Ignorance about pesticides (vent)

fireytiger

I just read an article on Yahoo's "Shine" site, about the 10 dirtiest fruits and veggies because of all the pesticides. And I'm reading the comments, and everyone's like "Well DUH, you have to wash the fruit before you eat it!" or "How did anyone possibly survive before us if this is the case? You're all being lied to", or "organic is just a lie so the farmers can charge you more, it's the exact same thing grown at the same places, they just put a different sticker on it" and such. It's just annoying. No, if you actually READ the article, you would know that the REASON these fruits and vegetables are the worst for pesticides is because they ABSORB them. So no, washing the fruit doesn't fix that. And the reason this wasn't a problem before and "people were just fine before", is because in the past, farmers didn't rely on poisons and pesticides like they do now.

 

I just wish people would realize just how ignorant they sound, when they're arguing vehemently against people who say "Hey, uh, shouldn't we like, NOT treat our foods with poison before eating them?" I don't think this is an unreasonable request, lol! These people are actually arguing that poison is good for them! WHYYYYYY?!?!?! lol

mairanellis

People are stupid.

fireytiger

Yeah, no kidding, lol! I mean, I dunno about you, but I wouldn't want to spray a can of Raid all over my food, and then be stupid enough to think that just running a little bit of water over it will make it TOTALLY SAFE to eat. But that's what's basically going on with pesticides, they're spraying poison to kill the bugs. But poison doesn't stop being poison just because you run water over it, and just because it was meant for the bugs doesn't mean it's not going to poison you, too... I actually finally commented that on there, saying "Uhh, I can't believe I'm actually having to say this, but... y'all do realize that they're spraying poison on your food, and you're arguing, saying that that's totally acceptable and you don't mind eating poison? WTF?" lol

toadstool

There is a good reason why, when you see someone spraying crops, they have to wear head to toe protective gear. Then we turn around and stick those crops in our mouth.

SuperGreen

I just don't understand people like that.  Honestly, I just can't.  I don't understand how you can be okay with eating food that is sprayed with poison.  Pesticides kill bugs that are eating the plant, and herbicides kill weeds.  Conventional foods are covered in both.  The response of "but I wash them first," is ignorant, the pesticides and herbicides get sprayed on the ground around the plant as well as the plant, so they're in the soil and the water the plant absorbs.  So they're in the leaves and the fruit of the plant that you're eating.  With GMOs, the pesticide and herbicide are in the genes of the plant so the plant itself kills the bug when they bite into it, and the farmer can spray weed killer that kills the weeds but not the crop.  The poison is in the food.

When someone says they don't worry about eating organic, I always think of this scene from the Simpsons where spiders fall on Homer's face and he sprays his face with a bottle labeled "spider poison."  Upon hurting his eyes and face he screams "WHAT?  Spider poison is people poison?"  Yes, bug and weed poison is people poison, and you're eating it every day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtFHl0r28Q

fireytiger

I'd have to say that probably the worst part of the whole thing, is that those of us who would prefer NOT to eat salad with a side of poison, are actually chastized by these people, like we're elitist nutcases who think we're "too good to eat regular food" like everyone else. Or the ones that say "Well people live longer than they did before we started using the pesticides so that means pesticides are okay." What? Have they not heard of modern medicine as a much more probable cause of this longer lifespan? lol It's insane how brainwashed people actually are.