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Wikipedia article'GMO OMG' is a 2013 American pseudoscientific documentary film which takes a negative view towards the use of genetically modified organisms used in the production of food, in the United States. The film focuses on Monsanto, a multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, and their role in the food industry alongside the effects of GMOs and how they are generated. Directed by Jeremy Seifert and produced by Elizabeth Kucinich, it was given a limited release in the United States on September 13, 2013, and received negative reviews from critics. 'GMO OMG' follows Seifert's search of answers: how do GMOs affect people and the planet. These and other questions take Seifert on a journey from his familys table to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and agra-giant Monsanto. The sole study specifically cited was widely discredited; see Sralini affair. Film contentJeremy Seiferts goal in 'GMO OMG' is to say that citizens of the U.S. are inadequately informed about the corporate manipulation of the food supply.Catsoulis, Jeannette. "Microscope on the U.S. Food Supply." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2017. GMOs and farmingGMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and includes any organism whose genes have been artificially altered to modify their characteristics in some way or another."What are GMOs?" What are GMOs. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017. 'GMO OMG' outlines two types of GMOs used in farming, pesticide producers and herbicide resisters. Pesticide producers are plants that can kill insects with an introduced toxin while herbicide resisters are immune to weed killer which allows farmers to use herbicides on crops leaving the plant unharmed. Seifert claims that commercial farmers utilize GMOs to produce crops faster for more profit while private owned farms continue to use traditional farming methods because of their dedication to maintaining the most natural process of growing food. Peasant movement of Papaye'GMO OMG' includes a brief segment on the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 with a 7.0 magnitude, not only destroying the homes of Haitian's but also their food crops. Monsanto offered Haiti's citizens 475 tons of seeds for farmers to regrow these crops that were destroyed in the process. Haitian farmers and citizens of the Papaye Peasant Movement, an alliance of people who fight to provide unity of all the peasants of Haiti and promote cultural and economic growth,"Mouvman Peyizan Papay." History of MPP - Mouvman Peyizan Papay. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017. MonsantoMonsanto is a corporation involved in the bio-tech and agricultural industries. The bio-tech industry is an industry that specializes in the production of GMOs. Monsanto is most known for their developments in GMOs, however, their success has affected private industry farms and legislation in certain states because of its superiority in biotechnology, according to 'GMO OMG'. In the film, Seifert highlighted that Monsanto has been involved in lawsuits over matters such as patent infringement due to cross pollination of GMOs in commercial farms to plants in private farms. This cross pollination happens when pollen from GMO crops is carried for miles by insects, birds, and the wind to other crops that are then pollinated with the GMOs creating legal crops containing GMO embryos making seed saving a patent issue. Monsanto also threatened to sue the state of Connecticut for wanting to instill a GMO labeling provision that would require products using GMOs to be labeled. Seifert made an attempt to speak with Monsanto and traveled to one of their locations but was immediately kicked out when he asked if he could speak to them about their GMOs. Reviews and criticismsThe documentary received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes rated the documentary at 56% approval rating based on 16 critics' reviews, with an average score of 5.25/10. Jeannette Catsoulis of 'The New York Times' calling it, "a gentle, flyover alert to obliviously chowing-down citizens ... without hectoring and with no small amount of charm". RogerEbert.com claims that 'GMO OMG' is an advocacy film inspired by Michael Moore's "'Roger and Me'", a documentary in which Moore sets out to find the answer to why General Motors closed all of its plants in Flint, Michigan beginning in 1978. Simon Abrams, the writer of "'GMO OMG'"'s review on the Roger Ebert website, states that "Seifert's arguments are dependent on unconvincing testimony and leaps in logic" and that "Seifert is apparently mistrustful of scientific terms, studies, and concepts". RogerEbert.com gave "'GMO OMG'" a one star rating out of a possible five. Michael Specter of the New Yorker wrote a scathing review of the documentary in which he dubbed the film "aggressively uninformed". Specter furthers Abram's notion that the documentary is based on the unreliable testimony of witnesses who are not actually scientists, and that Seifert's film is characterized by intellectual laziness. 'Scientific American' wrote a review titled ""GMO OMG" SRSLY? An #EpicFail in Exercising Our Right To Know", which debunks Seifert's verdict of "science of still out" on whether GMO's are harmful or not. Ferris Jabr, the author of the article, claims that 'GMO OMG' utilizes biased research and statistics that are taken out of their original context. References | |
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