Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Musings: A Conversation

I walked into a health store, which shall remain unnamed, and the following conversation ensued:

Clerk: Can I help you find something?

Me: Do you have any of the Burt's Bee's lipsticks?

Clerk: No, we stopped carrying them when they got bought out by Clorox last year. But we have many other lipsticks.

Me: Is that how you decide what to carry, based on who owns the company?

Clerk: It's one way. Do you want to be responsible for everything Clorox does?

Me: No. But sometimes I do buy Clorox bleach.

Clerk: They're a horrible corporation. Have you seen their record?

Me: No. But like a lot of your customers, I drove here, using gas from Exxon, Shell or Chevron. So we can't exactly claim to be pure.

Clerk: Yeah, well, it's better to support small companies if you can. Here's a product you might like. It's hemp organics. It's a better product than Burt's Bees.

Me: It's certainly more expensive.

Clerk: You're helping a small company. And it doesn't have any of those GMOs.

Me: I'm not against GMOs.

Clerk: Oh. (Scathing tone.) Well, the rest of the world is.

Me: No, they're not.

Clerk: Europe, South America, Asia – they're all against it.

Me: You'll find GMO crops in all those places, and the ones that aren't growing it import GM animal feed. It's mostly just Europe that's opposed.

Clerk: And South America.

Me: Argentina and Brazil are really big into GMOs.

Clerk: They're fighting it in Mexico. There's a big movement to stop them taking over their corn.

Me: I understand the value of protecting indigenous seeds, but some GM technology could actually help do that, by making the land races more hearty.

Clerk: But look at what glyphosate is doing to our food supply. It's in everything.

Me: Well, some biotech traits are working to reduce pesticide use, like the Bt products. So you can't just lump it all together as roundup-ready corn.

Clerk: None of it's good for you.

Me: Did you see the American Academy of Sciences study that just came out? They said there are no health problems associated with GM crops and foods.

Clerk: Oh, studies like that are coming out all the time.

Me: Then why won't people believe them?

Silence.

Clerk: Well, I say keep it natural as long as you can.

Me: Whatever that is.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its like the pilot episode of Portlandia!

Lee Roversi said...

I, for one, do appreciate the idea of buying from smaller companies, being a small family business owner myself. I also like to see the products being produced by many companies, as opposed to a few large multi-national ones. Having our food supply in the hands of just a few does concern me. And the price difference I find I can often make up by buying smartly--- bulk instead of packaged, making from scratch instead of convenience, buying on sale, supporting local farmers.

Unknown said...

Did you remind her that Mexico isn't in South America?

Anonymous said...

who needs science when you're brainwashed.

Anonymous said...

Why would you go into a health store in the first place and not just go to Longs or Walmart?

Anonymous said...

I have nonsensical conversations like that all the time....makes you want to cry.

Anonymous said...

It seems like two people having a conversation on different view points. The problem with you people is that you all cannot agree to disagree. It's like radicalism and how you people cannot accept others and its cultures. You always gotta force people to believe that your point of view and beliefs are better and greater than there's.

Anonymous said...

This is classic!!!! I love it. Furthering the false assumption that all gmo is glyphosate ready...I bet if someone threw up at her cash register she'd want some chlorox wipes...;)

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the clerk had an Apple phone, computer. Can you imagine what would happen if and when a study of the long term effects of smoking weed come out and says it ain't good for you......THE HORROR!

Anonymous said...

Can't we just all get along and love one another?


BWAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAAAAAHAAAAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wtf happened to Hooser's mouth? Looks like he got one good crack but not good enough cause he still talking. Next time...

Anonymous said...

@1:59 - "you people"? What does that even mean? This is how we marginalize and belittle those who are not "us". Disagreeing on opinions is fine; disagreeing on facts is not.

Unknown said...

Theirs* lol

Anonymous said...

I don't know what she is talking about. Clorox is a mid-sized firm that makes excellent products, many more than a hundred years old. SOS, Pine-sol, etc. Britta water filters? Yup. Commercial assistance in clean water? Yup. That is Clorox.

Anonymous said...

They walk among us.

Anonymous said...

Joan Conrow at a health food store?! That's enemy territory!

Anonymous said...

The Kauai dirty syndicate pig home grown terrorists is 10000000% more TOXIC than any GMO seed.

Where's the protest?

Anonymous said...

July 6, 2016 at 1:59 PM was an excellent observation.
I think the poster meant the people in the conversation Joan wrote about when she wrote "you people" Or maybe those commenters here who just insult, defame and impugn false motives onto anyone who disagrees with them are the "you people.".

The blogger "must be a paid shill." The councilman "must be narcissistically seeking power." Neither are true, really. Both sides in this GMO war are so assuredly right - just ask them. I'm blasé on GMO but terrified of detached federal oversight and corporate goodness being the only lawful protections related to pesticides.

But hopefully in the end a few educated career public servants can get past the clanging gongs of "GMO is bad" and "GMO saves the world" and get as close to the truth in between - recognizing the profit motives involved in both sides of the debate - and then implement sensible policy decisions. Luckily policy isn't made in the comments section or by the usual mic hogs at council meetings and on the radio.

Everyone who supports the rule of law now that the courts have preempted the ordinance will decry the terrible courts if the ninth circuit reverses. Joan asks the antis to stick to provable facts and question their tactics (and their candidate, WTF is up with him) and she's crucified. I've made comments with studies showing some scary long term consequences of pesticide exposure and 3 anons rudely dismissed it as moronic and one demanded that I must be a north shore hippie transplant.

Warriors inflict harm regardless of which side. Angry people who just know they are right are the problem. It's all vanity. Blessed are the peacemakers.

Joan Conrow said...

@8:40. I shop in lots of different stores. But it's always amusing to see people ascribe their own rigidity to me!

@10:36. "I'm blasé on GMO but terrified of detached federal oversight and corporate goodness being the only lawful protections related to pesticides."

Your use of the phrase "detached federal oversight" shows your limited understanding of the strict pesticide regulatory process, which also involves state oversight that is very much hands-on, despite repeated unverified claims by the antis that the seed companies are operating with "no regulations." The only pesticide users who aren't closely monitored are homeowners and rogues. What's more, in Hawaii and elsewhere, licensed pesticide applicators are both criminally and civilly liable for any misuse of the product, which offers yet another layer of lawful oversight. And none of these protections are reliant on "corporate goodness."

I think you'll find, if you delve more deeply, that sensible policy decisions are being made in regard to this technology, despite noise from extremists on either side.

Anonymous said...

Few people have the courage to stand up to someone like the health food store clerk if more of us did people like the clerk wouldn't be so smug about what they believe and would respect their customers opinions.

Anonymous said...

@5:08 pm

It had nothing to do with Clorox! What it really was about, is selling an inferior product for a higher cost. The attack on Clorox was based on her ability to try to link the corporation to something that would make it sound evil. The problem is Joan wasn't going to bite that bull crap. I wonder how many people were actually fooled by her propaganda.

Anonymous said...

@1:59
Reality is fragile but facts are stubborn things....

Anonymous said...

To 7:49 AM:

I agree.....except that the brainwashed clerks don't just disrespect their customers' opinions, but easily researched FACTS.

Anonymous said...

@all you all

Facts do change.

Why come you all can't understand that?

Anonymous said...

FYI...to the clerk and anyone else that has not been paying attention...Clorox bought out Burt's bees 8 or 9 years ago! Nestlé owns Seeds of Change; Ben & Jerrys ice cream is owned by Unilever (Breyers icecream), the list goes on people!

Anonymous said...

why go to a health food store and ask for Clorox?! go to Walmart, Longs, safeway, times no need to argue or debate your point at those stores----just pay and get your goods. If you want non gmo can of corn, you gotta go to a health food store and you won't have to argue or have a debate you get what they carry!!!!!

Anonymous said...

11:50 a.m. yes, facts do change. we all know that. What you don't understand is that we all knew that when 2491 was introduced. introduce facts before the bill and go forward. the silent majority voted that way in the last election. (fact) The silent majority got 2 of them out the last elections, and the last major one squeaked by (less than a hundred votes).

You can't divide the island, that's not leadership.
You can't lie, and continue to lie. The voters know that. (that's not a responsible leader)

Money to monitor SOMETHING is there now. no thanks to Loosher. Thanks to Enright and Kouchi for that money to conduct studies that does not divide this community. Note: you (red) don't like any part of this money or the men. then take the leadership and do your own study with your own money. Say what you want (about the men / money / type of study), the point is: do the study first to find facts then bring it to the table.

Facts do change! responsible leaders do it the right way.

murder done due to drug sales (Anahola).
man stabbed and killed due to domestic violence due to drug abused woman (Lihue).
man's heart stops on the job site, due to drug use (Lihue).
These are in the GI, obituary and in the headlines.

Name the death directly related to pesticides from the agricultural sector.
I got more on Ice / Meth deaths without names (a HELL OF A LOT MORE). From Haena to Kekaha!

Oh, and Joan, I also wandered about the health food stores too. here's my thoughts. I go to walmart / costco's, 1000's by the day, I go to the health food store, me and maybe a couple others during my visit, which may lead to 100 - 200 a day. I respect both markets. It shouldn't be them or us, but based on ignorance, it is.

That clerk, yea, heard that conversation before. Good one Joan.

Yes, we understand your comment 11:50. That's a due process that, Mr' Red man don't get.

Tomorrow, Friday!!! Have a Great weekend!

Anonymous said...

It's the plantation mentality and has been done this way for generations. That's why Kauai's government is so F'ed up.

I for one called for the council to call upon an accredited org or nonprofit to do a study before trying to shoot, aim then load a BS attention whore bill.

@321pm

You say us versus them but you beat the same drum. How hypocritical to call both sides out and say don't divide.

There's always and will always be a division. It's called a wealth class division. The have and have nots. Where the law only applies to the poor and the wealthy can get away with a double standard.

There will always be a racial division and America just learned how racist this country is after electing a half black president but americans don't even know that there were Presidents with black heritage prior to President Obama.

Anonymous said...

What president had "black heritage " before Obama?

Anonymous said...

Educate yourself, you ignorant bastard. You have a computer so use it as a tool you tool. Fucktards!!!!! Gosh golly PEDRO

Anonymous said...

bill clinton was declaired the first black president by some race baiting black pandering preacher back in the 90s

Anonymous said...

4:24 great! Totally missed the point. Excuse me for leading you WAY off from wonderland.

Anonymous said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_heritage_of_United_States_presidents

Anonymous said...

"The academic consensus of historians is that no president other than Obama has had recent (from the colonial period in U.S. history or after) African ancestry; it rejects claims to the contrary." At 7:21 and 424 I know you both probably don't believe in the academic consensus of anything but there it is. Did the research .

Anonymous said...

Abraham Lincoln was the first president with black heritage in mind.

Anonymous said...

why do so may of the "anons" refer to the clerk as "her". Joan never identified the sex of the clerk.

Anonymous said...

@July 6 - 10:18

I LOOOOOOVE Portlandia!!!!! It's funny how so many of the characters remind me of people I've encountered here. Especially Kath and Dave...

Odie said...

Aloha Joan
Burt's Bee's Lipstick cam be bought at Whalers Store. I saw some today.
I think it $4.29 a tube.