Neil deGrasse Tyson Tells GMO Critics to "Chill Out"

[shireen]

150. the issue is more nuanced than that

Science also teaches critical thinking. It's given me the need to understand why something works. Unfortunately, it does not give me the time to delve into it.

If the science is so solid, why are many people anti-GMO? Scientists have done a poor job in explaining why they think GMOs are harmless. Fear-mongers have taken advantage of the situation to make the public afraid of GMOs--once that seed is planted, it's hard to shake off. Our education system has failed in giving the general public a basic foundation in the sciences needed to understand complex scientific issues and to think critically.

When it comes to medical and food safety, things that directly affect our well-being, we feel compelled to act with an abundance of caution. Science and corporate interests (big pharma, big agriculture) can be tightly intertwined in areas of high economic value. Therefore, it's natural to be suspicious, especially when it comes to something as profound as manipulating the code of life.

Be empathetic; see the world through the eyes of anti-GMO'ers. Ask them detailed questions about their fears. Figure out where it's coming from, and try to address it in clear technical non-condescending terms. Gain their trust.

Personally speaking, I have questions about GMOs and not understand it makes me uncomfortable. Therefore, I'm mildly biased towards buying non-GMO products. But the issue never enters my mind when I'm out food-shopping because I pick stores that adopt sustainability practices that are important to me. Those same stores happen to only sell non-GMO products. But if i see a product elsewhere that I really like, that contains GMOs, I'll buy it.