Blake Hallum
Bleck
English 101
May 18, 2010

No GMOs

With the advancements made technology new doors have been opened for new opportunities in several different fields. This website specifically talks about one field that may have an effect on all of us. This one area is the area of GMOs or genetically modified organisms. The equation is simple, scientists mess with animals, animals become our food, so scientists are messing with our food right? This could be a whole new take on the food safety issues that were evident throughout Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle. In the book many characters become and sick due to food that has been mixed with bad meat resulting in many food borne illnesses. After viewing this website it’s easy to wonder if this could be a problem much like the one in The Jungle, is the food we are consuming safe? This website does bring up very valid arguments and it leaves no weapons outside of its attack on this topic. With graphics, stories from other sites, harsh word choice on its opposition, supers, slogans, color schemes, the arguments made are supported not only with some factual information but with strong pull force as well.
Food safety is a very important topic. In Sinclair’s novel The Jungle several characters die from consuming bad foods. The website makes several claims that this could have negative impacts on the consumers when they eat this food. It seems as though this is an issue of corporations becoming greedy and trying to maximize profit with no care on the consequences of their actions. Just like in the novel The Jungle the owners of the meat packing facilities only cared about maximizing profit so no meat was wasted. This resulted in rotting meat being thrown in with the rest. This website makes the claim that they are similar cases as found in the section labeled “Are GMOs Safe?”
The website I decided to use is called say no to GMO’s, their objective is explained in the url, but is continued to be told throughout the entire website. One tool the makers used is the use of bold lettering and supers. At first while looking on the website you see the slogan running on top of the screen ever and over stressing the severity of the issue. Beneath this slogan is a biased collage of powerful words with the biohazard symbol transparent in the background. This trying to tie the two together as you read through the summary of what the website is about. As you scroll down further the page you come across not only more slogans, but more graphics supporting their claim as well.
The website has several links that brings you to different sections throughout the website. Also if you look below there are also several different links that bring you to more specific topics you may be interested in. For example lower on the page there is a link explaining “Ten Reasons Why We Don’t Need GM Foods.” The links are split into categories that organize them into sections to make it easier to find what you are looking for.
The word choice is also something worthy of mentioning. With powerful words such as manipulated, mutated, controversial, and radical this website is definitely trying to paint their opposition in a negative light trying to make them seem careless in their actions. Along with the slogans such as “Say no to GMO,” the website really focuses on making appear as though supporting their cause is the only option. Clearly the websites focus is less on educating you on the whole topic of this issue and more so on explaining their side.
Unfortunately this website does leave big gaps. It is a very scary thought but what really is the truth about GMOs? Upon reviewing many of the links you find that the website generated most of the links as they bring you into adobe reader. One of the main points on one of the articles was we can’t trust the companies that take advantage of the GMOs. Trust is not a convincing point though, trust differs from people, one person can trust something where as another wouldn’t. Many points are vague and ineffective, such as when a point being made was, “there are better ways to feed the earth.” The website focused on no GMO’s is, as most websites are, extremely biased. It focuses on only one side of the issue while not giving any counter arguments or viewpoints. It stays strictly in support of its own main agenda pushing it at you while trying to make you feel there is no possible reason why you would think differently.
GMOs could be very dangerous for us consumers. They are altering our food to maximize profit without really looking to see the possible consequences. The Jungle dealt with food safety issues as well showing consumers what the meat packing facilities were like and told people a story of the greed of the owner’s supplying bad meat. This issue could be one of similar outcome affecting us all with possible health issues. As this website informs us it certainly also warns of the outcomes. It is my hope that people take this issue into account for it could be an action that will have a big difference.

Works Cited
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Norton, 2003
“Say No to GMO” Getting Started. 16 May 2010. http://www.saynotogmos.org/