This is not a post for or against GMOs, it is simply my observations of the people within the anti-GMO cause.
On a regular basis, anti-GMO folks dismiss scientists who support biotech by saying they’re paid to support it, assuming people will readily sell out humanity for a simple paycheck. But there are things MUCH stronger than a paycheck to keep peoples’ biases strong. Life purpose. Friendship. Community. Social bonds.
I realized this when a friend (ex friend) was attacking me viciously for not simply taking his wife’s word that GMOs are 100% evil. At one point he said, “This is her life. She’s dedicated her life to this for the last 10 years.”
Imagine ten years of dedication to a cause, ten years of fighting on one side of an issue, ten years of identifying herself with this cause. Is there any amount of information, any amount of scientific evidence, any amount of truth, that could make her say, “oops, my bad, what I considered to be the foundation of my existence has been wrong all along, let’s have a beer?” No. And not for her husband, either. It is extremely difficult to leave a cult, especially a cult of ideas that rewards your continued loyalty and punishes dissent.
And that is why these “friends” called me a flip flopper, criticized me for changing my mind on GMOs. Because it’s inconceivable to them to change their minds on something so central to their life’s purpose. They are so embedded in the cause, they will actually honor closed-minded obstinacy and attack open-mindedness as being “pigheaded.”
It is called Cognitive Bias, and it is MUCH stronger than any salary.
When people talk about “drinking the Kool Aid,” take a look at who’s saying it, what their motivation is, how deep they are, and how difficult it would be for them to accept information that disagrees with their very core being.
The result of a pro-GMO scientist changing her mind: a career change.
The result of an anti-GMO activist changing her mind: loss of friends, loss of life purpose, loss of social bonds, loss of the uplifting feeling that she’s helping those in need of saving, personal attacks, personal threats, even loss of income…
If you consider which side has the most to gain by pushing their side, you would have to conclude the anti-GMO folks have much more incentive to be biased, to lie for their cause, especially to themselves.
The upsides of anti-GMO, friendships, community, social bonds, etc. versus the perceived negative results of anti-GMO, corporate profits might go down, make it easy to choose anti-GMO, yes? I mean, even if you’re wrong, you’re still fighting against faceless corporations with faceless rich old white men who must be evil. Being anti-GMO is the easy way to go. The benefits are high, much higher than a salary. And all you have to do is pass on what others provide you, carry the party line, never question, follow the crowd, close your mind, repress any information that might dent your obedience.
From my experience of moving from blind anti-GMO, to open-minded investigation, to not being anti-GMO has cost me quite a bit, with my situation even being used as a warning to others to “watch out” about possibly changing their minds. But here’s the reality. These ex-friends were never my friends in the first place. Friends don’t dump friends over scientific disagreements. And they may not be YOUR friends, either, any more than the people at church who would exile you forever if you left their faith are your friends.
If you’ve read this far without screaming and calling me a Monsanto mouthpiece, then you’re wondering, I bet, about your friendships. Try this. Say to each of them, “I’ve been looking at the studies and I’m leaning towards supporting GMOs.” See what happens. If they remain friends, good for you. If not, they were never your friends in the first place and you’re better off without “friends” who only use you to further their cause.