Author Topic: Dumbest Protest Signs  (Read 1090519 times)

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Offline Auri-El

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #240 on: April 13, 2012, 11:35:15 pm »
Isn't genetically modified food just a sped-up version of selective breeding?

Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #241 on: April 13, 2012, 11:47:09 pm »
Basically. The bit where it becomes a problem is where you have GMO crops that are genetically modified to have dud seeds, forcing farmers to buy new seeds every year, which is expensive. Also they can mess up weeds, because GMO crops are often resistant to pesticide (which allows farmers to use more, which is bad) and then cross-pollination causes the weeds to also be resistant, which means you have to modify the crops again or use more pesticide. That's when it's bad.

Good things: rice that has Vitamin A and other nutrients so that people can have nutritious food in poor countries, crops that yield more which means more food for everyone, vaccinations in the form of food, and all other sorts of things. The idea of "frankenfood" is bullshit - however, GMO crops have upsides and downsides.

Offline Osama bin Bambi

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #242 on: April 13, 2012, 11:56:07 pm »
Another problem is that the GMO crops can become too homogenized, which makes them an easy target for an advanced pest or biological weapon.
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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #243 on: April 14, 2012, 12:41:58 am »
Yeah, the genetic weakness is a major problem for GM food. (But then again, the same thing can be said about maize since it can't seed itself without intervention.) It's why you need to develop heterogeneous kinds of crops. But it's absurd that people want to ban them for largely unscientific reason.
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Offline The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #244 on: April 14, 2012, 04:15:21 am »
GM food is hardly without its issues. Unfortunately, the issues that anti-GM activists whine about are not the issues that actually exist.
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Offline e13

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #245 on: April 14, 2012, 09:26:22 am »
GM food is hardly without its issues. Unfortunately, the issues that anti-GM activists whine about are not the issues that actually exist.
Well, the real issues are something that can be worked with and planned around, thus keeping GM foods on the market. We can't have that!  ::)

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Offline RavynousHunter

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #246 on: April 14, 2012, 10:49:32 pm »
I don't really have a problem with people knowing whether or not the food they eat is genetically modified. My issue is with the bullshit misinformation being spread around, making this sound like creepy "frankenfood" rather than what it really is, and turning "genetically modified" into the equivalent of "toxic death food of doom that will turn your child into a mutant". Simply labeling it isn't giving people the chance to make an informed decision -- it's merely scaring them with the unknown.

But...science is scary!

Also, you're a woman, so, uh...why tha hell aren't you in the kitchen?  [/asshole]
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Offline Cataclysm

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #247 on: April 14, 2012, 11:44:40 pm »

Well, anti-GMO sentiment can come from the left or the libertarian/conspiracy theorist right. As far as I'm concerned, since there's no proven health danger from eating GMO food, companies shouldn't be forced to distinguish it from non-GMO crops. They can if they want to, but it's not something that needs to be mandated. If a consumer wants to know for sure, they can do their own research or maybe just ask the company themselves.

A libertarian probably wouldn't want mandates on foods, and would probably say it's the government that is doing it and we should let businesses do what they want. I don't necessarily have a problem with GM crops being labeled.

Shows a lot when SPUSA's platform calls to make GMOs illegal.

Isn't genetically modified food just a sped-up version of selective breeding?

Not really. A strawberry is never going to have pig genes no matter how much you breed it.
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Offline MadCatTLX

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #248 on: April 15, 2012, 12:37:06 am »

Well, anti-GMO sentiment can come from the left or the libertarian/conspiracy theorist right. As far as I'm concerned, since there's no proven health danger from eating GMO food, companies shouldn't be forced to distinguish it from non-GMO crops. They can if they want to, but it's not something that needs to be mandated. If a consumer wants to know for sure, they can do their own research or maybe just ask the company themselves.

A libertarian probably wouldn't want mandates on foods, and would probably say it's the government that is doing it and we should let businesses do what they want. I don't necessarily have a problem with GM crops being labeled.

Shows a lot when SPUSA's platform calls to make GMOs illegal.

Isn't genetically modified food just a sped-up version of selective breeding?

Not really. A strawberry is never going to have pig genes no matter how much you breed it.

I have to ask, why the hell does a strawberry need pig genes?
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Offline RavynousHunter

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #249 on: April 15, 2012, 12:51:46 am »
To make it taste like bacon?
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Offline The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #250 on: April 15, 2012, 01:03:34 am »
You insert a set of genes for a certain property, to give the crops an advantage. If animal X happens to have genes for this property (say, thriving in drought conditions), you splice those with your crops. Think of how the genes from certain types of bacteria have been used to make glowing fish and whatnot -- it's the same thing, but with practical results. It's not like they're making a true plant-pig hybrid (although bacon-flavoured veggies would rule), just using a small number of pig genes.

The actually process is way more complicated than I'm making it sound, but that's the gist.
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Offline RavynousHunter

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #251 on: April 15, 2012, 01:49:18 am »
Wait a minute...glowing fish isn't a practical use of gene modification technology?  Imagine the raves you could have with an aquarium full of those bastards!
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Offline SpaceProg

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #252 on: April 15, 2012, 01:52:42 am »
I know Japan has fun with them glowing fish critters.   Trippy!

Offline StallChaser

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #253 on: April 15, 2012, 02:52:55 am »
Wait a minute...glowing fish isn't a practical use of gene modification technology?  Imagine the raves you could have with an aquarium full of those bastards!

I think tying them on strings and spinning them would be animal cruelty, so there's still a need for regular glowsticks.

Offline nickiknack

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Re: Dumbest Protest Signs
« Reply #254 on: April 15, 2012, 11:21:36 pm »