The documentary “World According to Monsanto” is certainly a thought-provoking one. I will admit that I was familiar with a lot of the controversy surrounding the company and it still bothers me to hear it again. My biggest dilemma with Monsanto's actions is the false advertising, hiding life-changing information, and risking the health and lives of their consumers. Overall, this seems to be a bad business move. When one thinks about it ethically and logically, you might say that it doesn't make sense for a company to still be such a huge player in the business when all they have done is lie and attempt to buy others off. If I witnessed a bad business move on the scale that Monsanto has pulled off, I would say that those people are not worth my money and business. If enough people feel similarly – and we really should have vaguely the same moral, ethical code when it comes to what a lie can be defined as – then wouldn't Monsanto fail? A simple Google search – much like was shown in the documentary – reveals a long list of dirty laundry for the company. Dozens of articles talk about how to boycott the company, and an application has even been developed that will scan barcodes in grocery stores to allow buyers to see whether or not the product contains genetically modified organisms. It's easy to see how dedicated many people have become to the cause of being Monsanto crash and burn. But I wonder – is it really that easy?
I had a conversation with a close friend after finishing the documentary, and we were genuinely curious about how dedicated a person, let alone an entirely family, would have to be in order to truly boycott and make a difference. We played with the idea of actually trying to buy and eat organically for a year, purely from a journalistic perspective. Is it as easy as people believe it to be? With many issues today, we tend to get information and get instantaneously fired up and jump headfirst into educating others and advocating change. People as a whole tend to allow their emotions to get the best of them, and it's easier today when we can manipulate those emotions with videos and easily share them on social media. Take for example a video that recently went viral of a 12-year-old girl speaking out about being pro-life. I personally think this was a bold move, whether it was the girl's idea or their parents', because people are likely more willing to allow their emotions to guide them when a cute, smiling child is telling them a story as opposed to a politician or other adult public figure. The point that I am trying to make is that we need to take a deep breath and take the time and effort to do additional reading and research when we come across a story or information that gets us emotional. We should be seeking knowledge first and foremost. When we have reasonable cause to agree with what has been found, we should then become involved in actively making a change in our lives and the lives of others around us. As part of that process, we educate and advocate change. So often I see people, especially my age, see a single video or article and get very interested in a topic or issue – but for a very short time. It's almost a flavour of the week thing, and that is why I am doubtful that the sheer number of people who have publicly declared on social media their decision to boycott Monsanto products and companies will make a noticeable difference. People invest too much energy and emotion into issues initially and they burn-out quickly. We only have a very limited caring capacity, so when the next thing pulls on our heartstrings, we embrace it. We let it take over. It's a cycle that we need to break out of if we really want to make a difference in our world.
Generally speaking, I think people have good ideas and it is by no means wrong to care about the damage Monsanto has been doing for decades. As I mentioned early on, I myself am angered that this is how the American government acts when such a glaring hole is burning in their business practices. People are paying for the negative effects that Monsanto's products have on our health, and because they have such a presence in the market and make such a profit, they can keep their heads above the water. I feel powerless in this fight because everything in me tells me that what they are doing and what is happening is wrong, but I don't see how it can be changed at this point. I don't have an answer.
Have you ever boycott a product or company? Are you the exception to my "get on fire for this thing, ditch this thing a week later" theory?
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