We need to get around to realizing that genetic modification isnt contamination, or carcinogenic chemicals, or sludge, or evil godless mutations. They aren’t horrifying and they’re grown natural just like everything else.
But, I can’t help but note the irony in saying, “all citrus fruits are GMO hybrids,” while accusing other people of not knowing what they are talking about, because hybrids are not GMOs. Also, “the potato” isn’t genetically-modified: a handful of patented cultivars of potato are. There are thousands more non-GM cultivars and landraces at the International Potato Center in Peru, for example, some of which are resistant to late blight.
Many people (and I include myself in this category) are critical of certain genetic engineering projects as they relate to agriculture because we are concerned with:
the ecological impacts of things like genetic bottlenecks and genetic drift;
insecticidal resistance and improper use of pest refuges;
an increased dependence on monocultures of a narrow range of cereal crops;
the global depletion of agricultural diversity, and loss of sustainable indigenous food sources;
the increased cost of GM seed, and intellectual property/licensing costs for said seed driving the consolidation of smallholder farms into corporate hands;
software-like ‘user agreements’ with seed preventing transparent, peer-reviewed science from happening in evaluating these crops;
the lack of accessibility of genetic engineering techniques and equipment;
the ownership of most of the world’s seed supply between 3-10 multinationals
and, the moral implications of patenting biological organisms.
I know there are some weird and terrible anti-vaccer types drawn to the anti-GMO brigade, but fighting misinformation with more misinformation isn’t helpful. There are a huge number of political, ecological, and legal concerns to be sussed out in this relatively-new field of science, and it’s not helping the debate to add to it without understanding some of the basic concepts being debated.
Conservatives today: They only got him for 8 out of 18 crimes. That’s less than half! What a waste of time! Nothingburger.
Me, an intellectual: Most of the folks at the border have only committed one crime. A misdemeanor at that. Some of them were asylum seekers, so they didn’t even commit ANY crime at all. Much less a bunch of felonies.
Also Conservatives: Lock up those kids in baby jail! Deport the parents! May they never see each other again for their heinous acts!
Me, a mathematician: But 1 crime is less than 8 crimes. Plus, they could still conceivably prosecute him on the other 10 crimes. Plus, he still has an entirely new trial with even more crimes. Why is his multitude of crimes less significant than a single misdemeanor?
Conservative mental gymnasts: Are you doing that Obama Common Core math? Be gone with your nonsense! This was a kind, gentle white man who enjoyed coats made out of exotic leathers. Did you not see how rad that ostrich jacket looked? His fashion enthusiasm just got the best of him. He needs treatment for his expensive goods addiction, not jail. We have ruined this poor old white man’s life on this day!
Ya know, when I wrote this, I was just parroting some of the asinine comments I saw MAGAteers making around the interwebs. I didn’t think the president himself would try to attempt the same illogical argument.
Being convicted of 1 felony is usually a lot.
Being convicted of 8 at the same time is TOO MANY.
“can’t shake the devil’s hand and say you’re only kidding” is the most concise and powerful dismissal of people who are “jokingly” racist and i can’t believe it’s from a They Might Be Giants song
Unpopular opinion: straight people using “partner” to refer to their SO actually helps normalize the term so that lgbt folx can use it without automatically outing themselves to strangers. It also helps other straight ppl get comfortable with the fact that strangers aren’t entitled to information about other people’s gender or sexuality.
Give op their hard-earned notes
Tbh I hear “partner” and assume gay, I didn’t know straights used it. Very fair point, OP
I hear ‘partner’ and think ‘gay’ too. A girl at work used it for months and I just went with it. When she would say ‘he’ I even thought maybe he was trans*. Anyways, someone using partner makes me more comfortable and I came out to her. She was just an intelligent straight girl that liked the term and was knowledgeable in human sexuality so definitely someone I should have felt comfortable coming out too. It’s a good sign of a straight person uses it IMO.
As a mental health clinician, this is actually my blanket term when discussing any romantic relationship. I agree it normalizes it, but I also think it’s a relatively safe term to use to describe most romantic relationships without making any assumptions about the person’s orientation or identity. I also use the word “partnered” when describing a monogamous relationship status.
The term “partner” also removes the implied hierarchy of boyfriend/girlfriend vs husband/wife. This is relevant both to non-monogamous people, and unmarried individuals for whom the importance of their relationship isn’t dictated by its legal status.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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