Chanting “Hell No, GMO,” a fleet of health concerned consumers gathered outside the St. Petersburg city hall around noon, on Saturday, Oct. 12.
They carried signs slathered with words of social distrust, like “DEMONSANTO” and “Save the Earth from Seeds of Satan.”
The Monsanto Company, Inc. is an American-based multinational chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, founded in 1901. It’s also what motivated these residents to march.
The genesis of genetically modified organisms did not sprout from Monsanto # that began with the landmark 1979 case, Diamond vs. Chakrabarty, which resulted in a law stating “Natural laws, physical phenomenon, abstract ideas, or newly discovered materials are not patentable, only a live, artificially-engineered organism is.”
Monsanto has since taken this law and ran, patenting more than 11,000 genetically modified “plants” and making it clear it wants to be the only cooks in the business, having absorbed dozens of company buyouts.
The proposed problem with Monsanto is not entirely within its plethora of products that go tested inadequately and end up on our market shelves.
Many Americans view it as an “untrustworthy” company.
Part of this distrust comes from “Monsanto’s Revolving Door,” a euphemism for the extreme overlap between people that hold positions in agencies such as the FDA, EPA, USDA, American Cancer Association, U. S. Supreme Court, who also hold positions at Monsanto, either previously or concurrently.
The knowledge that the same people who are approving the consumerism of Monsanto products can also be found on Monsanto’s payroll unnerved many of the people at the march.
“I am concerned that there will be a complete takeover of genetics,” Sam, an Eckerd College student and marcher, said.
Monsanto’s history involves the invention and manufacturing of the herbicidal war chemical Agent Orange, used in Vietnam. It is also responsible for the direct poisoning and pollution of an entire town in Alabama.
From 1921 until 1971, polychlorinated biphenyls were produced and dumped into the ground and waterways of Anniston, Alabama. The result: widespread exposure to this poison by the townsfolk, leading to a community-wide development of extreme health issues.
By the thousands, the people of Anniston began to develop various types of cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, failing respiratory and immune systems and countless other health problems. Since consuming these chemicals for roughly 60 years, the general health of this community is in shambles.
Monsanto and the state of Alabama attempted to cover up the entire ordeal, and after various class action lawsuits and an eventual $700 million settlement with the people of Anniston, the citizens are still left to deal with contaminated soil and crippling medical expenses.
The immense passion held by those involved with the March Against Monsanto could be felt easily. This group is trying to educate their fellow citizens about a corporate giant that has a stronger foothold in our everyday life than many people realize.
Monsanto is a threat to American society because its inadequately tested products go onto our shelves. It also has a crippling amount of power over our government due to the people it employs, and the economic leverage it has over many politicians.
Students from Eckerd College stated as a group “Our generation is the first to be completely exposed to genetically modified products, and we are concerned about the development of humans that will surely come out of that.”
The questions began with “Wait, what’s in our food?” and now seem to be ending with “Wait, what else are they not telling us?”
Social awareness is growing within our generation, and exposing corporate giants and their deceits may be the starting point to true progression in America.
I’ll leave you with the knowledge that genetically modified foods are restricted from the cafeterias at Monsanto headquarters.
Taylor Austin is a junior majoring in history and the photo editor. She can be reached tayloraustin@mail.usf.edu.
View from the Nest columns report on newsworthy issues in the community from a staff member or contributor’s point of view.
