While many will admit that Monsanto has evil business practices, horrible animal testing policies and basically wants to rule the world, you can't deny that its not that bad of a company. As a friend who works for Monsanto put it "all the really bad things that Monsanto has created has been created for the US Government."
Now, I know that a company like this spawns people who hate it for what it is and others like it for what it can do. Let's look at some of the things that Monsanto has done.
First of all, in its first 50 years Monsanto was responsible for giving my great grandfather a job as a chemical engineer and while that sounds like just a job, considering that my great great grandfather before was a farmer working land in what is now Corondelet, near St. Louis, if he hadn't gotten that job, my family may have not had been as it is now. Back then, Monsanto was responsible for the production of such things as caffeine, saccharin and even sulfuric acid. Monsanto sold the caffeine and saccharin to Cocoa Cola and helped to grow.
Monsanto was also important in making such materials as rubber, plastics and synthetics. They were the first to make and produce everything from seeds that could survive cold winters to things like LED's.
Now, they have created some 'bad' things and most of these things were okay at the time and now, are seen as bad. Monsanto is responsible for Agent Orange, DDT and most if not all of the herbicides and pesticides that are used today. Those poisons don't degrade and as such, do leave toxic prints wherever they are laid.
They also can genetically modify foods and while it may be seen as a great help in feeding this every-growing world, a lot of people don't like the idea of eating anything that has been genetically modified. The fact is that if you have been eating any fruit or vegetable, most likely it has already been genetically modified. Most people don't know this, but I found out from an earlier article I had written that what we enjoy as Strawberries, were created as a genetic crossbreed in 1740! So, if you are eating things like seedless watermelons, soy milk or strawberries, you are ingesting things that have been genetically modified. And GM foods are what will feed this world in the future. Imagine corn that can be grown in super hot temperatures or can even withstand frost. Imagine wheat that has twice as much protein in it so when bread is made from it we eat healthier. Imagine seeds that insects will never touch or eat and are harmful to them so when we eat that which is grown from it, we are happy. Imagine how food can be changed to fit our world now.
Now, some people will say that why should humans eat something that is dangerous to animals and insects? Well, chocolate is poisonous to my cat, people have life threatening allergies to nuts and shellfish and people get sick from drinking water out of the tap. So, does this mean that I should not eat chocolate, shellfish or water?
Still we cannot deny that Monsanto does do things like sue farmers if a seed of theirs lands on their property after taking a ride from the wind or an animal and the farmer does not pay for licensing. This type of business work is similar to one installing copies of Windows 7 onto computers and then suing those computer owners for not paying for the licenses. I don't agree with this practice nor do I defend Monsanto.
I know that the example is a bit fuzzy but I have spoken with a lot of people who tell me that we should not eat pigs because pigs do not eat humans. For every one person that has evidence to support an idea there is someone who can rebuke it. I am not saying that Monsanto does not dump toxic waste into waterways or poison animals and plants. But compared to other companies and even our own government, Monsanto is a saint. I defend Monsanto a bit, because it is located in St. Louis and such a central part of our economy and I have friends who work there. Besides that, they are evil but as I listed, they do and have provided things for us.
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