We interviewed 5 of our classmates
about GM foods and organic foods using a few questions as a guideline
for Socratic Questioning. Here are their individual responses.
Zhi Yuan (Negative example)
Group members: What is your
understanding of GM foods?
Zhi Yuan: What's GM food?
G: Genetically modified foods.
Z: Okay, I don't really know about
genetically modified food. I think I've heard of it before, like
sometimes they use like tomatoes, they try to plant it with
some [genes] or something so to make it more productive of the
tomatoes they use.
G: So basically these are GM foods.
Z: Oh, okay.
G: What is your understanding of
organic foods?
Z: It's food that contain lesser
chemicals compared to some food because like it's much more
healthier.
G: Would you eat GM foods in the
future?
Z: I would not eat GM foods in the
future because it's not natural.
G: Why is it not natural?
Z: Because... Usually food that is
genetically modified, it'll somehow contain some substances that are
different from how it naturally occurs.
G: What would that do to your health?
(Linking to earlier response)
Z: I think it would probably cause some
unknown diseases if you eat it long term. Because sometimes you won't
know what will happen to you in the future unless you eat it for a
long time, right?
G: How about organic foods?
Z: I would eat organic food if possible
because organic foods are usually natural and it won't cause anything
that will cause like diseases and conditions.
G: Why would it not cause "diseases
and conditions"?
Z: Because... It doesn't contain any
chemicals...
G: How popular do you think GM foods
are?
Z: I feel that GM foods are quite
popular in the market now as compared to the past because sometimes I
will see GM foods in supermarkets whenever I purchase my vegetables
and fruits.
G: And why is that so?
Z: Probably because it will be more
reproductive if you use these kinds of methods rather than
naturally occurring because it will increase the amount you
can produce every year.
G: How popular are organic foods?
Z: Organic foods are quite popular now,
because some people are quite health conscious people. Organic food
is healthier for them.
G: What if it is scientifically proven
and tested that GM foods do not cause any health problems? Would you
eat GM foods in the future?
Z: Yeah, I would eat GM food in the
future if it's not related to health problems.
G: Who are the main consumers of GM
foods?
Z: I think it's for everyone, because
everyone is suitable for consuming GM foods if it is not related to
any diseases.
G: Then how about organic foods?
Z: Organic foods is apparently suitable
for everyone. It's just that it's their own preference because
organic foods are slightly more expensive compared to normal food. So
organic food probably won't cause much diseases.
G: So you're saying that GM foods are
normal foods?
Z: Yeah.
G: However, you seem to perceive that
GM foods is going to cause a lot of health problems. What if these
effects are removed? It would be safer to consume.
Z: Probably I would still consider it
if it was removed, because it doesn't really make much of a
difference to me, whether it's GM foods or like normal food (She
mentioned GM foods are considered normal. Why the sudden change?) as
long as it has nutritional values.
G: So you feel that you do not have to
be stringent about the food you eat if it does not cause health
problems.
Z: Yeah.
(Here we see a large amount of
assumptions that seem to be mainly about health issues.)
-End-
Millie (Positive example)
G: What is your understanding of GM
foods?
M: GM food is food that is being
modified to extend the expiry date or to increase the quality or
increase production rate.
G: What is your understanding of
organic foods?
M: It's like food that has not been
modified or not been grown specially to fit special needs?
G: Given a choice, would you eat GM
food in the future? Why or why not?
M: Given a choice, I would prefer to
eat organic and wouldn't want to eat GM foods because it's like
modified and we don't know what substances they put inside to make it
even better so if possible, I wouldn't want to eat it unless
there's no choice.
G: Do you think GM foods are popular?
M: Popular? Maybe, I think a lot of
farmers use that method because it helps them to sell more and many
food places use it too. So, popular? Yeah, I think it's kind of
popular. Because it's also kind of cheaper.
G: How about organic food?
M: Organic food is more of the
expensive side so I don't think it's that popular.
G: Who are the main consumers of
organic food?
M: Maybe senior citizens because they
are more concerned about their health, they don't want to die early.
(Too crude?)
G: How about GM food?
M: Maybe for those people who want
cheap stuff. Because the supply is higher than the demand, so of
course it will be cheaper.
G: However, we know that GM food is
quite expensive to process.
M: Yes, but they produce a lot, so they
can definitely cover the cost. (Agreeable.)
G: What if scientists have proven that
GM food does not do any harm to our health? Would you still eat GM
foods?
M: I would say I would prefer not to
eat GM foods because it is still modified. I prefer... natural.
G: So this is more of your personal
preference.
M: Yeah.
G: If too many people started eating GM
foods, what do you think will happen?
M: It depends on if the food has a
harmful effect or not. If there isn't, then it's fine. If there is
then... you will see something harmful happen.
G: What would happen to the production
of organic foods?
M: It really depends on personal
preference. Some people still want to stick to organic foods. You
can't help it. You can't force them to eat GM foods.
G: So, do you think people always
prefer to eat GM food over organic foods, or the other way round?
M: I think most people prefer... I am
not sure about that.
G: Why do you think we asked these
questions?
M: So that you can find out if GM foods
are preferred over organic foods?
G: What do you think are the other
benefits of GM foods?
M: Maybe it can become healthier and
help a person's ability. Other than that, I'm not sure.
G: However, we are currently talking
about first-world countries. GM foods can help alleviate problems in
third-world countries, where people do not get enough to eat. Do you
think it will help to solve this problem?
M: Yes, it will help to solve this
problem as there would be more food that can be grown under different
conditions so it will help to solve this problem.
(Not as much assumption. A wider
perspective.)
-End-
Priyanka (Unable to pinpoint)
G: What is your understanding of GM
foods?
P: I think GM foods are healthy and
help people make accurate choices about their diet (Interesting
viewpoint).
G: What is your understanding of
organic foods?
P: I think organic foods are a way for
businessmen to make money because I think most of the organic foods
are just plain foods just grown at home (Isn't that the meaning of
organic?). They just claim to be healthy but maybe it doesn't make a
big difference.
G: Given a choice, would you eat
GM food in the future? Why or why not?
P: I don't think so because GM foods
may have effects on my body (Contradicting statement?) which may
cause long term diseases.
G: How about organic foods?
P: I think I won't eat organic food
because it's just a waste of money.
G: So you're saying you won't eat GM
foods or organic foods.
P: I would just eat foods that are
grown using normal agricultural methods.
G: What do you think would happen if
everyone started to buy GM foods?
P: Genetic modification would be
heightened, ultimately leading to low levels of the true identity of
food. (Very different perspective.)
G: What would happen to the popularity
of other foods?
P: People might actually forget that we
have those kinds of foods, and they might even become an exquisite
cuisine of some sort.
G: What if scientists have proven that
GM food does not do any harm to our health? Would you still eat GM
foods?
P: I think I will consider [because] I
need to assure myself that I will not be harmed because of these
foods.
G: Do you think that GM foods can help
to solve the problem of hunger in third-world countries?
P: I think so because in third-world
countries the main concern is food, not healthy food. So they would
be able to live for a short while even if it the food has an
adversely negative effect on them. (Prior knowledge on world hunger.)
G: What assumptions do you think you
have made?
P: I think I have assumed that GM foods
are like some mad scientists coming up with chemicals that are used
in poisons…
G: Is there any evidence to show that
GM foods are not that healthy?
P: I don’t think so (Actually, there
are.) but I always eat food that has been fresh from the supermarket
which are not GM or organic so I consider them to be abnormal and
different.
G: So besides GM or organic
foods, there is another type of food?
P: Yes.
G: How is it grown?
P: You plant seeds and they grow into
trees and you pluck out the fruits.
G: How are GM foods grown?
P: For example, there is this
long-living… fish. So they impart the DNA from this fish into, say,
an apple, to make it long lasting and more people would buy it.
G: How about organic foods? Do you
think that they are just a ploy or are they really organic?
P: I think that they are just a ploy, I
mean that it’s like, in a normal situation, 100 apples are grown in
a plot. But organic is 20 apples, grown in 5 different plots. I don’t
understand the difference it makes.
G: If you don’t understand the
difference, then what do you think are the cons of growing the plants
close together, according to what you just said?
P: Maybe the plots are smaller, because
the company does not want to incur any losses. It’s a way of
advertising.
G: So you mean that when companies
label their food organic, they might not actually be organic, and may
in fact be no different from GM foods. So you would eat foods that do
not claim to be organic or GM?
P: Yes.
(Here, we see a confusing viewpoint,
until the end, when we have finally gotten her to clarify her
thinking. There seems to be quite a bit of prior knowledge, but
opinions are direct and sound like assumptions.)
-End-
Indhu (Negative example)
G: What is your understanding of GM
foods?
I: I think that it’s kind of weird that they want to
change something that’s already good as it is.
G: What is your
understanding of organic foods?
I: I think organic foods are
healthy because they don’t use pesticides and all those things that
might eventually poison us.
G: How popular do you think GM foods
are?
I: I think they’re quite popular because they are visually
appealing and the food is exactly how the consumers want it.
G:
So consumers are attracted to the appearance of the food?
I: And
the taste because they change the taste to suit their needs and the
fruits can be bigger and the taste nice, as compared to smaller
fruits with nice taste.
G: What are the other advantages of GM
foods?
I: I think you can get better quality foods because with GM
foods, everyone can get a lot of nice food instead of just the richer
people, and people can afford foods that taste nice.
G: How about
organic foods? Do you think they are popular?
I: They’re popular
because they’re healthy but they are also expensive so a lot of
people don’t buy them often.
G: Who do you think are the main
consumers of organic food?
I: I think it’s those richer people
and people who want to maintain a healthy life, and those people with
diseases like diabetes.
G: How about the main consumers of GM
food?
I: They are those healthy people who don’t have many
diseases that require organic food.
G: So you think that if
you’re healthy then you eat GM foods and if you’re not healthy
you eat organic foods?
I: Not exactly… Well I don’t know how
to say this, but… If you are a huge health freak, you should eat
organic food.
G: What if scientists have proven that GM food does
not do any harm to our health? Would you still eat GM foods?
I:
Probably.
G: Why is that so?
I: The taste and
size of fruits are enhanced because they are genetically modified.
It’s now worth what you’re paying for.
G: What do you think
would happen if everyone started to buy GM foods?
I: Other foods
will get neglected (Same thought as Priyanka).
G: What would
happen to the popularity of other foods?
I: Since consumers
purchase more GM foods than other foods, farmers might not want to
grow other foods since it would be a waste of time.
G: Do you think that GM foods can help
to solve the problem of hunger in third-world countries?
I: Yes,
because if they want to eat organic food, they won’t be able to
afford it as it takes more work to grow. GM foods taste nice yet are
cheaper, so it can help. (Answer is only skimming the surface)
(A
few important points but others are quite undeveloped.)
-End-
Fatimah (Positive example)
G: What is your understanding of GM
foods?
F: I have no idea about GM foods…
G: What is your understanding of
organic foods?
F: They are grown with more care and are healthier
than other foods.
G: How popular do you think GM foods are?
F:
Not very popular, I guess?
G: How about organic foods?
F: I
think organic foods are quite popular but they are quite expensive so
probably less people will buy them.
G: You said that you do not
know about GM foods. Are you aware that you are consuming them
practically every day?
F: No…
G: Well, GM foods are
genetically modified foods. It’s simply adding genes and
fertilisers and similar substances to enhance plant growth. As you
know, farmers find ways to make their farming more productive and let
their foods grow well so that they will be able to earn more profits
and more popularity. Now that we have explained what GM foods are,
what do you think about them?
F: I think that food grown naturally
is better than GM food.
G: And why do you think so?
F: Because
GM foods are foods with their process of growth changed. So I guess
it’s not that good to consume them.
G: Why is it not good to eat
foods when they are changed?
F: Maybe it’s because of the
chemicals that affect the food and make it less healthy.
G: What
could possibly happen, then, if you consume too much of the food?
F:
[Health problems]
G: What do you think would happen if everyone
started to buy GM foods?
F: There would be more occurrences of
health problems and everyone wouldn’t be so healthy because they do
not eat much of healthy food.
G: What would happen to the
popularity of other foods?
F: It would decrease.
G: However,
we are currently talking about first-world countries. GM foods can
help alleviate problems in third-world countries, where people do not
get enough to eat. Do you think it will help to solve this
problem?
F: For third-world countries, I think that it is fine for
its consumers to eat GM food as the food will grow faster and they
will not go hungry to eat pure, organic food.
G: Who do you think
are the main consumers of organic food?
F: People who are aware of
the GM food problem and don’t mind spending more to eat healthier
food.
G: So these people are more health conscious as compared to
those who are not aware?
F: Yes.
G: What if scientists have
proven that GM food does not do any harm to our health? Would you
still eat GM foods?
F: Probably yes, because I want to save money
(So money is a concern). I would still prefer organic food to GM food
but since there is no harm in it I would eat GM food.
G: Do you
feel that the statement that organic food is healthier than GM food
is an assumption?
F: I think it’s an assumption because…
There has to be more research done on GM food before actually stating
that it is less healthy for consumers.
(This was not exactly easy
as she did not have any prior knowledge at all and so whatever
thoughts that she had were likely to be assumptions as she only knew
that little information that we gave her.)
From these interviews we have gathered
that:
Main concerns of GM foods are
health problems.
The factor that keeps consumers
from buying organic food is the price.
There was no mention of repelling
pests from crops.
It is quite evident that our
classmates have never given this issue much thought.
Most of them are not sure of their
information.
Even though the health risks of GM
food is removed, they will still prefer organic food.
World hunger can be resolved by
using GM food as the main concern is the existence of food and not
how healthy it is.
Organic food is stereotyped as
food for extremely health conscious people.
All of them seem to be against GM
food due to potential health problems.
Some of them feel that if GM foods
were to become more popular, foods that have not been genetically
modified would eventually die out, while others feel that they would
still be consumed by health conscious people.
