Corn as we know it today is a hard, inedible crop destined for a single end–processing. Without this step it is utterly useless as a foodstuff, or as anything else but toxic cow feed for that matter. ”King Corn” makes not only this argument, but more specifically that the current overproduction of industrialized corn is slowly destroying the environment and the creatures that inhabit it. As a documentary, the entire argument of the movie is based upon facts. One could contend that only one side of it is shown, but even then one would have to concede that it is difficult to misrepresent visual evidence when there are clearly no actors or visual tricks used in the picture. Perhaps some of the most compelling arguments in the documentary were made with the combination of data and pathos. Personally, the most memorable, as well as the most disturbing point in the movie, was the visit to a Colorado feed lot. The viewer sees the disgusting, cramped conditions the cows are forced to endure, of which industrialized corn is the evil mastermind, and can’t help but to feel some sort of sympathy. Along with the various shots of the animals in this dreadful situation, facts behind the lots are offered to the viewer that would make any human squirm uncomfortably. First, the audience learns that the corn is what makes these lots possible. Because the subsidized corn is so unbelievably inexpensive, farmers can feed many more cows than they would usually be able to, and therefore cram more onto their lots. Then, one learns that what the cattle eat hardly constitutes as food at all. The corn that the cattle consume every day slowly kills them. As research, and credible sources tell the audience this, they must unwillingly accept the truth behind this cruel treatment. Not only is the corn unhealthy for the cattle, but it indirectly harms the environment as well. The waste these giant lots produce is equivalent to, or can even exceed that produced by a city of 1.7 million people. This mind blowing statistic violently shakes the audience, and only further helps them to tune into a reality we are often oblivious of.
