Corn Ethics

975 Words4 Pages
The average American annually consumes 600.5 lb. of dairy products, 415.4 lb.. of vegetables, 110 lbs. of red meat, and indirectly roughly 1540 lb.. of corn (Awika, 8). Corn—whether we are aware of it or not—has become a part of what it means to be American. It is now as central to the national psyche as Sunday Night Football and the systematic oppression of native peoples. Corn is absolutely everywhere. A trip to the supermarket is akin to a self-guided tour through The Museum of Achievement In Corn. To the right, you may view the collection of High Fructose Corn Syrup sodas, and to the left you will find a showcase of 93 percent corn-based ground beef. We have a national obsession with the king crop of the Americas, and a manic drive to incorporate it in as many non-kernelled foods as we can. Our love knows no bounds; and shortcomings concerning our favorite crop fall on deaf ears. Many Americans are ignorant to the fact or unable to accept that corn may not be the great wonder-crop. This national obsession threatens our ethics, our relationship with nature, our bodies, and our economy. Though we first accepted corn as a symbol of our national…show more content…
We are so enraptured by our love of corn that we ignore the troubling reality of its production. Is it really acceptable to fundamentally alter an entire species’ genetic code, just so our corn pops will stay cheap? Questions like these are seldom asked and never answered, for acknowledging the truth of our obsession is sure to be painful. We have cast our nation as Gods among men, and stand by as our society meddles in the innermost workings of nature. It is a field we are not suited for, and one we cannot sustain. But if our love of corn is to continue as it has for decades, it is necessary. We have allowed a single aspect of our culinary identity to shroud the nation’s sense of right and
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