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The Danger Of A Single Story By Adichie Analysis

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The Perceptions of GMOs With technological advancements in food processing, Genetic Modified Organisms (GMOs) have become encapsulated in the food of millions of Americans. GMOs have been a topic of concern over the last few years due to consumers leaning towards “natural” products (Shen). It has been said by numerous individuals that the various GMOs embedded in the food we consume are bad for your health. GMOs falls under the stigma of a “single story”, whereas a single story is characterized as when humans discuss situations in a single narrative (Brooks). A recent article entitled “Del Monte is Making This Huge Change to its Products” by Lucinda Shen on fortune.com explains how the company Del Monte is moving away from using GMO products. …show more content…

She concisely elaborates on the limited perspective about a group of people and how the “single story” perspective has harmful effects. Adichie begins the video segment with an anecdote of how when she read English storybooks as a child, she had the impression that stories had to be written about foreigners. When Adichie wrote these stories, she had no idea that the concepts and ideas depicted in her books can be about anything. Adichie referencing this anecdote shows how when a situation is told with good intentions, it still can have unforeseen negative consequences. News articles about GMOs are on the same playing field. The amount of these articles may be told with the best intentions to inform the society of the possible ill effects of GMOs, but these articles have become the basis of the single story depicting GMOs in the public eye. Additionally, Adichie clarifies that the development of these stories creates a single story. Adichie says if you “show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become” (09:26-09:35). Her definition of a single story reflects on what takes place in the minds of individuals who hear or read a single story and accept it as the only conceivable truth. This type of perception has given GMOs a bad identity, as many consumers …show more content…

Some of the potential health concerns include an allergic reaction, the transfer of genes from GM foods into the human body, and the natural transfer of mixing cultures and seeds from natural crops (Popescu and Nicolescu 54). To put things in perspective, about 80% of processed foods in the U.S. have GMOs (Siegel). The concept of ingesting these GMOs strikes worries in many adults in the United States and across the globe. When it comes to analyzing the seriousness of allergic reactions, there is no evidence of allergic effects related to GM food thus far (Popescu and Nicolescu 54). The likelihood of the transfer of genes from GM foods into the human body is very small but the main risk would involve genes that induce resistance to chemicals such as antibiotics (Popescu and Nicolescu 54). The Fund Food and Agriculture Organization has regulated to not use the processes of gene transfer of antibiotic resistance to new GMOS (Popescu and Nicolescu 54). As far as the natural transfer of mixing cultures and seeds from natural crops, national strategies have been implemented to reduce mixing, and separate the perimeters of GMOs and conventional crops (Popescu and Nicolescu 55). To grasp a better understanding of GMOs, lets analyze the single story of GMOs and how it all began when a biologist by the name of Gilles-Eric Seralini published an article

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“Today in the United States, by the simple acts of feeding ourselves, we are unwittingly participating in the largest experiment ever conducted on human beings.” Jeremy Seifert certainly knows how to get viewers’ attention, as exemplified by the film blurb describing his 2013 documentary, GMO OMG. The frightening depiction of the food industry is one of many efforts to expose consumers of the twenty-first century to the powerful organizations that profit from national ignorance and lack of critical inquiry and involvement. Seifert effectively harnesses the elements of rhetoric throughout his phenomenal argument against remaining complacent about the food industry’s act of withholding of information about genetically modified organisms from

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In “GMOs: A Solution or a Problem?”, biologist Colin Tudge discusses the regulation of genetically modified organisms with the Journal of International Affairs. Tudge views the increasing implementation of genetically modified organisms as the unfortunate and unnecessary result of capitalistic greed and oligopolistic conquest. Based on Tudge’s research in this field of study, he has found that reports and demonstrations have shown that there is no concrete evidence that GMOs produce more nutritious crops than traditional farming methods. In addition, he utilizes evidence to support small-scale traditional farms in stating, “There are also demonstrations worldwide to show that the best way to produce food for everybody is actually with traditional small mixed farms, which already produce more than 50% of the world’s food.” The statistics and facts used by Tudge advocate for the outright elimination of genetic modification as a method agricultural profits.

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This utilizes our fear of the unknown, resulting in us to trust their distortions of the truth. This portrayal of GMO’s has resulted in 52% of Americans to believe GMOs are unsafe and 13% to be unsure (abc News). In contrast to Miss Jo’s belief, the aspiration of GMO’s is to enhance our life, not impair it. This may be through creating medicines for diseases, increasing crop yield, producing food with higher nutritional value and much

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The use of this magnitude of authors made this book a lot more interesting to read because of all of the clashing ideas and ideas that built upon other ideas about GMOs. The GMO Deception was Edited by Sheldon Krimsky who is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, and adjunct professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. It was

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In the 1980’s, the first genetically modified tobacco and tomato crops were introduced and sold in China and have been, controversially, around ever since. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, according to the World Health Organization, are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material has been modified through genetic engineering. Since the first time genetically modified foods were introduced in the 1980's, there has been a debate on whether or not these alien foods are harmful to our health. According to Jeffrey Smith, author of the book Seeds of Deception, in Another Reason for Schools to Ban Genetically Engineered Foods, he states, “Gene insertion creates unpredicted, irreversible changes” (486). Clearly, the uncertainty for

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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has sparked major controversy throughout the world. Genetically Modified Organisms are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. Some nations including Japan and Australia consider GMOs unsafe and harmful to the population. In the novel, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, the theme of Science is developed. “I prepared myself for a multitude of reverses; my operations might be incessantly baffled, and at last my work be imperfect, yet when I considered the improvement which every day takes place in science and mechanics”(4.7).

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Monsanto, an American multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, frightened consumers and activists located in the Midwest when they introduced genetically engineered sweet corn into the markets there. This small incident has, overtime, exploded into a controversy on the selling of transgenic food and has caused health, environmental, and consumer activists to speak out against it. Nowadays, it isn’t just the Midwestern markets that contain genetically modified foods. The use of GM foods, or foods that have been created from genetically modified organisms, has become prevalent around the United States and what has agitated people about these foods are the unknown affects they could have on consumers. Though, not everyone think these

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Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 Mar. 2016. The author of Genetically Modified Language: The Discourse of Arguments for GM Crops and Food explore GM debate between the prophet of the GM food and the opponent of the GM food, the writer gives a brief summary of each side’s opinion and how the public opinion remains unconvinced and antagonistic, then gives some

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GMOs are considered to be the next agricultural “innovation” as some would say, but this is incorrect. They think that GMOs are a way to feed everyone on earth. Giving them the nutrients that they need to grow in conditions that most plants can’t live in, while not causing harm to physical and environmental health. They are wrong. GMOs do more harm than good.

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Some of the major fears that come from GMO’s is that they could lead to undesired consequences and that they might be covering up many harmful effects that come from it. One case of issues emerging from GMO's originates from 1980's when a contaminated nourishment supplement brought on 100 deaths and 5,000-10,000 more sicknesses and inabilities (Ratner, Frankenmeat: Growing a Burger in a Petri Dish.). Accidents like these are what fuel the distrust of GMO’s by the public. Since many antibiotics are put into GMO’s, bacteria has become resistant to the antibiotics. The scientists need to develop new antibiotics to combat the evolution of the harmful bacteria (Northam, Legacy of Frankenstein: The Monster is the One in the White Lab Coat).

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Before one dives into the battle of good versus evil, one must first fully understand the concept of genetically modified foods. Genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) foods have been modified in order to develop favourable characteristics. Genes are transferred from various organisms to fruit and vegetable plants and are responsible for generating favourable characteristics, such as resistance to pests and insecticides (Milano and Carol, 2007: 8-11). Many people are pro GM foods due to their positive effects such as larger yields and decreased pesticide use, but not everyone is convinced. GM foods are a relatively new phenomenon and

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Due to their recombinant nature and the potential health and environmental risks they carry with them, GMOs pose an ethical dilemma that asks whether the potential benefits of increased food supply, economic gain, and sustainability that could come with GMOs are worth the potential health and environmental risks they pose. In the United States and the rest of the world, both proponents and opponents of GMO implementation exist. Proponents of GMO implementation argue that the potential risks of GMOs are outweighed by their potential benefits, reasoning that GMOs can provide healthy food to people in developing countries, introduce less pesticides into the environment by creating plants that create their own pesticides or are heartier than

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Health problems of GMOs include the potential of single-handedly convincing the world to stop modifying organisms (Bailey 1-4). GMOs, among the world’s silent killers, harm humans, wildlife, and the environment

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The TED talk, ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ presented by Adichie, shares the negative consequences of being exposed to only one perspective. Hearing only one narrative restrains our experience of the world which is concerning because it limits one’s knowledge of reality. These single stories lead to stereotyping and hasty generalizations, often resulting in ignorant world views which is the main idea behind Adichie’s overall view. In her speech, Adichie states, “I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: All my characters were white and blue-eyed, they played in the snow, and they ate apples”.

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Similarities and Differences between Two Cities A city is a place where a large number of populations resides for the permanent period of time. City’s importance depends upon the size, location, and structure of the area. Cities have the highly organized population which is comparatively bigger than town or village. A city can provide different opportunities to know about the culture and language.

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