Having Informed Opinions

We all have opinions. It is what makes each one of us unique and propels us toward the choices that we make.

For example, I believe dogs are way better than cats, therefore, I probably will never have a cat as a pet.

I mean, look at that face!

For the most part, opinions are based on our preferences and beliefs, which are sometimes backed up with facts and research. These are informed opinions. When facts and research cannot be provided (i.e. in the case of debating what is "right" from "wrong"), to have an informed opinion would mean to have a knowledge of the extended discourse surrounding the issue.

But too many people are spewing uninformed opinions nowadays. What is worse is when people rely on uninformed opinions to govern their actions. Unfortunately, I suspect that this is because of the bandwagon effect. What you are ultimately saying when you fall in the bandwagon is, "Others say it is bad, so it must be bad. I won't bother looking into why because everyone is saying it." And I partly blame our high speed culture with microwave-ready mentality where knowledge needs to be served fast and easy, disregarding the quality of the meal.

Speaking of food, this segues nicely into a funny video that I found via Facebook where Jimmy Kimmel got his crew to interview people at the local farmer's market who are against GMOs on what is a GMO:

While this video is extremely entertaining, it also prompted me to write this post. They just make people who are against GMOs look bad, man! And I'm against GMOs!

But more than that, it bothers me when people state an opinion or choose to live a certain lifestyle and could not, for the life of them, justify it. They're living in ignorance! And whoever thinks ignorance is a desirable trait is deluding himself. That, or he's one of them.


A note on the issue of GMOs, for those interested:

Farmageddon

You will feel outraged after watching this documentary.

We've all seen Food Inc. (and if you haven't, go watch it now!) about where our food comes from and how it is processed. It probably made you a frequent shopper at the local farmer's market, or at the very least made you look at that cheeseburger you're holding a little differently, Monsanto became a name you despise, and the FDA and USDA are not really your friends anymore. As you shun the corporate food industry, you go in search of small family farms for sustenance. Alas, they are expensive and hard to find.

Farmageddon will tell you why.

The atrocities inflicted on family farms across the U.S. will leave you appalled and confused. Why was a peaceful family full of kids restrained at gunpoint? Was the raid really necessary? Whose interest is at the heart of the FDA and USDA after all?

And most importantly, as posed by Joel Salatin, the owner of Polyface Farms who also appeared in Food Inc., "What is it about freedom that is so horrendous to you [FDA and USDA] that you are willing to take my property, take my life, take my customers, take my animals, take my land, that you're willing to do this in order for me to not have a freedom to even sell a pork chop to my neighbor?"

For more information, visit: http://farmageddonmovie.com/.

If you are subscribed to Netflix, this documentary can be streamed from there.

Watch and ask yourself: how much freedom do you really have in choosing health?