Let us make haste to go buy organic quinoa.
Photo Credit: Luca Cinacchio
Late last week a story broke about a new study that shows that people that buy organic products are self righteous snobs. My initial reaction was to laugh out loud…literally. Then I got mad; like, really mad. Then I did some reflection over the weekend because I wanted to be honest with myself & you. Here are my thoughts.
The idea that people that buy organic items are jerks simply because of their shopping habits is laughable at best. Here’s a news flash: People are jerks because of their attitudes, not what they buy. I’ve met many people that are jerks that buy all overly refined, chemical laden items & I’ve met people that were jerks that buy hand crafted, artisanal products. It’s not what’s in their shopping carts that dictates their behavior, it’s what is in their hearts.
What also troubled me about this study, is that it’s insulting. The stereotype of organic foodies being rude & greedy is just as offensive as the stereotype that people that buy cheese in a can are lazy & uneducated. Could you find examples of both stereotypes on any given day? I’m sure you could. However I’ve met many people that are hard working, honest people that like cheese in a can & I’ve met lots of people that purchase organic products & they would give you the shirt off their backs.
Here is where my self reflection comes in to play: I’ll admit that in the past, I may have been a bit arrogant about my shopping habits. There, I said it. Not intentionally, but rather because I am very passionate about the idea that organic products are better for our environment. This does not mean that I looked down on others that didn’t agree with me, nor did I think I was better than them. If I’m being perfectly honest, I think my attitude at the time was that I thought I was better informed on the subject. This possibly made me a little big for my britches, so to speak.
Does that mean I refused to help others, volunteer, or hoard my money? Uh….no. I have volunteered at numerous organizations over the years, I have donated money to both charitable organizations & panhandlers on the street corner, & I take issue with some university telling me otherwise. There are lots of people with very little money that are committed to eating organic foods, either by saving in other areas or growing their own. Does this make them jerks? No, it makes them good stewards of our planet. To imply they are jerks because of their shopping habits is offensive. To imply that I would walk past a man on the street & turn my nose up at him because I have a bag full of organic produce is offensive. And if you know me at all, you know that my daughter & I often buy food or hand out money to the people on the street corners…because it’s the decent thing to do. Because I am teaching my child to take care of others, just like I am teaching her to care for our planet by buying organic products.
Lastly, I have shopped at major chain stores (Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, etc) & specialty stores (PCC Natural Markets, Whole Foods Market, Central Market, etc) all over the Puget Sound & I have never, ever seen an employee berate a customer for what they buy or their lack of reusable shopping bags. Never. The idea that a store would stay in business while employing staff like this is insane. But hey, it makes for a good story, right?
So, shame on you Loyola & the media for making organic consumers look like rich, greedy jerks. And if you are a jerk…whether you buy organic or not…shame on you.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, the original article was poorly written. I live in Seattle and have shopped everywhere from Safeway to Trader Joe’s to PCC. I’ve never been treated poorly and I’ve never been looked down on for my food choices (which admittedly range from healthy to crap!) I have a feeling the author was overly dramatic for effect. Also, I’d like to know where she was charged for a grocery bag. While the grocery bag ordinance was passed, it doesn’t go into effect until July. Strange.
Sara, agreed. The charging for a bag part made me giggle since it’s obviously incorrect (or the store was incorrect in charging her). And while we eat mainly organic items, I’ve been known to indulge in some bad choices too!
The article sucks! There are a few things that really get my goat. Since when do people make moral choices only to give themselves license to do immoral things? I’m going to buy organic food so now I can turn around and rob a bank? What in the world? And who in the world throws gross food into their cart to “rile people up”? Who says these things? It seems like everything in the article is just nonsense and unfounded and insulting. Somebody with WAY too much time on their hands. How dare we try to do what’s best for our planet and ourselves?
I try really hard not to act like I know anything about anything when it comes to our food choices. I just know what works for our family and I am grateful to have friends in my life who helped guide me through the journey from bad to good without judgement.
Your post is fun, BTW.
Melody, I was wondering what you would think about this!
You’re right; we’re all just trying to make it through & do the best we can for our families. Pointing fingers & calling people names isn’t going to help at all.
And call me crazy, I would much rather have seen Loyola do a study on how organic farming can feed more people than conventional farming. There have been numerous studies done to prove that, but hey, Loyola….let’s not mention that at all. Otherwise you’d look like jerks, right?
Ha! Love it! Yes, I am so tired of people automatically assuming I’m a snob because I eat organic. I am super passionate about helping people live better, and it can be so frustrating that people make assumptions about who I am as a person because of the way my family eats.
Exactly! I think people are so quick to judge lately. I want to say “Just let me buy my food in peace & I’ll let you do the same” when I go shopping.
I am far from wealthy. I live a very frugal life so I can use better products on my tight budget. Usually the people who judge are the ones who know they should do something but choose to keep doing their bad behaviors that make them feel bad. And when they see someone doing the right thing they choose to attack them to make themselves not feel so bad. Ridiculous!
I figure if there is one place I will spend a bit more, it’s the food that nourishes my family. It’s just a priority to me & I save elsewhere. That doesn’t make me a jerk (at least, I don’t think so).
I love this.
I like to say I was organically grown, and I still have the shirt my mama wore when she was pregnant with me and working at a natural foods store before they were cool as evidence!
It may be no surprise, but since I was raised eating almost no foods out of cans and with an appreciation for recycling anything and everything before most people knew it was an option, it never occurred to me that there was really an alternative to eating as much whole, organic foods as possible. It always just seemed like the optimal way of doing things. I love the earth and I love knowing what I’m eating, so natural and organic food whenever possible just makes sense!
As for the stereotyping, I may be either dillusional or biased, but most of the people I’ve ever met who are very committed to the organic lifestyle seem nicer than usual to me!