King Corn Summary Essay
In King Corn, the researchers tried to create a scale experiment of what growing corn is like and where it goes. I’m not sure how I think it relates to the real world—their research and following the train of the corn is great, but they don’t really understand what it’s like to be a farmer dependent on corn. They are able to have perspectives and opinions about it without it being the source of their family’s livelihood for generations. The problems of what farmers can really do about our obsession with corn and how to make both us and them less dependent on it are tied very closely, and just focusing on why we shouldn’t be so dependent and how it is harmful to them ignores the question, “What are their options?” Butz’s statement about reducing food costs is one I have thought of many times. I would like to eat better, more healthily, and more sustainably, but it is very expensive to do so. While I, as a single, (almost) college-educated white person with considerable privilege, may be able to accommodate that in my budget by rearranging how much I spend on other categories, or even by cutting back on how much of each paycheck I save in order to make an investment in my future health, many people I know are not able to do this. When you are living paycheck to paycheck, or even prospective paycheck to prospective paycheck on credit and loans, you cannot afford to spend any extra money. It is not a secret that healthy, organic, whole food is expensive. Even eating non-organic