Reality Check V: My Generation III

In case you've managed to live in a hole for all of your years of existence, you should know that people are killing us. Not by guns (though that happens, too), or bombs, but by our food.

My generation has sat idly by, "Waiting on the world to change," as John Mayer said. But the unrest has become tangible. We've started the Occupy movement. We've started fighting for women's rights. And finally, we're taking on Monsanto and saying no to GMOs.

In Portland, Maine, the street was LINED with protesters holding signs, chanting, singing. There were people giving out signs for those who didn't make one. Hundreds of people showed up for this event.

Some lined the roads, holding their signs so traffic could read them. We rejoiced when cars honked, and cheered, and high-fived us.

I arrived late and didn't have time to
make a sign. They gave me a bee :)

Months ago, I started to become disappointed with my generation, about how we don't do anything but sit there. Before we set off, speakers talked about the effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnam Soldiers. They told us about the effects of our food being poisoned, linking diabetes, cancers, infertility, and birth defects to the things put in our food and into our bodies.

During the police escorted, mile long March Against
Monsanto, I became proud of my generation. Voices echoed off the surrounding buildings. The line of marchers was so long I couldn't see the start or the end, I could just hear voices shouting, "No more GMOs!" and "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Monsanto's Got To Go!"

People were stuck at stop lights because of our march. Bystanders took pictures and cheered us on. We disrupted daily life. We brought awareness. We're rallying for change.

It's time to stand up for ourselves.

It's time to stand up for our food, for our rights to know what we're eating. It's time to create change.

The next time you go to your grocery store, you may want to ask yourself, "Do I really know what's in this?" before buying it. If you're not sure, perhaps you should contact your government and support GMO labeling, or better yet, get Monsanto off our shelves!