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Last week a reader left a comment to my post about a less-than-forthcoming marketing campaign from McDonald's, wondering "how do [we] fight with these [mega corporations] when they have blessings from our leaders?"Unfortunately, I agree that the odds and dollars are stacked against us, but that doesn't mean we can't—or shouldn't—make our voices heard. If anyone doubts the power of the people, witness what's happened in the last year in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, etc. Who would have guessed 18 months ago that a generation of henchmen (some of them murdering henchmen) would be discussed in the past tense?
Comparing companies like McDonald's and Monsanto with despotic regimes may be severe (some wouldn't think it so crazy), but it doesn't mean that we should sit quietly while our food supply and society's collective health are dictated by their policies.
Our voices need to be heard. Emails and phone calls to companies and elected officials make a difference. It is up to each one of us—especially people reading and understanding the reason for this blog—to write these emails and make these phone calls. Furthermore, share your knowledge with friends. Knowledge is power and anathema to the mega corporations' goal of keeping the public in the dark about the true workings of our food supply.
The numbers mushroom quickly; just look at the momentum the Just Label It! campaign has created in the movement to have foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) labeled as such. When the program started in the fall, I doubt the organizers thought over 600,000 Americans would sign the online petition to the Food and Drug Administration in less than six months. The goal now is one million.
I know this message isn't novel, but if we—individually and collectively—want a better world, we—individually and collectively—need to do something about it. We cannot and should not expect others to act; if we do, those others may be the people making the decisions at McDonald's and Monsanto.
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2 comments:
No, this is not enough. Did you watch Food Inc and Earthling? It sends chills down the spine. How can we tolerate a megacorp controlling our food supply? How can we let our leaders (?) do that? Why elite newscorps are quite about it? Every American needs to think over this issue than immigration or jobs, although immigration and jobs looks like more burning issues (in short term) than who is controlling your food supply. Every American needs to make their voice heard through a vote.
Noel,
I completely agree. Why The New York Times, Washington Post, etc. haven't done an expose on Monsanto is shocking and telling. Someone would win a Pulitzer and/or end up in a ditch.
We all need to act, but an email or phone call for some people is a major step. Even these emails or phone calls are helpful and could lead to more involvement. But that first step is important.
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