Miriam McDonald: Emma Nelson

Quotes 

• Emma Nelson : [to Manny, JT and Toby]  Hey, guys! Wait up.

  Toby Isaacs : Uh, what's that?

  Emma Nelson : It's for my presentation to Raditch.

  J.T. Yorke : Uh-oh. Emma's on the warpath. Better head for the hills.

  Manny Santos : You guys should be proud of Em. She's Degrassi's very own Joan of Ark.

  Toby Isaacs : Uh, Joan of Ark was a lunatic who took orders from a burning bush.

• Emma Nelson : [holding a tomato]  Mr. Raditch, try one of these.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : Tomatoes.

  Nadia Jamir : Genetically modified tomatoes, like Sheila uses in the caf.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : It's perfectly fine.

  Emma Nelson : Yeah, and you could hardly even taste the scorpion, can you? They add scorpion DNA to make them resistant to pests. Of course, nobody knows what eating scorpion DNA will do to us.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : You're right. That is disturbing, but it's also speculation. I've done some research on GM foods and I know they haven't proven to be harmful.

  Ashley Kerwin : Or harmless.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : Making crops resistant to drought and disease might be worth the risk. Thanks for all your hard work and for bringing this to my attention, but with the cutbacks, we're lucky to even have a cafeteria. I'm sorry.

• Sean Cameron : [to Emma]  If you don't like the food in the caf, then just don't eat it.

  Emma Nelson : That's not it. I want people to know what they're eating. That like the apples they sell in the caf might have fish DNA in them.

  Sean Cameron : The apples got fish stuff in them? Man, that's messed up.

  Emma Nelson : That's what I mean.

  Sean Cameron : I don't know. I don't usually care about this kind of stuff, but it seems like you got something important to say.

  Emma Nelson : I think I do.

  Sean Cameron : Well, then don't back down. Don't let Raditch shut you up.

• Ellie Nash : [to Emma as she's passing out flyers]  Sheila's trying to poison us? Come on.

  Emma Nelson : I wouldn't expect you to be on the GM food side, Ellie.

  Ellie Nash : I didn't say that I was, but if it means kids can afford lunch...

  Emma Nelson : Yeah, and cancer twenty years from now.

  Ellie Nash : If I was starving to death in the third world, I'd rather die of cancer in the future than not have a future at all.

• Emma Nelson : [after seeing JT and Sheila in a commercial for the school cafeteria]  You know what I just said about giving up? I lied.

• Emma Nelson : You're actually buying this toxic junk?

  Sheila : Hey, watch it! That's slander.

  Emma Nelson : Well, so was your commercial.

• Principal Daniel Raditch : [after the food fight in the cafeteria] 

  [to Emma] 

  Principal Daniel Raditch : You're suspended for the rest of the day.

  Emma Nelson : But I didn't throw anything!

  Principal Daniel Raditch : You started it by all accounts. First, the flyers and then all this...

  Emma Nelson : So that's what this is about? You're punishing me for protesting?

  [as Mr. Raditch is dialing his phone] 

  Emma Nelson : If you're calling my mom, she's away at a stylist convention.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : Then I'll release you to your stepfather.

  Emma Nelson : Fine. Archie... Mr. Simpson will support me 100%.

• Archie 'Snake' Simpson : [to Emma]  What is this really about, hmm? Are you testing me?

  Emma Nelson : It's not you. It's Raditch and since you're my new dad, I though you'd support me.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : Emma, you're suspended. You have to go home now.

• Principal Daniel Raditch : [to Emma as she's protesting outside of school]  You about done here, Ms. Nelson?

  Emma Nelson : I'm not on school property and I'm not leaving until my voice is heard.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : Oh, your voice will be heard.

  Emma Nelson : That sounds like a threat... sir.

  Principal Daniel Raditch : It's a suggestion. You either apologize for all this on tomorrow morning's video announcements or you get a one-week suspension.

• Archie 'Snake' Simpson : [to Emma as he walks through the door]  Hey.

  Emma Nelson : May as well get it over with.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : Get what over with?

  Emma Nelson : The yelling, the speech, the "you're in serious trouble" talk.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : I think you probably heard enough speeches today.

  Emma Nelson : Did you hear Mr. Raditch? I either apologize on tomorrow's announcements or I get suspended.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : Ah.

  Emma Nelson : I can't. I can't apologize for doing something I believe in.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : Emma, there are hills to die on. Are you sure this is one of them?

  Emma Nelson : You and Mom have a baby on the way. My little brother or sister. Aren't you worried? Do you really want them eating this weird Frankenstein food?

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : We don't even know if it's harmful.

  Emma Nelson : We don't know if it's safe and I'm scared to take that chance.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : As a part of your family, I totally support you, but as your teacher...

  Emma Nelson : You're stuck.

  Archie 'Snake' Simpson : Yeah, I'm stuck. So I think you're gonna have to make this decision on your own.

• Emma Nelson : Fellow students, staff and faculty. I've been asked here this morning to apologize to you and to Mr. Raditch, but I can't. I can't apologize for wanting to be heard. I'm sorry the food fight happened and for making a mess in Sheila's cafeteria, but other than that, I feel I did nothing wrong yesterday. You can agree or disagree with me about GM foods. That's not the point. The point is I have a right to express my opinion and you have a right to be informed. If fighting for that will get me a week suspension, then I can live with that.