Raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt: A thoroughly modern Marie Antoinette
Amy and I went to Versailles last summer while touring around France, and I’ve seen that Marie Antoinette movie so I consider myself well-versed in the French aristocracy of the late 18th century.
Toronto Globe and Mail columnist John Doyle explored the same themes this morning in a review of a documentary about Ontario raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt which is being broadcast tonight on Wallyworld – sorry, Newsworld, Canada’s cable news program.
It's a fascinating documentary with many passionate declarations on whether farmers should be allowed to sell raw milk and the public should be allowed to consume it. It's rich in irony.
It's also an enraging program, largely because the real issue is the existence of the urban bourgeoisie's delusion of invincibility, ignorance about science and tendency to posture in order to justify selfishness.
Schmidt himself is a fascinating character, self-mythologizing relentlessly and shrewdly. He's always in a hat or cap and presents himself as an artist. No doubt his little farm is clean and well-run, but when Schmidt and his cabal of celebrity-chef supporters appear together and prattle on about taste and claim to be against "big business," they're just nitwits. …
The vulnerability of children is a key issue. Sure, adults are entitled to choice - but allowed the choice of giving unpasteurized milk to children, who have no choice? Call me peculiar, but the safety of children has nothing to do with the "nanny state" interfering in some alleged gourmand's taste for dangerous foods. One reason the nanny state exists is to protect the young, the elderly and the vulnerable. …
Watching Schmidt and his supporters, I was reminded of the one of the phenomena of the Romantic period in Europe - all those pastoral elegies of the 1700s, in which the poet idealizes rustic life, especially the shepherd, for the enjoyment of aristocrats.
That phenomenon peaked, I suppose, in France, in the late 18th century, when it was a fad at the French court to play at being part of the pastoral world. Marie Antoinette liked nothing better than to pretend she was a shepherdess (that's her Versailles farmhouse, right and below). It was an indulgent fantasy, very far removed from the reality of rustic life. Then came the Revolution. And little wonder. The raw-milk issue is about today's Marie Antoinettes.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/admin/trackback/93402
yea how is it we are the only species on earth that that requires another species milk to survive the writer of this story must have gone to the dairy board for research both pasturization and homogenizing processes may need to be looked at and where and how given it is at a molecular level does the nutrient survive this process or is it added after gee would appear to be added after
And how dare you use children as a selfish excuse for your own ignorance
It would appear that the research on milk has been done for twenty years what is the relationship between milk and osteoperosis in woman the leeching of calcium from the bones is not caused by high heels and tight underwear it is the food you put in your mouth
have a look at most bottled waters ph level lower than tap water which according to world health standards is acidic and harmful to the body yet money talks and a label or health sponsership makes it good for you where are you mothers of our children taking us with these aesthetic products support women are the greatest consumers of artificial sweetners in the world and suffer accordingly next favourite product is bottled water and it is recommended for rinsing and washing the outside of the body only. At its average ph check it cost ya five bucks at chemist for kit and check ya milk while there, may give you a surprise esp skinny one .
i can not afford to keep subsidising your health based on your lack of comprehension of basic science
good luck on your journey
love light peace
a friend
The article by John Doyle, is worth reading and I appreciate the link. The "10 topics that a Canadian columnist can warble about" are alone worth a laugh!
You hit the nail on the head and help people see through Schmidt's PR façade.
Would society let him ride a motorcycle without a helmet or snort cocaine just because he disagreed with society’s laws?
If Schmidt wants to change the law, he should do it legally and not put people at risk. Raw milk might be safe 95% of the time, including on Schmidt's farm. That's not good enough. Raw milk can carry killers such as ecoli and listeria.
This is not a matter of personal choice since pathogens that can be present in any raw milk cause transmissible diseases. He is putting all our children at risk by breaking the law.
This is about making money. Schmidt feigns altruism but he is easily grossing more than $500,000 in milk sales at $3 per litre to his devout followers. Does he declare this cash income and pay taxes? He has publicly admitted that he does not. Schmidt thinks he is above the law and seems to believe he is right and that society and science are wrong.
George, what is your argument for the fact that for many generations your family and many others consumed raw milk everday. Think about it. Yes factory farm milk should be pasturized, but not the properly managed small farm milk. Raw milk available in the US is tested monthly and strict procedures must be followed. This is called certified raw milk. This is what is needed in Canada, to give people the choice they deserve. Visit Micheal Schmidts farm yourself and than visit any other factory dairy farm. Fully educate yourself George, not all raw milk is created equally.