Workingmen's

Workingmen's

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Extra Credit Post: Neoliberalism in Action

I'm not too educated on the issue of Monsanto or GMO foods. I haven't read up on it too much and as science is not my strong suit, I really have no concept of what it means to genetically modify food. But I think I know enough to stand by my words when I say: Fuck Monsanto. Monsanto's actions are perfect examples of neoliberalism in action. Not only that, but they are perfect examples of neoliberalism that has hurt my home and my people specifically.

Until I took this class I had no concept of what "neoliberalism" meant. David Harvey's "Neoliberalism On Trial" does an exceptional job of explaining accumulation by dispossession, and cites many ways in which poor countries essentially "subsidize the rich". The article explains how "surplus populations" are created when people are essentially expelled from the economy. Now that I understand these concepts, I realize that my first lesson in neoliberalism occurred around the summer of my first year of college.

Although I was born in Colombia, I am not up to date on news about what happens in the country. My mother, however, often knows what is happening in the Colombia. That summer, her computer and phone screens flared with tweets and social media posts of devastating news for our homeland. A law had passed in agreement with the U.S government that many crops grown by farmers would be outlawed, and replaced with U.S imported, government-issued Monsanto GMO seeds and growing materials rationed out to farmers. What!?!? What about foods that don't grow in the U.S?? Would those be outlawed?? What would happen to our yuca? Our guanabana? What are Colombians expected to do? Replace their yuca with Monsanto approved all-American baked potatoes? Damn. There goes a staple of our culture. There goes our freedom to choose. And what about the farmers who made money growing these native crops? They would likely be out of work. There's that "surplus population" Harvey was talking about.

Protests broke out in the streets of Colombia. Police turned violently on civilians and the media was not allowed to report on it. My mother furiously scrolled through social media, obliging the pleas of so many Colombians. "SHARE WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. SHARE WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO OUR PEOPLE." The issue may seem miniscule in the context of the United States, but Colombia is not much larger than the state of Texas, and farmers, many of indigenous descent, make up a large portion of the population. They are also the poorest of the country's poor. It blew my mind that these processes of violent capitalism, colonialism, classism, and police violence were happening all at once in my home country. I now realize that what I witnessed was a perfect example of neoliberalism, and after making this connection, my disdain for neoliberalism is personal. My heart broke for my people. I tried to get the word out myself on social media, but I didn't succeed. I didn't know what else to do. Thanks, Monsanto. Thanks, USA.

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