Personal Choice and Responsibility: Don't Blame McDonalds if You Are Obese

3009 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Influence of TV commercials on body image dissatisfaction

After Thanksgiving dinner in 2002, Morgan Spurlock sat on his couch to relax after his huge Thanksgiving feast. As he flipped through the channels, he came across news about two women who were suing McDonalds for making their children obese. This report made him question fast food and its nutritional value, and stimulated him to make a daring and risky choice. He wanted to prove a point and educate people about the dangers of fast food by changing his diet for a month to strictly McDonalds and to get it all on video. Spurlock, 33, was physically fit and healthy, weighing 185 pounds, being six foot 2 inches tall, and having an average cholesterol level of 168, at the start of his mission, but things became very shocking. His cholesterol shot to a stunning 230, he gained over 25 pounds, his liver became toxic, and he became dangerously sick. Later, he released the video of his experience, which he called “Super Size Me”, at the Sundance Film Festival and won the title of best director of a documentary. Is the fast food industry to blame for getting him so sick? His experiment shows that regulating your diet to eating just McDonalds could get you unhealthy and sick, but that’s where the problem lies. If one limits their food intake to just fast food, problems will arise. He also lacks other argumentative factors that are needed to justly accuse McDonalds. It is wrong to blame fast food corporations for making people overweight and unhealthy, because they are given the freedom to choose what they eat and are not being forced to eat at the fast food establishments. In August of 2000, “The Onion”, a satirical newspaper, published a joke with the heading “Hershey’s Ordered to Pay Obese Americans $135 billion.” Its article was ... ... middle of paper ... ...t a point across is for people to take real world actions. Going into court to blame a world wide industry for something you could prevent is foolish and has shown to be imprudent in its cases. But, if people help each other watch what they eat, they can become healthier. Or, if people stop eating at the fast food franchises, a much stronger message will go across. McDonalds is one of the strongest and best corporations in the world today and does great things for billions of people. It not only provides cheap and efficient meals to thousands of countries around the world, but it provides millions of jobs heavily relied on in the world’s workforce. Why should we attack it over small personal issues? Just as Morgan Spurlock learned through making his film, “Super Size Me” the world evolves around personal choice and responsibility, and without it, one will not survive.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis: Super Size Me

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fast food, while a quick alternative to cooking, has always been known to be less healthy than traditional preparations, but the extent of its health benefits or detriments was not known until a lawsuit came out which inspired documentarian Morgan Spurlock to engage in a 30 day experiment. The resultant documentary specifically targeted McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the world, which also happens to be a major recipient of lawsuits linking obesity and their food. Spurlock endeavored to spend a thirty day period eating nothing but food that came from the golden arches, with the rules that he would supersize only when asked, and every time he was asked, and that he would have everything from the menu at least once. In the 2004 film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock explores the concept that McDonald’s contributes to the nation’s obesity problem through the utilization of statistics and scientific evidence as a logical appeal, comedy and repulsive qualities as an emotional appeal, and s...

    Read More

  • How Does Morgan Spurlock Use Ethos In Supersize Me

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people consume supersized fast food meals, is the food to blame when they themselves become supersized? Morgan Spurlock takes on the challenge of eating only McDonald's every day, three times a day, for thirty days straight to see how these meals affect the physique and general health of the human body. The Film Supersize Me uses logos, pathos, and ethos to effectively persuade the audience that eating fast foods, namely McDonald's, has horrible side effects. McDonald's is one of the most popular fast food restaurants across the country with some of the most sugar and calorie packed foods. In America, that spells trouble since the smaller sized items tend to be the largest sizes in other countries across the globe.

    Read More

  • Fat Head by Tom Naughton and Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the rising epidemic of obesity has attracted considerable media attention, so has the promotion for maintaining healthy wellbeing. Tom Naughton’s documentary, Fat Head, is a stellar model of this media attention. It examines the exact cause of weight gain, and the reliability of the Government’s nutritional guidelines. The contention of Fat Head is that the U.S Government and Morgan Spurlock (the creator of Super Size Me) present misleading information. However, Naughton’s bias becomes apparent through the careful selection of film techniques, and the silencing of certain characters, who may express opposing viewpoints. The ideal audience of this documentary, parents and concerned parties such as medical professionals, are invited to agree that the U.S Government and Spurlock are deceptive.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of David Zinczenko's Whose Fault Is Obesity

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Obesity is a complex topic with many different branches. With things like weight loss pills, workout programs, and thousands of diet plans each claiming they 're the best, it can become overwhelming to decipher what the best option is without a tremendous amount of tedious research. This being said, it is often easier to put taking action towards obesity on the back burner with our increasingly busy lives. It is much easier to think "I 'll worry about it tomorrow" while chomping down on a greasy burger than it is to take the time to manage our schedules in an attempt to make time for the research hoping to produce change. With that being said, whose fault is obesity? Is it the companies producing the foods with little to

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Don T Blame The Eater Essay

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Don’t Blame the Eater” is an article by David Zinczenko that explains to Americans, specifically overweight young Americans, about the risks eating at fast food restaurants and its cause of affecting one’s health. In his article, he tries to address the issue about America’s food industries by using literal devices such as tone, logos, ethos, diction, and organization in order to spread his message. He begins his article by addressing the topic and as he continues writing, he supports his topic by writing about personal experience and moves onto the reasons why his topic in a serious issue. Although he shows an overall clear progress, he does tend to have a few problems with his writing that could be improved.

    Read More

  • Super size me

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonald’s is killing Americans, at least that is what Morgan Spurlock believes. In his documentary Super Size Me he embarks on a quest to not only describe and use himself as an example of the growing obesity trend, but to offer the viewers with base-line nutritional knowledge that will allow them to draw their own informed conclusions. Spurlock's primary intention is to prove through self-experimentation that eating solely McDonald's food is dangerous. His secondary intention is to denounce the rising obesity rate in American by using statistics, his own research, and the opinions of experts. His broader message is for a general audience while he tailors select chapters towards more specific demographics such as parents or McDonald's themselves.

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds' Golden Arches

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, the image displayed in the Time Magazine's September 30th 2002 issue, is an image that is hard to decipher and, most importantly, is an image that is hardly a likeness to the icons imprinted in the minds of fast food lovers across the nation. The catchy illustration invades an article tentatively titled, "Can McDonald's Shape Up?" The cartoon portrays an obscenely rotund Ronald McDonald pacing stressfully on a treadmill. The editorial cartoon is not for everyone to understand, yet it still seems to be generally humorous in its own context. At first glance, the cartoon seemingly pokes fun at the growing obesity in America. This observation is perhaps due to the rewarding conveniences of fast food.

    Read More

  • Debunking Myths: Fast Food vs Whole Foods

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    He proves his theory by wanting a smoothie and going to 2 different ‘wholesome foods’ just to be unsatisfied with the overly priced, ($9.00 and $7.75) more calories (roughly about 300), and longer wait periods (about 10 minutes each smoothie) to just go to a local McDonald 's and satisfy his craving for just $3 and 225 calories, plus it only took seconds to make (Freedman 506-507). Most are quick to jump to the assumption that fast food is unhealthy for you, although it is not particularly great for you, neither is the wholesome foods. The media shows that all processed foods make us ill and overweight, so we really do not have a choice but to believe that if we eat fast foods, we will become sick and unhealthy (Freedman 508). For that he attended a stress management seminar where a wellness coach spoke to those who came. She said that “ it’s okay to eat anything as long as its plants or animals origins aren’t obscured by processing”. Furtherly explaining that it is okay to eat a potato chip since it comes from a potato, but it is not okay to eat a cheeto because “what plant or animal is a cheeto” even though cheetos and potato chips have about the same amount

    Read More

  • Responsibility is Escaped by Obese People

    2570 Words  | 6 Pages

    Save the money, and put it towards something that will benefit all of the public. When he obese people that are fighting for this lawsuit are gone there will only be another generation just as obese. Spend then money on helping to prevent this trend from continuing. If there is no education or option out there for people the fast food industry will survive, and obesity will be more prevalent.

    Read More

  • The Extraordinary Science Of Addictive Junk Food And Don T Blame The Eater?

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    He begins his argument by commenting about kids suing McDonald’s for “making them fat” (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko ponders the absurdity of this claim considering how food choices are based on personal responsibility. However, he then considers the overwhelming availability ratio of fast food to fresh food while sympathizing he was once obese himself (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko uses the primary argument that fast food companies are deceiving consumers with misleading advertisement, hidden nutrition facts, and calorie risks. He believes companies are encouraging the public to eat their unhealthy foods by omitting alarming information and levying “good” deals. In consequence, fast food companies are increasing the chances of obesity and diabetes in consumers by stimulating poor eating

    Read More

  • Supersize Me: The Rhetoric of French Fries

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent body mass increase, cholesterol skyrocketed immensely, and fat accumulation in his liver rose to. He became depressed and he only felt happy and in no pain when he was eating the fast food. By using ethos, logos, and pathos, “Supersize Me” became one of the most watched documentaries in the United States. Without these appeals, this documentary would not have developed the effect that it did.

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos Logos In Super Size Me

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    America has always been about being the biggest nation: the biggest houses, the biggest cars, biggest cities and unfortunately the biggest bodies. There is no doubt that fast food is causing major health problems for many Americans today. In his documentary, Super Size Me, released in 2004 Morgan Spurlock decides to eat only food from McDonald’s for thirty days to see how it would affect his health. Spurlock starts out healthier than the average man for his age. Throughout the film, we can see that his health gradually degenerates and reaches a critical point, before his thirty days are over. Super Size Me is very persuasive in showing the negative effect in fast food restaurants by using logos, pathos, and ethos.

    Read More

  • Fast Food and Personal Responsibility

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this article “Fast Food and Personal Responsibility” (2003) which was written by Ninos P. Malek, Malek tries to argue and show people that it’s not entirely the fast food industries’ fault that people are obese or sick . He argues using 3 different supporting examples; first he says that, “High school students blaming their poor diets on school cafeteria” (Malek, 2003, p.309). Most student tend do that, but actually most cafeterias sell healthy and unhealthy food but people always need something to blame and never hold themselves the responsibility for their own action, secondly he says that no one is putting people under gun point to make them buy fast food (2003, p.309). That’s actually true but still he forgot to mention the fact that they are trying to brain wash people into buying their food through their erroneous advertisements. Third and last Malek tries to compare smoking to fast food, because back then tobacco companies were sued too for almost the same reason which is about health. Malek’s argument was precise because people need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions and should know that when they buy fast food they are weighing their own costs and benefits. But he didn’t show the immoral and unethical things the fast food industries were doing by using erroneous advertisements. The fast food industries shouldn’t be held accountable for this because everyone has a freedom of choice and they can choose whether to eat it or no.

    Read More

  • The Super-Size Me Documentary

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDonald’s, one of America’s fastest growing fast food restaurants, has made more than its share of money within the last twenty years, serving more than 46 million people daily. They have twice as many restaurants as Burger King and more restaurants than KFC, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell combined. Often children have the dream of eating fast food for every meal of every day. Well, Morgan Spurlock took the challenge to see how dangerous it would be to eat McDonalds for every meal. He also took the challenge in response to a lawsuit against McDonalds by a family whose children became obese by the contents of its meals.

    Read More

  • Fast Food Obesity Essay

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fast Food and Obesity In the last century, advancements in medical treatments have made many diseases that were practically a death sentence in the past curable. However, there is currently an epidemic of a different sort: obesity. The image problem doesn’t help. After all, most would associate being fat with Santa Claus before associating it with disability and death (Duncan 1).

    Read More

More about Personal Choice and Responsibility: Don't Blame McDonalds if You Are Obese

Open Document