With the 2012 Presidential Election just around the corner, it seems pertinent to discuss the role of creative writing in Propositions. Beside the spew of reoccurring rhetoric that every presidential candidate in history has ever presented his audience, there are a bevy of other equally important issues to be decided. In California, on the 2012 ballot, there are thirteen statewide ballot propositions; eleven of which are on the November 6, 2012 ballot and two which were on the June 5, 2012 ballot. Proposition 37, the Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food, is one topic that is causing great strife for companies such as Pepsico and Monsanto as well as a few other noteworthy food producers.
The legal jargon and lack of specificity creates a bit of an “unknown” circumstance for the aforementioned companies. On the face of it, Prop 37 appears rather transparent and clear. If it were to be approved it would:
“Require labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.
Prohibit labeling or advertising such food as “natural.”
Exempt from this requirement foods that are “certified organic; unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material; made from animals fed or injected with genetically engineered material but not genetically engineered themselves; processed with or containing only small amounts of genetically engineered ingredients; administered for treatment of medical conditions; sold for immediate consumption such as in a restaurant; or alcoholic beverages.” http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_37,_Mandatory_Labeling_of_Genetically_Engineered_Food_(2012)
The mysterious unknown manufactured by this Proposition concerns how things will be labeled. Will the labeling be discreet and professional or will it appear gruesome and perhaps taint a customer’s outlook on the product? Will companies who import some of their food from countries around the world be able to mandate their suppliers to do add labels?
The aspect of creative writing in legal jargon is monumental. Alongside its role as a mode of articulation in legal procedures, its significance as a determinant in the appearance of a product is vastly important as well. As a result, creative writing runs rampant throughout Propositions, causing inference and implication not to be enough, instead severe specificity is required for both consumers and suppliers.
