Everything's okay! (In Moderation)

The commercial you have just seen, paid for be the Corn Refiners Association aims to laud high fructose corn syrup and it’s inclusion (in moderation) in a healthy American lifestyle. The ad aims to paint the white woman as an up-tight, bourgeois, uninformed follower of a false idea and the African American Woman as a streetwise sage.

The first line of spoken dialogue is delivered by the uninformed woman, and is rightly a mean thing to say, “Wow. You don’t care what the kids eat, huh?” punctuated by a disapproving grimace. The streetwise woman replies with a very easy and confident, “excuse me?” to which the uniformed woman replies, “…you know what they say about it (high fructose corn syrup)? Followed by a series of generalizations, awkward musings and a look of utter perplexion. The woman’s eyes look completely blank – she’s at a complete loss for words. As viewers I believe we are meant to identify with her confusion, as though we should think, “Well, I have heard that High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad…but why? Why do I really feel that way?”

During her momentary melt-down, the train wreck of the known colliding with the unknown, while she is put-on-the-spot, the jolly rhythmic music we’ve been enjoying since the commercial began stops, leaving the woman in a chilly silence accompanied very subtly by the sound of children playing in the background.

Before the awkwardness of the moment overcomes the women, the streetwise high-fructose-corn-syrup-serving-mother lays down the facts, “…It’s made from corn, doesn’t have artificial ingredients and like sugar it’s fine in moderation.” During the speech, the music returns, jolly and lighthearted. The tune reestablishes a comfort with a house-hold product, absolving it of its evil reputation and casting it out of the shadows and into legitimacy.

Now, having the facts straight the woman formally resistant to high-fructose-corn-syrup complements the other woman on her blouse and takes a heady sip of the corn-syrup sweetened beverage. The problem is solved and all can return to the birthday party without fear of sweeteners or obesity.

These types of advertisements promote a “feel-good” notion. Optimally, viewers feel at ease in learning something for the first time. And why shouldn’t they? They’ve just learned the facts!

In the final moments of the ad, a banner appears in the lower portion of the screen accompanied by a woman’s voice narration, “Get the facts, you’re in for a sweet surprise.” And offers a website for viewers to learn more.

It’s no mistake that women are cast into these rolls. Traditionally, women have fulfilled the roll of taking care of the family, including decisions about what foods her children eat. Women, specifically mothers, are perceived as being more knowledgeable and conscious about nutrition, and what mother doesn’t want the best for her children? Especially these women with there upper-middle class birthday party unfolding in the background.

Consider this ad for Spud Cigarettes produced in 1968:







The ad proclaims, “Don’t stop smoking, switch to spud, and be mouth happy!” This ad employs the same sort of do not change your habits, your habits are fine. Besides, if you are worried our cigarettes have filters too! So not to worry! Cigarettes are safe- in moderation!

These ads are absolutely unconscionable. It harkens back to the old adage, don’t believe everything you see and hear on TV. These ads work the same way- they create characters- friendly, lovable, characters- characters we are suppose to trust. They become our allies as we navigate a world of uncertainty; they help us to form our opinions.

Why then do such ads omit all the facts? If high fructose corn syrup is really safe in moderation, why isn’t used in moderation? Why is it in so many products from soda to bread? If smoking Spud cigarettes really makes people “mouth-happy” why has smoking been linked to throat and lung cancer? For that matter, if a product is so safe, why do companies bother spending money on a campaign that clears the products name? Perhaps the snappier the jingle the more skeptical we all should be.

Meghan Strobel
TA- Steve Wetzel