King Corn

Steven Walcott

Blog post 1- King Corn

In the film king corn, Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney were intrigued with the connection between corn and the life span of the current generation.  What started as an innocent investigation led to the discovery that changed their perception of corn and its impact on lager situations. Through various experiments, research and exploration Aaron and Ian were able to answer their query.  Along the way, they also found a correlation between corn and the obesity rate that has skyrocketed over the past years.

What sprouted Curt and Ian’s curiosity was when they visited a scientist in order to figure out what their bodies consisted of. To their surprise, DNA of corn was found in their hair. Fascinated with this discovery, the men hypothesized the current generation will not live as long as their parents did.  To prove the theory, the men decided to grow a corn field for a year in Iowa.  Known for their corn fields, Iowa would be the perfect candidate.  One obvious obstacle was the field.  Aaron and Ian did not have a place to farm. To solve their dilemma they asked one of the local farmers to use one of his many fields.

As a farmer would do, the men grew corn over a period of months until ready to pick. Within the first bite they realized the corn was not edible and not appetizing for human consumption.  This rose the question of why corn cannot be eaten right after it is picked. Through research they realized that the corn had to be modified to be edible. Both guys interview many farmers asking if they support the way corn is distributed. Many answered no. some would not eat the corn that they have grown. This led to the pathway of their question being answered.

Most of the corn was made into corn syrup. The syrup is a sweetener to sweeten foods. Many foods today contain high fructose corn syrup. Curious about the process of how the syrup is made curt and Ian called the factory that created it; still no answers. To handle this issue they guys decided to make their corn syrup. The sweet taste of the syrup was ideal to put in sodas and many soft drinks. Because corn is grown at a low cost meant the syrup was cheap to make. Natural sugar is more expensive, therefore desired to grow.

Curt and Ian visited Brooklyn, New York to examine the connection between corn and the obesity rate. After inspecting the content labels of many soft drinks such a Pepsi and Coco-cola, they soon realized that the common ingredient was corn syrup. The cheap price of corn was ideal for big corporation’s hence mass production of goods containing corn syrup. Many health risks including diabetes are common because of large consumption of corn syrup.  One man that Curt and Ian interviewed explained that every day he would drink soda. As a result, he weighted over 400 pounds and diagnosed with diabetes. This evidence helped support the theory of why the present generation would not live as long as previous generations.

Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis answer their question through various problem solving techniques. Experimentation and numerous interviews helped answer the connection between corn and future health problems.  This gave both men an insight of how corn is being used in today’s society in comparison to previous generations.