(cartoons from www.cartoonstock.com)
I have always had a hard time with man thinking that he can manipulate living, breathing things to his liking. It doesn't seem natural to me when man messes with the breeding of animals much less the splicing of genes among species. I realize that there are definitely some beneficial things that can come of it, but it still worries me. There are people out there who say that messing with the genes of plants and animals puts us on a slippery slope, and I tend to agree. It is hard to know what exactly our bodies were made for, why they were made the way they were, and what would happen if we were to alter that. The same goes for all living creatures. I first began to worry after reading Ozeki's book since that was the first I had really heard of the genetic mutating that we were doing to plants.
Then came the movie- The Future of Food, and I really began to worry and wonder at what we as a society are doing to ourselves. It is really scary to think that what we are doing in terms of scientific research and genetic manipulation could in fact be the end of us. I think what surprises me the most about the practice of this type of research is the near-sightedness of those who are performing the research. As an outsider it seems easy to think of the big questions- what is this doing to the beings we are mutating, what is this doing to their surroundings, and what is this going to do to us in the long run.
I pray that the scientists and the corporations who are funding this research are perusing these same questions, but I can't help but be cynical and think that money wins and will always win out in the end. If something turns a profit, then it must be right!! After reading the essay about the Dutch cows, it actually worries me more to know that this is more of a global issue than I would have hoped for. At least if it were constrained to one continent our outlook would be a bit more cheery. I was rather impressed by the ad campaigns that the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals ran. The boldness of the image is really disturbing, which is what they were going for. Perhaps we need the slap in the face that the mutation and grotesqueness of the human body that has undergone genetic manipulation in order to see what we are doing to the world.
As the article suggested, the type of genetic manipulation we are seeing reeks of the "blond hair, blue eyes" ideal of Nazi Germany. Are we at a point where everyone or everything has to be exactly as we want it? What kind of a world is that, and what kind of people are we if we allow such things to take place? There is a difference between actually doing something for the good of the world and doing something just because we can. I am afraid that man is more interested with the latter choice.
All in all it is a very touchy subject. I applaud the people who are bringing it to the forefront. It is so important to bring more awareness to this subject. As I have said before, the vast majority of the population have very little, if any, knowledge about what happens to their food, where their food comes from, and how it affects them. I hope that we all help to spread the word, get people into the loop, and protect not only ourselves, but all the living things around us as well.
