If we all knew as much about the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food as 14-year old Rachel Parent does, we’d likely make some more significant headway in convincing the U.S. government to, at the very least, label genetically modified food products as such. The teen doesn’t only know about genetically modified foods though, she has some serious confidence in her views, making her a great representative of the anti-GMO movement and the perfect person to take on condescending bullies in today’s mainstream media.
Parent did just that—trading barbs and coming out on top—when she was on CBC-Canada’s “The Lang and O’Leary Show”, a sort of news-come-drama-reality-show hosted by a self-described billionaire who, according to Yahoo Finance, prefers a style of “bluster and bombast”. In other words, he’s an over-confident rich bully who happens to have a television show.
O’Leary invited Parent onto his show after she gave a speech to students calling the television host out for his “idiotic” views on the GMO foods debate. In particular, she blasted him for his remark that people who oppose GMOs should “stop eating” so we can “get rid of them.” Parent agreed to appear if he promised not to call her stupid. In turn, she said, she wouldn’t call him a fascist.
The video of her appearance has since gone viral as the young teen comes across as a cool, confident, and informed lady, unmoved by O’Leary’s accusations and demeaning approach.
Read: 800 Scientists Demand End to Global GMO ‘Experiment’
At one point, O’Leary tries to trip Parent up, asking if she was born in an Asian country instead, where vitamin A deficiency is common and can lead to blindness and death (his words), wouldn’t she want to be “saved” by Monsanto’s Golden rice, genetically modified to deliver extra vitamin A?
Parent’s response proved she knew even more than the host:
“[Monsanto’s] Golden Rice was scrapped because it didn’t work,” replied Parent. “And in order for the average 11-year-old boy to get enough Vitamin A from rice he would have to eat 27 bowls of rice per day,” said Parent. “The reason there is blindness isn’t because there is a lack of Vitamin A in the rice, it’s because their diets are simply rice.”
To “win” the battle against Monsanto and genetically modified foods, or, at the very least, win GMO labeling, we need more informed people like this 14-year old phenom on our side. We need to be able to lay out the facts and do so with confidence. So, are you prepared to defend your position on genetically modified organisms in our food supply?
