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1. wow, the academia article is very disturbing. I am a graduate school dropout myself. I was in a slightly different system, where I had a M.S. already, and entered a prestigious Ph.D. program after finishing the M.S. My advisor was a pretty decent guy, never yelling, etc, and we were relatively well funded, but my advisor never seemed interested in my graduating. I did have a good friend who was treated poorly by her advisor. She switched programs and finished 10 years after she started, while I left. One thing that was drilled into me was the idea that there is no career as noble and worthwhile as academia. Yuck. And I am a plant scientist, so I even worked for Monsanto for a while, and they are not the great evil they are portrayed to be.

   • I am most certainly not a scientist, although I am familiar with a lot of basic science and terminology – it’s what happens when one grows up in a home surrounded by serious people with Ph.D.’s in all kinds of scientific disciplines who talk to everyone, even children, as if they also have a Ph.D. in science.

     At any rate, the issue of GMOs and Monsanto’s activities is way beyond my knowledge level. Instead, I see Monsanto as emblematic of all of the mega-companies that are increasingly tinkering with our food and seeking to control the kind of food that’s widely available on the market. I hold to the belief (myth, perhaps?) that power of that sort in the hands of any corporation or private entity is generally not a good thing for society. You’re right that this goes way beyond Monsanto; I tend to believe that it has much more to do with our cultural emphasis on profit as the ultimate goal. Because I feel this way, I choose not to support such companies to the best of my ability.

2. Are you sure? I did research on the company during my legal studies and found that there is absolutely nothing positive nor ethical about what they do. A lot of short-term thinking, quick fixes, without any regard for the consequences in the long term.

   Europeans are right in doing everything to resist the company’s huge lobbying power

   • I knew I would get pushback for saying this, and I stand by what I say. the real problem with our food supply is the whole agricultural system, and the farm bill that supports it and keeps it going. The anger towards Monsanto is based largely on misinformation. As for ‘quick fixes’, there are none in science. any new technology takes years to develop. Farmers love Monsanto here in the midwestern US, and are clamoring for their technology. If we want to fix things, we have to change agriculture altogether. If you eat real food, if fruits and veg are the main part of your diet, then you can largely avoid gmos.

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