Bruinius, Harry. Better for All the World. United States: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.
Chitty, Clyde. Eugenics, Race and Intelligence in Education. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009.
Dowbiggin, Ian. The Sterlization Movement and Global Fertility in the Twentieth Century. NY: Oxford Universtiy Press, Inc., 2008.
Lafleur, William R., Gernot Bohme, and Susumu Shimazono. Dark Medicine Rationalizing Unethical Medical Research. IN: Indianna University Press, 2007.
Lombardo, Paul A. A Century of Eugenics in America. IN: Indianna University Press, 2011.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
#6: Monopolizing Farming?
Growing up and living in a small rural town I see farms on a daily basis. It seems as if every other person in my high school farmed, or had some hand in farming. I know several families that rely solely on what they grow to eat and to bring in money for their bills. Farms our passed through generations, dads teaching sons how to grow crops, and how to feed the livestock. For some people this is all they know, and all they've ever know. With major corporations like Monsanto coming in with their genetically engineered seeds and bovine growth hormone, our small town farmers aren't going to have a chance in this economy.
I had never even heard of this company until my English professor discussed who they are and what they are doing to America. He showed an image of a billboard. There is a hardworking farmer on this billboard. The background images give you the feel that it is a small town kind of farm. The slogan "America's Farmers Grow America," is on it next to the farming man. There is a website on this billboard, AmericasFarmers.com When visiting this website in the top left corner there is small text saying, "Brought to you by Monsanto." You instantly get the feeling that Monsanto is for the small town farms. With no link to further who Monsanto is, the average person, myself included, would just continue browsing the site thinking that Monsanto is helping these small farms. After being enlightened by my English professor, and browsing through some articles myself, I have learned that it is quite the opposite.
Monsanto has patented their genetically engineered seeds. This means that no one else can use these seeds without Monsanto's permission. Monsanto is going as far as to sue farmers if they find even a trace of the seeds on the farm. So I thought OK, no big deal, everyone buy their seeds from Monsanto. Unfortunately if everyone were to do that there would be no more organic farming. Everything we eat would be inorganic. Part of the altered seeds is that the plants that grow from them do not produce seeds that can grow plants. So farmers would have to return to Monsanto to get their seeds every year. This is very expensive for farmers, and unnecessary considering they know how to grow organic plants that produce seeds.
In order to prevent a lawsuit from Monsanto farmers are having to buy land buffers around their farms so that Monsanto's seeds have a lesser chance of blowing on to their farms. some farmers are just minimizing the area that they plant in to create land buffers. Most of these organic farmer's have no interest in Monsanto's seeds but they have to spend the unnecessary money in order to keep their farms organic.
I feel this is where we should step in, and let our government officials know that this isn't right and that something needs to be done. If Monsanto continues their won't be organic farms, and people will lose their jobs as farmers.
I had never even heard of this company until my English professor discussed who they are and what they are doing to America. He showed an image of a billboard. There is a hardworking farmer on this billboard. The background images give you the feel that it is a small town kind of farm. The slogan "America's Farmers Grow America," is on it next to the farming man. There is a website on this billboard, AmericasFarmers.com When visiting this website in the top left corner there is small text saying, "Brought to you by Monsanto." You instantly get the feeling that Monsanto is for the small town farms. With no link to further who Monsanto is, the average person, myself included, would just continue browsing the site thinking that Monsanto is helping these small farms. After being enlightened by my English professor, and browsing through some articles myself, I have learned that it is quite the opposite.
Monsanto has patented their genetically engineered seeds. This means that no one else can use these seeds without Monsanto's permission. Monsanto is going as far as to sue farmers if they find even a trace of the seeds on the farm. So I thought OK, no big deal, everyone buy their seeds from Monsanto. Unfortunately if everyone were to do that there would be no more organic farming. Everything we eat would be inorganic. Part of the altered seeds is that the plants that grow from them do not produce seeds that can grow plants. So farmers would have to return to Monsanto to get their seeds every year. This is very expensive for farmers, and unnecessary considering they know how to grow organic plants that produce seeds.
In order to prevent a lawsuit from Monsanto farmers are having to buy land buffers around their farms so that Monsanto's seeds have a lesser chance of blowing on to their farms. some farmers are just minimizing the area that they plant in to create land buffers. Most of these organic farmer's have no interest in Monsanto's seeds but they have to spend the unnecessary money in order to keep their farms organic.
I feel this is where we should step in, and let our government officials know that this isn't right and that something needs to be done. If Monsanto continues their won't be organic farms, and people will lose their jobs as farmers.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
#5: Supergay to Save the Day!
Throughout middle and high school, when I was in my "young adult" years, I loved to read. It was a rare occasion to find me without a novel. I would go to the library and browse the young adult section choosing which ever book caught my attention that day. Up until now I never really paid attention to the fact that at least ninety percent of the novels I read were based around a white, heterosexual and her (or his) struggles to overcome the obstacle she (or he) happened to be facing in the novel. I had plenty of friends who were not white, and a few who were homosexual. While reading the article, "Say Yes to Gay YA" by Rachel Brown and Sherwood Smith, it dawned on me that I had never read a story where the main character was of homosexual orientation. I don't believe I've ever seen a TV show, or even a movie where the protagonist was LGBTQ. I have read or watched texts that had a LGBTQ character, but never as the lead.
This is a problem. There are so many people in our society today that identify as LGBTQ. Where are their superheros? When do they save the world?
When I was younger, around 12 or 13, I had a good friend named Josh. In 7th grade Josh "came out of the closet." He was ridiculed and teased. In 8th grade Josh committed suicide.
Heterosexual men and women are in the forefront of our media today. We read about them, watch them on TV and they play in our movies. People from the LGBTQ community do not have strong, popular people to identify with. It is hard for a young adult to admit that he or she may not be a heterosexual, and I think that our media is to blame for this. Most young people are very emotional and sensitive. They hit an age where they are trying to figure out just exactly who they are. A lot of them try to fit in, sometimes disregarding strong feelings of their own in order to conform with the people around them. In the article, Rachel and Sherwood discuss a novel that they have written where on of the lead characters is a gay man. The agent they present their novel too turns them down saying that they would have to make him straight in order for their novel to be published. This is insane to me. There are so many Young Adults that would love to read about a gay man and how he dealt with(in Rachel and Sherwood's novel) the world after the apocalypse.
I think that if there were more stories about LGBTQ people dealing with the same things that our popular heterosexual characters deal with, young LGBTQ adults would feel more accepted in our society. Not only that, but, heterosexual people could read the stories and see that we're all very much a like, and become more accepting. We need to go the extra mile to get people of all sexual orientations in the foregrounds of our media so that everyone feels accepted. Maybe if we allowed more LGBTQs to play the lead, LGBTQs would have someone to admire and give them strength when society looks down on them. If my friend, Josh, had some one he could look up to and let him know that he is not alone, he may still be here today.
This is a problem. There are so many people in our society today that identify as LGBTQ. Where are their superheros? When do they save the world?
When I was younger, around 12 or 13, I had a good friend named Josh. In 7th grade Josh "came out of the closet." He was ridiculed and teased. In 8th grade Josh committed suicide.
Heterosexual men and women are in the forefront of our media today. We read about them, watch them on TV and they play in our movies. People from the LGBTQ community do not have strong, popular people to identify with. It is hard for a young adult to admit that he or she may not be a heterosexual, and I think that our media is to blame for this. Most young people are very emotional and sensitive. They hit an age where they are trying to figure out just exactly who they are. A lot of them try to fit in, sometimes disregarding strong feelings of their own in order to conform with the people around them. In the article, Rachel and Sherwood discuss a novel that they have written where on of the lead characters is a gay man. The agent they present their novel too turns them down saying that they would have to make him straight in order for their novel to be published. This is insane to me. There are so many Young Adults that would love to read about a gay man and how he dealt with(in Rachel and Sherwood's novel) the world after the apocalypse.
I think that if there were more stories about LGBTQ people dealing with the same things that our popular heterosexual characters deal with, young LGBTQ adults would feel more accepted in our society. Not only that, but, heterosexual people could read the stories and see that we're all very much a like, and become more accepting. We need to go the extra mile to get people of all sexual orientations in the foregrounds of our media so that everyone feels accepted. Maybe if we allowed more LGBTQs to play the lead, LGBTQs would have someone to admire and give them strength when society looks down on them. If my friend, Josh, had some one he could look up to and let him know that he is not alone, he may still be here today.
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