So in my last blog post I got a *gasp!* SPAM posting from Donny regarding the recent news that the government and the FDA wants to start irradiating our food. Thanks, Donny :)
This is actually a very important topic. I had seen the news about this when it first came out, and it just made me shudder in disbelief. I mentioned this to my mom, who asked me what the concern was. WTF?!? Just the concept of radiation on our food should be enough to make anyone immediately want to go outside, dig up their grass and plant a lettuce and spinach garden. The thing with my mom is that she has the viewpoint that all authorities are right until proven wrong. Is this a generational thing? Because with all the fuck-ups that the government has had since I've been alive, the burden of proof should be on them. That is, they are WRONG unless proven they're doing something right. I think a large part of this comes from the fact that they have been ignoring science for so long, to the great detriment of our environment and the health of people, and for the benefit of corporate interests.
Anyway, back to lettuce. Irradiating our lettuce would reduce the nutritional value of it to zero. Zapping the lettuce (and anything else) not only kills all the bugs that they want to kill, but the enzymes and nutrients in the food itself. I don't know about you, but eating dead lettuce sounds like a waste of time to me, sort of like eating iceberg lettuce. I kid, I kid... sort of. I only go for the romaine or the leafy green or red lettuces or the cool multi-colored lettuces that show up at the farmer's market. But the reason we eat lettuce in the first place is to intake all the wonderful nutrients in it that actually prevent cancer and keep us healthy. Eating lettuce without all that stuff in it would be like eating cardboard. No benefits except for massive amounts of fiber. So why does the government want us eating dead food? Maybe they actually don't want us to be healthy, so they can keep their friends, the pharmaceutical companies, rolling in dough (that is subsequently passed back to them, in the form of campaign dollars). Instead of irradiating our food, it would be best to to adopt practices that prevent the food from being contaminated by things in the first place. It is possible, you know!
What this issue and numerous others are only serving to do is to show us that we, the people, need to take power back into our hands. Grow your own organic garden (and eat the resulting non-irradiated food). If you don't have a green thumb, the next best thing is to shop at your local farmer's market or get Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes.
What a scary issue. So go on, buy those lettuce seeds and get out into the dirt.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I've thought about that same generational difference myself and this is my conclusion:
Our parents are the children of giants. The New Deal generation worked hard to bootstrap the nation out of poverty and the World War II generation fought, bled, died, and came home wounded to build and bequeath the world's wealthiest economy to our parents, the Baby Boomers. Then in 30 short years, the Baby Boomers managed to dismantle the American Empire by unplugging the public from the process of government in favor of lobbyists and moneyed interests.
For a Baby Boomer to admit that government is broken when before it worked so well for them, that the FDA would allow the sale of dead, poisoned food to families is to admit that they failed, that they dishonor the legacy of their own parents and grandparents. It would be an admission that all the sacrifice and hard work and sweat and dying by their elders has been for nothing and that the American Empire has been dismantled... on their watch. The guilt must be tremendous.
I think individually our parents worked hard to earn their living and make the world a better place for their children, but collectively it's been a disaster and they know it.
That's why a rational Baby Boomer can have it explained to them the FDA is about to allow the sale of radioactive, nutrient-deficient food and be okay with it. There are many reasons for the Baby Boomer generation to be in denial, but probably the hardest thing for any one of them would be to look their children in the eye and say "We had it all and we lost it and I am sorry."
Our parents are proud to be Americans. Generations X and Y are ashamed of it. As it was in the 1870's and the 1930's, todays young adults and their children inherit a nation that needs to be rebuilt.
Well, technically you're already eating dead lettuce. ;) And irradiating food is totally approved and used every day already. That article was a quite a bit misinformed in that it makes it appear that they're STARTING with spinach and greens. It's been used on fruits, veggies, meats, grains for many many years. The only way to avoid it is to buy organic, really.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/tauxe.htm
I can see where irradiation SOUNDS like a good idea, on the face of it. Why take a chance - let's make sure that produce isn't going to make anyone sick! But if the food also isn't going to make people healthy, what's the point of eating it??
Post a Comment