But I'm just babbling haha

A society where every single citizen is educated (meaning paying into the university/state system earning degrees) would simply not work, so the uneducated  folk need to have access to the same safeguards as the rest of us.
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« Reply #18 on: February 26, 2013, 03:33:58 PM »

True. One thing... what is 'well educated'? The only reason why I don't have my college degree is because my degree plan changed without me knowing, so my last year I took a year's worth of 'worthless' courses as they didn't count towards my degree; my grant was revoked as a result. I have worked with college grads who were as dumb as a rotten turnip. But...that's a rant for a different time!
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« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2013, 03:35:01 PM »

My main point is if it is hard to boycott something it is because people in general are satisfied or don't care.

Or they're are misinformed/uneducated. My beef (no pun intended heh) with Capitalism is that when your society is dumbed down, the market can only really benefit the smart/rich ones (as America has proven today). We're so susceptible to ridiculous marketing ploys that 'Natural Flavors' sounds healthy to us (and as Billy mentioned above, they're not). We're slaves of the oil companies (you can't just boycott gasoline) and we're destroying our ecosystem because of it.

Humans are short sighted. We're not all well educated. And these factors contribute to why I think the free market doesn't fairly work in todays world.

But I'm just babbling haha

A society where every single citizen is educated (meaning paying into the university/state system earning degrees) would simply not work, so the uneducated  folk need to have access to the same safeguards as the rest of us.

In this day and age NO ONE needs to go to a university to get educated (we have free libraries and the internet). But people don't because they're lazy/don't see the point in education if they're seemingly happy. And a lot of people who do go to universities go just to get a fatter paycheck.

I mean educated in the sense that it's actually productive to our survival as a species. Eating genetically modified food, breathing in car fumes, not giving a damn about changing our habits to keep our natural world protected - most college graduates don't give a hoot about this stuff.

The current free market is run by billionaires betting on people's ignorance.

Again, I'm not really making a solid point here, just babbling.
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« Reply #20 on: February 26, 2013, 03:51:45 PM »

Actually I consider that a damn solid point
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« Reply #21 on: February 26, 2013, 04:12:07 PM »

Actually I consider that a damn solid point

My point about "educated" was, people with advanced degrees or even a degree who would never consider working an industrial or retail or food service job.... Of course being from  rich families usually  has a lot to do with this.... I'm talking about all the lawyers and computer tech people we produce here in this country.... I didn't mean "smart" by any stretch of the word.
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« Reply #22 on: February 26, 2013, 04:29:53 PM »

I kind of figured. I have seen an increase of people with BAs waiting tables, which is scary for someone who is still job hunting...gah...something's gotta change
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« Reply #23 on: February 26, 2013, 04:32:52 PM »

I kind of figured. I have seen an increase of people with BAs waiting tables, which is scary for someone who is still job hunting

Or maybe it's a good thing.... Smarter people doing such jobs will only increase the quality of those jobs therefore forcing up up-kick in wages for such jobs? Or am I just dreaming. Then again, just about every single job conceivable requires intelligence.... If even just to navigate all the managerial subterfuge.
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« Reply #24 on: February 26, 2013, 04:43:03 PM »

Actually I consider that a damn solid point

My point about "educated" was, people with advanced degrees or even a degree who would never consider working an industrial or retail or food service job.... Of course being from  rich families usually  has a lot to do with this.... I'm talking about all the lawyers and computer tech people we produce here in this country.... I didn't mean "smart" by any stretch of the word.

I guess I'm missing what your definition of educated has to do with my initial point.
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