Definitions

Have you ever gotten into a fight or had a misunderstaning with someone because you said a word and meant it one way but they took it another? I know I have, and usually most fights or arguments will start because of people having “different” definitions. Formal definitions are hard to dispute, they come straight from the dictionary and are very straightforward. However, even these definitions can spark an argument. This goes to show, it is hard to really define something; which is probably why people are constantly arguing.

Formal definitions are a bit harder to define. This is because everyone has different experiences and because of this, a different way of viewing or defining something. An example of this is in highs school my parents would reward me for “good” grades. “Good” grades were considered A’s and unless I made the A then I was not rewarded. I was always furious when my best friend would be rewarded not only for A’s but also for B’s. This shows how our definition of “good” grades differed, for her it was an A or a B but for me it was soley an A. I have many foreign players on my team and things are constantly being misunderstood. They grew up and lived in a whole different country than most of the team which has instilled in them different values and different ways to define things. Keeping cultural backgrounds in mind can help avoid an argument.

Definitions by example are very similar to operational defintions,  but this definition focuses more on who or what might be on a list. When the guys from King Corn were defining corn, they listed all the places the corn was grown, how it could be grown, and why it was being grown. This provided examples for us to see exactly where and why all this corn was being grown. It is important to keep in mind that things are not easily defined. You can go look in a dictionary for a definition but that will only get you so far.

Using evidence

In class, everything we have been reading or watching has somehow made an argument toward us. In order for us to believe the arguments being made, facts or evidence are needed to support the claims. The common general theme of claims being made, is that the over-production of corn is hurting Americans. Michael Pollen and the movie King Corn both make this argument and the reason they are so successful at getting their point across is their use of evidence and facts to back their claims up. They use actual numbers to show how corn-fed animals are worse for us than naturally grazing cattle, how we can get more calories from chips and cookies than carrots for the same amount of money, and how much corn is actually produced every year and how much corn we actually need. By providing this evidence they are making a their argument a factual one. If they tried to make this argument without using numbers and facts, I would be less likely to believe it so easily. Before the readings from this class, I never knew how big of a detriment corn was to our society. Not only is it harming humans diet, it is also hurting the environment. I am forced to believe this when I watch King Corn and read Michael Pollen’s words as they go into such detail about the corn process and about the farm bill. I always thought corn was just a vegetable that I ate at dinner on occasion, I never knew what all corn was going into.

Thanks to the evidence provided in all the readings we have done, I am forced to acknowledge all that growing corn entails. If I heard the claims being made before, there is no way that I would believe them. Now, knowing all the background information on corn and what it is going into; there is no doubt that the claims being made are true. The farm bill is something that needs to be changed. These arguments need to continue to be brought to peoples attention with factual evidence and then people will be forced to take a stand. Michael Pollen and the men from King Corn have made me more aware and it is only time until all of America is aware of the problem over-producing corn presents.

chapter 6

Claim: Corn is going into everything, which is causing an obesity epidemic in America. Because calories are becoming cheaper, we are consuming more.

Grounds: 3 of every 5 Americans is overweight, 1 out of every 5 is obese, since 1977, Americans daily intake of calories has jumped by more than 10%, UN reported that in 2000 people suffering from over nutrition outnumbered the people suffering from under nutrition.

Warrant: If the government can allow farmers to nearly go broke over-producing corn to eventually produce unhealthy foods that is causing “a threat to public health”, then they should also be able to produce less food with higher quality and better nutritional value to make America a healthier nation as a whole.

Backing: The fact that peoples calorie intake has risen to an extra 500 calories per person is startling. The overproduction of corn has led to the “Supersize” option on the menu and in return an obese epidemic has been sweeping through the nation. It is now believed that kids life expectancy is shorter than that of their parents due to all the processed food.

Qualifer: For people not as high on the economic scale it is easier for them to buy junk food because they can get more for their money. One dollar can buy 1,200 calories of chips and cookies compared to only 250 calories of carrots. Unless the price of healthier food drops considerably, people will continue to buy junk food because it is cheaper and fits in their economic budget.

Rebuttal: In the end, it is the choice of people what they are willing to buy and put into their body. It is up to Americans to stop going the junk food route and start adding nutritional quality to their meals.