Frankenfood is better than no food

Inquirer.net's layout sucks. They like to have a big headline on top and a photo right under it, which would be normal if not for the fact that the headline and the photo are usually unrelated. This is what I saw there earlier today.

Hmm, interesting. So we have an article telling us that 19% of Filipinos are living in extreme poverty. But right below the headline, we have a bunch of Greenpeace activists protesting against genetically modified rice while dressed as turds.

I've called Greenpeace activists idiots before, and I'll do it again. These idiots love publicity stunts. Dress up in silly costumes, carry big signs, and scream anti-GMO slogans--how fun! But if you walk up to them and ask them to explain why GMOs are bad, chances are they won't be able to come up with logical answers. Instead, they'll just throw around misleading "scare" words like "contamination." They also like to make general accusations that are unsupported by any evidence. Genetic engineering is evil! GMOs contaminate the environment! GM food is Frankenfood--it's not safe! Ooh, so scary!

Bullshit. There is no scientific evidence that GM food poses any significant health risks. But fearmongers like Greenpeace seem to have no qualms about spreading misinformation to promote their agenda. The situation isn't helped by lazy journalists who parrot Greenpeace press releases without checking the facts. And the poor public ends up scared shitless. Oh no! GM food sounds so scary! We've got to ban it!

Of course, as with any new technology, some of the safety concerns here may be valid. But the solution is to do more research and testing. It makes no sense to throw away all the benefits of genetic engineering just because a bunch of idiots are irrationally afraid of scientific progress. That's right, Greenpeace. Genetic engineering actually has benefits! Scientists don't genetically modify stuff just for the heck of it, you know. They do so to produce crops with higher yield, more nutrients, and better resistance to diseases.

In Third World countries where many people go hungry everyday, GM crops can potentially save and improve millions of lives. An example would be golden rice, which is genetically modified to biosynthesize beta-carotene. It would be good for a country like the Philippines, where Vitamin A deficiency is a prevalent health problem.

But Greenpeace activists don't want that, and I can't understand why. Maybe they're a front for the organic food industry. Or maybe they're just well-meaning dummies brainwashed by evil Greenpeace overlords. Whatever their motives are, it's clear that they're doing more harm than good.

Someone please remind these idiots that, for starving people, Frankenfood is better than no food.