GM FOOD > SWEET AS YOU ARE > AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE

Writing Sweet As You Are

Perspective from playwright Jonathon Hall

	Jonathon Hall (centre)

Genetic modification- isn't that like BSE?'
For many people the concept of the genetic modification of crops is one that conjures up an array of fears concerning the very food they eat- fears for the most part magnified by their relative ignorance of the whole subject. To many people, with memories of E Coli, Salmonella and BSE fresh in their minds the 'tampering' of the food they eat can only be at best a highly dubious business.

"I want to talk to you today about the process known as G.M. G.M.- the genetic modification of the crops from which we get our food. And I make no secret of the fact I want to scare you."

Unfortunately people’s doubts and fears are for the most part fed by the most easily accessible sources of information about the subject- organisations that are fervent in their opposition to the process such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. If you add to this the fact that many of those in favour of the process are large international corporations who are automatically open to suspicions of putting profit before environment a decidedly unbalanced picture emerges about the whole subject.

Genetic modification of crops is becoming important in all our lives and therefore people need to be educated in order to make informed decisions about the subject. Unfortunately those most likely to inform those decisions tend to be those either ardently 'pro' or ardently 'anti' the idea- clouding the arguments they present to people.

"I don't know what to think- I just wish people'd shut up, eat black pudding and have done with it."

'Sweet As You Are’ is an attempt to redress this balance by hopefully presenting the relevant issues in a more balanced way, while at the same time examining the fears and concerns with which the public generally view scientific subjects about which they have little actual knowledge.(for a breakdown of the issues addressed see attached sheet)

The drama itself is fairly simple, centering as it does around two people and the influence they have on a person undecided about many things in life, not just the question of G.M.

Ben is a campaigner against G.M. He's a fighter, much given to public rallies and protests. Passionate about his cause he's not afraid to use an array of arguments- genetic pollution, the creation of super weeds, the potential increased use of herbicides- in his attempts to win people round to his cause.

Andy takes a more balanced view about the subject. Her work as a lab technician has given her a healthy skepticism about scientists as a breed and her scientific knowledge enables her to counteract some of the more extreme fears Luke propounds.

The two are destined to clash and clash they do. The person caught up in the middle is Jenny. Ben’s fiancée, used to accepting his arguments and viewpoints at face value, her life is somewhat disrupted by the arrival of Andy as her new flat mate, causing her to challenge some of the view points she once accepted without question.

Who’s right and who’s wrong? More importantly what does Jenny make of it all? Is Andy simply putting a point of view forward or is it that she just can't stand Ben? And are Ben's arguments to be trusted- or does he have a hidden agenda? With an important job contract threatening to link Jenny to the pro G.M cause for good sitting on the fence is simply no longer an option.

Jonathon Hall