The big (rat) picture (#GMOMonday)

For the past two weeks, I have been discussing a “scientific” study that came out one year ago. The study, which involved feeding genetically modified corn to tumor-prone rats, claimed that the corn caused cancer, organ damage and tumors in those rats. Some called it a hoax, others a scam, but from a statistical point of view, it was clear that the “rat study” was fatally flawed.

Last week, I wrote about how troubling it is that even a year later, anti-GMO activists, commentators and government officials are still citing the debunked study (GMO stands for genetically modified organism). This week, I want to discuss another troubling consequence of that study: the use of emotionally charged images in the debate, some of which originated in the “rat study.”

When I recently picked up the rat study myself to determine the truth about it, I found some of those photos lurking on page five. There they were in all of their grotesque glory—photos of gloved hands holding up three white lab rats, all helplessly bulging with tumors. Leaving aside the purpose of these photos in the study itself (some have argued that they were inappropriately placed there, especially since there was no photo of a rat from the control group, some of whose rats developed tumors as well), I worry about the way I see them being used.

Perhaps you have seen some of the images that surround the GMO debate: Photos of a delicious-looking corn or tomato with a syringe hanging threateningly above; people in hazmat suits and gas masks standing next to a field; or perhaps even those photos of bulging, tumor-riddled rats.

My concern is that these images—which typically show up when someone is touting the dangers of GMOs—tend to overshadow whatever argument is being made, while leaving the indelible impression that genetically modified foods are unsafe.

For those trying to make a rational decision about whether or not they want to eat GMOs, these graphic images distract from the need to do real thinking on the subject. The images are intended to bypass your brain by evoking an overwhelming emotional response.

A few years ago, philosopher Leonard Peikoff gave an excellent talk that examines more closely the use of grotesque, emotionally charged pictures in debates and arguments. As he puts it: “The intense emotion causes you to narrow your focus, to become blind to every other consideration. . . . In other words, the picture seduces you into responding to a concrete example while blithely ignoring all of the surrounding information that would enable you to interpret the picture rationally.”

The picture causes all other evidence and facts to “fade into seeming insignificance and disappear from your mental screen,” according to Peikoff. It’s an age-old technique (look up “appeal to emotion” in any logic textbook), and I think it is telling. In the case of GMOs, what do those who use these provocative images want you to ignore?

Image credit: Jlhopgood via Compfight

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