I really don't see what's the problem with corn, except that it is overused. I'll bet if you couldn't get more of it after it was gone, people would use it a lot less. What I could do to help? Honestly I have no idea.

if we have too much corn, I'll eat it!

i'm kidding, i think someone should make an ad campaign saying "hey, that has HFCS in it!" "so?" "well, you know what they say about it!" "that its nutritionally the same as sugar, and just as sweet?" "no, you  idiot! *explains economic dangers of corn over prodcution*"

I don't see what the problem is. Corn is a vital source used for our daily lifestyle. So, corn might eventually become supplements for unhealthy foods, like sugar. Keep the corn rolling!!

AAAAAAHHHH!! CORN!!! IS!!! TAKING!! OVER!!!! THE!!!! NATION!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Corn IS!!! A problem. It led to feedlots, which led to more global warming. People getting all hyped up about this will lead to the extinction of cows, which will lead to millions of McDonalds workers losing their jobs, making the economy even worse. Now WHO says corn's not a problem???

Corn is like a slippery pit we've fallen into and can't get out of. If we keep eating this much corn, all the extra nitrogen runoff, and all that other stuff will cause global warming and economy problems. (because of the farmers not getting paid enough and whatnot.) If we stop eating this much corn, we'll lose a bunch of our food. I can't think of anything to do about it. Can you?

I  think corn is fine as corn on the cob, but feeding it to a cow whose digestive system is not compatible with corn is animal cruelty. If you think about it we're being stuffed with corn just like the feed lot cow.

If we could find a way to grow corn without chemical fertilizers and with the same yield or if we all decide to go organic  it would make a difference. now 2 out of 3 people are likely to develop diabetes . it wasn't like this before

Hi, fellow Museaholics! If you enjoyed this article, then I highly recommend the following books, that are both my absolute faves:

Young Reader's Edition of: The Omnivore's Dilemma

 and Chew on This

Both of these books are seriously awesome! And now, down to business. When you think about it, corn's been around for thousands of years in North and South America. It's a big part of our ancestry, our cultural heritage. But when we take this delicious food and overly process it so that it harms the environment and so that people don't even realize they're eatiing it, THEN it becomes a problem. I understand what y'all said earlier about how corn's an important part of our heritage, but when we dress it up in all these fancy names and make it unrecognizable, and harm the farmers that mass-produce it, it's just not worth it. Don't try to defend corn. Or the government. I came form rural North Caroline, and all of my family lives there. Sometimes I go to visit my grandparents, who live on this little farm used solely for growing their own food, not for selling. They're surrounded by huge cow farms, and surrounding those cow farms are even huger fields of corn. Not the kind that we can eat, but the kind for cows. If this much food goes into making our meat, that means that if we stopped eating meat, all of that corn could be replaced with human crops. That way, all of the world's people can be fed. Just go one step lower on the energy chain. That's why I became vegetarian. I believe that if we want to change our planet for the better, then we have to act. This is the first step in it all, and I hope y'all will join me.

I find it somewhat difficult to believe that some people here are saying corn isn't a problem. I mean... they did read the article, didn't they? (Okay, maybe they didn't. I posted here a bit before I actually started getting Muse magazine. I just wanted to get the feel of things. Still, though, I don't think that can be called typical--not that I really have any idea at all). I mean, let's reassess it, shall we? (And by the way, this is not in order from most to least important, or anything like that; it's just the order I thought of things in). (Also, some of my points have already been used here. I'm not trying to repeat them; it just... happened). (I did try to make them sound different, if that helps). (It probably doesn't, though). (I like parentheses). (Can you tell)? So, let's see:

1: The land. Is. Being used. For corn. Andmore corn. And even more corn. And still more corn. And yet more corn. Et cetera. Et cetera. It... seems like a bit of a waste to me. I mean,  before a farm is planted chances are there was an actual living ecosystem there. Now it's being destroyed to make room for the underpaid farmers growing corn with indecipherable names to be fed to ignorant people in various disguises (that is, the corn was in disguises--not the people! Well, not all of them, anyway; I can't speak for corn consumers as a whole.) (and no offense to them--I'm not using 'ignorant' as an insult; I'm just saying they don't realize what they're eating. I myself was completely ignorant about this particular issue before I got my Muse article) to do all sorts of negative things, which I will mention. If we were to consume a bit less corn, maybe that would only mean that the land would be used for other things that are just as bad--or maybe not.

2: The feedlots. Okay, Emma said that feeding cows solely on corn was animal cruelty. If that's cruel, aren't the feedlots themselves equally so? I mean, it's shutting them up in tiny little spaces with practically no room to move. Is it just me, or is there something cruel about that? Personally, I think that the  laws regarding animal husbandry should be much stricter than they are (er, in America, anyway. I've no idea what they are in other places, except that in some, at least, it's worse. But not all, I assume--tiny odds there.). But I'm  veering away from the point with my endless parentheses. Sorry. I'll get back. Anyway, even if you don't care about the cows at all, there's diseases. They spread more quickly in condensed areas, so more antibiotics must be used, so the bacteria become immune to more and more of them until we all run out of antidotes to use, old diseases that haven't occured in... long periods of time whose exact length I don't know, suddenly reappear, and we can do nothing about them, so we die. Not pleasant. Maybe if there was less corn, some of the land leftover could be used to plant actual farms with the vegetables we should all be eating more of, and cows and chickens, etc. Not that it's good we must use so much in the first place, but I sort of think that using it in ways that both prevent animal cruelty and lessen the risk of disease is a bit better than using it for a single crop that does much more harm than good.

Also, in feedlots, as Muse said, the corn is mixed with protein glop, which may contain parts of cows that have been slaughtered. I see the point, as it uses more parts of the animal so that their death isn't for nothing, but cows just aren't meant to be cannibals. I mean, I obviously know that plenty of species prey on others of their own kind, but isn't it a bit... sickening to be forcing those habits onto those who normally shouldn't? Cows are herbivores. If corn alone doesn't give them all the protein they need, maybe they should think of using another ingredient.

Maybe none of you agree with me here on anything except the spreading of human diseases (if even on that), and that's fine. I... care more about cows than the average human, as you can probably see. Heh. And yes, I am vegetarian. Vegan, actually, and I have been ever since I was 8. I thought I should tell you so that I don't seem hypocritical criticizing feedlots so. But I am not one of those people who gets angry about people with different opinions than them on this subject. I have absolutely nothing against people who eat meat (if I did, I'd have to bear a lifetime grudge on literally everyone I've ever met, except my brother, and I'd still have to have had a temporary grudge even on him. This is not to mention the many non-vegetarians I know online. I don't like grudges. I don't really see their point.), contrary to the seemingly automatic assumptions of some people, the kind who just love jumping to conclusions), only the producers of it themselves, and even with them it isn't the slaughtering itself--which is still enough to make me vegetarian, but not enough for me to actually have anything against anyone, even strangers-- it's the things above. And I now probably seem very hypocritcal, don't I? Talking about my dislike of grudges and then flaunting my own. Oh, well...

Ahem. Maybe I went a bit overboard there. I don't feel like discussing it further, though, luckily for you. I won't even get into global warming, in fact...

3: The corn workers. They're going out of business. Enough said there, except that it isn't. There's more to it than that. If they go out of business and nothing is done about corn, a ripple effect will be created which will basically mutilate the economy. Think of everyone who gets money from corn production: Almost literally everyone whose job has anything to do with food--hm, I wonder if food might be a bit more scarce, if they can't produce enough?--plus packaging, cosmetics, batteries (so if there's a power outage, we'll be forced to use candlelight for everything. That may seem fine on principle, but what about small children who aren't ready to carry flames around? Will they be expected to walk around in the dark, tripping over furniture and stepping on sharp objects? Okay, now I'm really overdramatizing things, aren't I? Sorry), tooth paste (chances are, someone in this large country will get gum disease, although that's relatively minor), etc. Aside from the aforementioned negative effects to our health and, in the little childrens' case, general well-being, all people involved in these indrustries and more will suffer inconceivable losses. The economy is bad enough already without this.

4. Increase in amount of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

And now some clarifications, to prevent confusion (and a few questions of my own):

1: Look, I'm not trying to offend anyone here. I just think this is a serious problem. For those of you who think corn is inconsequential, could you please...explain? You can go ahead and disagree with me as much as you wasnt; I really don't mind. Alright, you have explained. But...

2: The nutritiousness of corn has nothing to do with this. As the article said, the corn we eat is sweet corn, and the kind that's a problem is field/grain corn. They're entirely different things. And then there's corn syrup, being used in nearly every food. However, there is no proof that it is at all healthier than regular sugar. So comments like 'Corn might eventually become supplements for unhealthy foods, like sugar,' and 'Corn is fine as corn on the cob' are completely true, but not relevant.

3: I don't understand why people are going on about extinction. I mean, am I missing something vital? I'm seeing comments like 'I'll bet if you couldn't get more of it after it was gone, people would use it a lot less,'--gone? What? We aren't running out of it or anything, and--'People getting all hyped up about this will lead to the extinction of cows, which will lead to millions of McDonalds workers losing their jobs, making the economy even worse. Extinction of cows? Again, what? I don't understand what on Earth you mean. Please explain further.

4: What can we do to help? It's simple. There are 4 options:

Option 1 (# lists are so convenient!): Start a big campaign to spread awareness about the corn problem. This has been suggested.

Pros:

1: Anyone can do it; just start a website or something.

2: You're spreading awareness about the corn problem; it could even somehow turn into some huge movement involving the entire country

3: It doesn't have to cost anything

Cons:

1: It'll take a lot of effort.

2: You never know how many people will actually see it, and it could end up being pointless, never to be noticed by a single human soul

3: Doing anything particularly major costs something

Option 2: Become vegetarian or vegan. Let's not get into that. It's already been suggested. The thing is, there are many, many reasons for and against this, and this is already the longest rant that's ever been posted here. I think you're fully capable of deiciding for yourself here. In my opinion, this is a very personal decision, although I know many others who disagree. However, those others aren't the ones making this list. I am.

Option 3: Just. Eat. Less. Corn! Isn't that a bit... obvious? And no, I'm not talking about literally eating sweet, plain corn. Remember, I mean corn products. This is difficult, as corn has managed to seep into everything. However, I think we could all have a bit less if we tried. And I think the pros and cons here are rather obvious.

Option 4: Tell everyone you can about it. I think the pros and cons here are as obvious as in 3.

Also, please note that I'm not expecting anyone to do all of this. These are just suggestions, as so many of you seem so clueless on this topic.

Moving on from this clarification, here's clarification #

5: Corn? A part of our heritage? Erm. I disagree. Most of my arguments are in Rick's interview...

  Throughout this past year I have learned a lot more about how gross our food is, and this just added to it. Feedlots are scary and cruel, I don't adore chemical fertilizer, and "a tall drink of corn" just made me extremely happy that I only drink apple juice and milk. Now, the thing about hybrid seeds and all wouldn't disturb most people, but I just think that corn should come from corn, not artificial corn seeds. oh, and POOR FARMERS! I just wish agriculture would once again be family owned farms, grass fed, open pasture cows, and a little more than just CORN. HEAR THAT FOOD INDUSTRIES!!!  

 not to say that I don't ADORE corn on the cob. 

I think the corn problem is definitely serious. I also have a solution (at least for the part we eat, not the feedlots): stop eating it! If you look long enough, I guarantee you that you can find a product with some sort of corn syrup in it. You don't need to go vegetarian to avoid it. My mom almost never* buys anything with "corn syrup" or "high fructose whatever-you-call-it" on the label. As a kid, I used to think that this was some cruel and unusual punishment (I could only eat about two or three kinds of cereal) but now I think she has a point. If it's so chemical that there is no version of the product with that stuff in it, you probably shouldn't be eating it anyway.

*chewing gum and candy is the exception, and of course in restaurants you can't control it.

We are hurting our cows, health, farmers and land all because of a plant?!? Well, we've created quite a problem for ourselves and worst part is that it didn't need to happen. Corn was so much simpler a century ago when all you did was eat it and cook with only mildly proccessed versions of it. Now it's in all our food,(see above), etc. and I don't like it. Not one bit. Why is highly proccessed corn in ALL our food making it unhealthy. Shouldn't the farmers think of a more enviromentally responsible way to get rid of corn waste? And speaking of the farmers, why should to food company feed off everybody's suffering for money? And the cows! Oh the cows! They feed them corn (which is cheap), it makes the cows sick, so they pump them with drugs, and coop them up in a cramped feeding lot where they get fatter and ready to slaughter. Simple solution: Let them roam a grassy field. Not only will the cows be healthier, beef companies will save on drugs and well create a few jobs. (shepards!) In conclusion, corn no longer equals cob. Corn equals great big mess.

The problem isn't just corn. It's that our society is totally messed up! Most lifeforms must struggle to feed themselves but we've made it so that humans must struggle to stay thin. We've come too far and made things too easy. It's a never ending circle of NOT GOOD. So, short of wiping out the entire human race we do?????

can anyone tell me about the hot pink bunny war

Thank you so much for publishing this article. I've been reading up on this stuff and watching movies like FOOD INC. Go watch it guys. ALL OF YOU. As your elder, I COMMANDyou to watch it! Great stuff. It's despicable and depressing that the American economy has been ensnared in the corn fueled Catch-22 that has become our agricultural system. I can't believe that we would  allow thekind of exploitation of people and land to occur in a country that is supposed be the land of potential, where individuals have vertical and horizontal mobility to define themselves. "Power to the people" is gone.It's been replaces with "power to the pocket." The integrity of our nation has been shucked and and sold to the super agricorporations.

I wish I could vote.

I do my best to buy locally at the Farmer's Market by my house, but... Iwonder... Will that solve the problem? What about all the farmers who are already in debt over their heads? Am I hurting them by trying to help them?  It really is a sick sick system. The economic geniuses behind this have made one prickly labrinth for us to get ourselves out of. 

HELP!

Totally agree with you Isaac L. Love the humor! Muse is more-awesomerist!

No offense everybody, but who here is digusted by how much corn is in our diet. I think we should all wake up after scary nightmares thinking "Must eat more corn!" I mean who looked at the super-market a totally different way after reading that article. And forget about what it does to the environment. (I don't want people to think i don't believe in global warming, but i sometimes have anger managment isssues and in the words of a black-and-white green slimey lizard "It makes me so mad i wanna flip some cars.") Corn is now gross. Just saying. And i was looking at my lunch today and it was all corn. EWWWWWWWWW!

personly i think that in the long run corn is slowly changing the way peaple live. after all who knowes trout farms may be having some sublimel efeckt in difrent univeses. wich is really unlickly but it could hapen. lickwise for corn faming its quite posible that this is efeckting our ecosistum. in some of the articules it may sugest that the fucher of aguculcher is changing. i dount think that corn is cosing a boig problem.

I think that corn is a great crop but we are using it wayyyyyy too much! Cows are built to eat grass not corn. And HFCS are getting out of control. Do we really need corn syrup in our ketchup? Koko rocks! Chad rules!