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Both sides are not presented here in a reasonable fashion, however popular myths GM foods and organic foods are supposedly debunked in this 15 minute clip from their Showtime series, Bullshit.
Nov 9, 2005 5:32 AM
Re: Penn & Teller: Food Scare Tactics
Just for the record, I doubt GM foods are going to make my grandkids develop an additional arm growing out of their foreheads, but we need to be reasonable and certainly more careful about this. GM corn was not supposed to get into the human food chain in the US and was only for animal consumption. In less than a year, there was cross pollenation between strains (no bubble around the fields). And the harvested crops were mixed and stored in the same silos. Unless you get the food police out to every rural farm in the world, you can't control this phenomenon and that's the real scare.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Penn & Teller: Food Scare Tactics
If I have my facts correct, the GM corn “problem” was back in 96 or 97 - I forget now. StarLink corn was never approved for human consumption because the corn produced an unintended protein - which they named "cry 9". This protein was close in structure to a known human allergen. While never approved for human consumption, as vigilante points out, commingling is inevitable in our food system. They could not keep this separated from human consumption corn. (makes you wonder how much feed corn we sheeple are eating in our taco shells!) Massive recalls followed, and cost a LOT of money. Corn growers in the US lost markets to many other countries overnight. It was a serious problem. StarLink provided no benefits to the farmers that I'm aware of. The seed producers made some money, I'm sure.
If there is a scientist out there who can tell us what is going to happen with these genetically altered crops down the road - in say, a hundred generations - then they should run for God - because there is just no way to know.
We are messing with the building blocks of life itself - in a way never seen on this planet - with extremely little knowledge of how it all works. We're just breaking the cusp of understanding the very basics involved here. For these GM crops, no real peer-reviewed testing by third parties has been completed.....
Now they are planting “pharma” crops in the open air in Texas.
Won’t it be a great day for science when little Johnny bites into a piece of fruit or vegetable and hits the ground doing the tuna because he’s having a reaction to medicinal compounds now being made by the plant.
I seem to remember US soldiers being marched out to the desert to watch bombs blow up back in the 40's. They were told not to worry. No problem - you're far enough away....
We now understand, many years after the fact, that there was something to be worried about.
It's the unintended consequences that will burn us in the end!
If there is a scientist out there who can tell us what is going to happen with these genetically altered crops down the road - in say, a hundred generations - then they should run for God - because there is just no way to know.
We are messing with the building blocks of life itself - in a way never seen on this planet - with extremely little knowledge of how it all works. We're just breaking the cusp of understanding the very basics involved here. For these GM crops, no real peer-reviewed testing by third parties has been completed.....
Now they are planting “pharma” crops in the open air in Texas.
Won’t it be a great day for science when little Johnny bites into a piece of fruit or vegetable and hits the ground doing the tuna because he’s having a reaction to medicinal compounds now being made by the plant.
I seem to remember US soldiers being marched out to the desert to watch bombs blow up back in the 40's. They were told not to worry. No problem - you're far enough away....
We now understand, many years after the fact, that there was something to be worried about.
It's the unintended consequences that will burn us in the end!
By: Erich
Re: Penn & Teller: Food Scare Tactics
This could have been handled much better....awfully one-sided editorial, targetting hippies with weak arguments, referring to everyone against GM foods as nuts and 'racists'. Greenpeace guy starts to make a point, then they target a generalized comment he makes regarding testing.
There's a legitimate argument to balance the issue, they could have at least pretended to reflect that-- it would have been that much more convincing. Seems funded by an interest group....
There's a legitimate argument to balance the issue, they could have at least pretended to reflect that-- it would have been that much more convincing. Seems funded by an interest group....
By: JoLolli
Re: Penn & Teller: Food Scare Tactics
I'm thinking it's P&T being P&T. They're likely not so entrenched behind Monsanto as they appear but instead did this bit just to get a rise out of their target audience.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Penn and Teller: Food Scare Tactics
Organic food costs more for having less done to it, whats the deal there. I want my carrots all the same size and plentiful, i dont care if it glows in the dark, its just easier to find. I certainly dont think the starving people in africa really give a shit if the food is GM or not just aslong as they are eating. Once we get these developing nations developed, i think it's at that time when they'll be able to chose whatever they think is right. But for now i'm sure getting a meal in their belly is what they want/need for now. fucking hippies :@
By: D3NIS
Re: Penn and Teller: Food Scare Tactics
So - Africa was never "developed" - right?
It's the birth place of man kind genius.
I bet someone like you who knows so much can help those poor, stupid folks over there figure out how to grow some food, ‘cause they never had to do that before!
We'll save them all with our GM crops!
It's the birth place of man kind genius.
I bet someone like you who knows so much can help those poor, stupid folks over there figure out how to grow some food, ‘cause they never had to do that before!
We'll save them all with our GM crops!
By: Erich
Re: Penn and Teller: Food Scare Tactics
Very unfortunate that Denis Avery, who gets paid a lot of money to constantly bash organics and sustainable agriculture (that’s his paying gig for many years now) was so over represented in this episode, and well spoken informed advocates of organic and other sustainable techniques seemed under-represented.
I look at Penn and Teller like I look at Oprah, or for that matter – Rush Limbaugh. All will start with basic “facts” – take those facts and bend them with other “facts” - mix in testimonial that means little or nothing but bolsters a certain point of view… and before you know it they get their desired effects.
If it’s Penn and Teller – the desired effect is to make one laugh and to fill one with some sense of now knowing the “truth” after being told differently for so long. The big “Ah-Ha” moment where we now know we won’t be duped no more! For Oprah it’s to tug at the heart strings and make us weep - and then make us feel good about ourselves for weeping. For the fat man on drugs (who will outright lie as well as bend the truth) the desired effect is to lead people politically.
In each case – we must all remember – these people are NOT journalists. These people are NOT experts on much of anything in this world. These people are entertainers – they are vying for your entertainment dollars – and they will and do bend the truth in ways to support their positions.
I look at Penn and Teller like I look at Oprah, or for that matter – Rush Limbaugh. All will start with basic “facts” – take those facts and bend them with other “facts” - mix in testimonial that means little or nothing but bolsters a certain point of view… and before you know it they get their desired effects.
If it’s Penn and Teller – the desired effect is to make one laugh and to fill one with some sense of now knowing the “truth” after being told differently for so long. The big “Ah-Ha” moment where we now know we won’t be duped no more! For Oprah it’s to tug at the heart strings and make us weep - and then make us feel good about ourselves for weeping. For the fat man on drugs (who will outright lie as well as bend the truth) the desired effect is to lead people politically.
In each case – we must all remember – these people are NOT journalists. These people are NOT experts on much of anything in this world. These people are entertainers – they are vying for your entertainment dollars – and they will and do bend the truth in ways to support their positions.
By: Erich
