How Dr. T. Colin Campbell Has Fueled an International Movement Through Dissent and Courageous Resistance [ESRC]

• In Event: 8th Annual Emerging Scholars Research Consortium

Short Description

Inclusivity created through dissent and courageous resistance has propelled transformation in the United States and around the globe. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malala Yousafzai are exemplary examples, and others, like Dr. T. Colin Campbell share their commitment to authenticity despite overwhelming opposition.

Detailed Abstract

"In 2013, I partnered with Dr. T. Colin Campbell on how to fight the epidemic of chronic disease by advocating for a whole-food-plant-based (WFPB) diet versus an animal-based diet. Author of The China Study (2005), Whole (2013) and star of the documentary Forks Over Knives (2011), which was anticipated to make the Oscar short list in 2011, Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s work has propelled the whole-food-plant-based movement.
“Almost all of us in the United States will die of diseases of affluence” (Campbell & Campbell, 2005, p. 104). Disruptive change is often spurred by a disorienting dilemma (Mälkki,2012), the loss of a child, a cheating spouse or a cancer diagnosis. The challenge for Dr. Campbell was how to spur disruptive change in the field of health and wellness. “Disruptive change is defined as shifts in the macro-environment and competitive environment that eventually threaten the underlying business model of the industry or organization” (Meredith, 2014, p. A70). Unfortunately, healthcare in the United States is a business, funneling billions of dollars into privatized medicine. Between 1962 and 2008 the percentage of overweight and obese Americans jumped from 13 to 64 percent (Campbell, 2013).
As the health of Americans has declined the healthcare industry has not changed its approach. Meredith (2014) harkens back to the parable of the boiling frog, when describing disruptive change. A frog dropped in boiling water will react, but when placed in room temperature water that is slowly increased in temperature, the frog will stay immersed and eventually die, having never attempted to change its fate. This is our healthcare system, the system that Dr. Campbell has been challenging for several decades.

The China Study
“Thinking occurs when the flow of experience is disrupted” (Jarvis, 1999, p. 66). T. Colin Campbell grew up on a farm. He ate meat, drank milk and believed in the benefits of animal- based proteins. As an adult, he rose to become one of the most well-respected nutrition scientists in the world. Charged with determining how to provide more protein for starving communities around the globe, Dr. Campbell stumbled upon a disturbing correlation between liver cancer in children and animal-based proteins. “We were sent to the Philippines to make sure that they were getting enough protein. I was funded by the National Institutes of Health for twenty-seven years to study nutrition and cancer”. Dr. Campbell’s work was preceded in the 1970’s by a unique survey on the prevalence and geographic location of cancer in China initiated by China’s Premier, Chou EnLai. The survey focused on the death rates for twelve types of cancer spanning 2,400 counties and 880 million citizens.

Dissent, Courageous Resistance and Truth Telling
Dr. Campbell exemplifies all three of the dimensions of being a courageous resister which includes other-oriented, selfless behavior, intentional action, and sustained behavior over time (Thalhammer,O'Loughlin & McFarland, 2007). His choice to go head to head with the United States Department of Agriculture has made him public enemy number one. According to Dr. Campbell, his colleagues at Cornell University have not been supportive as several are extremely involved with the USDA, the Dairy Council and other entities that are involved in maintaining the status quo.
“Clearly, dissent is not for everyone, nor is it necessary that everyone dissent. It is a spiritual vocation. Not all are called” (Banks, 2008, p. 180). The sanctity of dissent that Banks offers is truly a powerful accounting of the liberating quality of dissent. The idea that not all are called was a bold but thoughtful statement. Dr. Colin Campbell heard a call and he answered. “Nevertheless, dissent in its essence is holy. Jesus himself was a dissenter, and this fact alone hallows dissent. ‘Think not’, he said, ‘that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword’ (Matt. 10:34). The sword is asserted here not as a metaphor for physical violence, but as the cruciform symbol of opposition” (Banks, 2008, p. 170).
“The truth belongs to all of us” (Campbell, 2013, p. xv). In Whole, Dr. Campbell’s intention was to poignantly give readers his argument for adopting a WFPB diet. The China Study (2005) discussed the evidence behind the correlation of disease and animal-based proteins. Whole provides Dr. Campbell’s account of what is wrong with “The Disease-Care System” (p.4) and “Modern Health-Care Myth” (p.3). A WFPB diet is not only upheld by Campbell as a means to improved personal health, but also as a means to addressing issues of global warming, poverty and economic exploitation. Dr. Campbell eloquently and ferociously tells what he believes is the whole story of the inter-connectedness of our food, health and economic industries.
Arguably, there were moments in Dr. Campbell’s life when he could have buckled under the pressure of his opponents, and provided a different, more acceptable version of his research. He chose not to do this. Instead, he continued to tell the truth, and to remain genuine in his belief that his conclusions were the beginning of creating a more sustainable world. As Quinn puts it, leaders in a fundamental state are “a distortion to the social system in which we reside. We are a new signal to which others must respond. In this sense, we become creators of a new order” (2004, p. ix). In this case, the new order is a WFPB world and Dr. Campbell is creating it.

Special Note:
On July 21st of this year, I will meet Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate, activist and transformational leader. My organization will host Malala as a part of our partnership with the Mayor’s Office to launch a campaign that will work to make Los Angeles a more equal city for all girls regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic background or immigration status. Malala also embodies how dissent and courageous resistance are creating an inclusive, transformational movement across the globe for women and girls. I plan to include my work with her and the summit we are hosting as a part of this discussion."

Participant

• Leah Michelle Burton, Burton Enterprises