Over the past few years, discussions have been taking place over the controversial issue of whether or not food companies or the public should be held accountable for the growing rate of obesity. On one hand, many argue that these companies are too blame and that the government should be more active in the matter of what our people are consuming. On the other hand, however, others argue that it is our personal responsibility to handle our own weight, personal health and what we consume. Both sides feel very strongly on the matter and display their views through literature. In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko discusses this controversial topic and whether or not the public should be to blame or the food industries themselves. He displays his opinion that these companies producing our foods are too blame and uses various reasons, examples, and personal expectances to defend his point. In “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radely Balko disagrees with Zinczenko’s opinion and deems that the public is to blame on this issue and also uses numerous explanations to defend his personal belief.
In “What You Eat Is Your Business” Radely Balko brings up the fact that the reason people are becoming unhealthy is because they will not take responsibility for there own actions. He discusses the government’s involvement and how they should stay out of what people choose to eat and leave it too themselves. He brings up the point that over the past couple of decades the American health care system is becoming more and more socialistic because your own well-being is now being considered a matter of public health rather then personal. He proves this by discussing the fact that the government is beginning to regulate many different aspects of o...
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...t we do want to remain independent people and avoid relying on our government. Both Zinczenko and Balko both would disagree with my opinion due to the fact that both of their opinions are extreme and feel strongly on the matter. Although I do disagree with Balko and his opinion that the government should stay out completely in the matter of our consumption such as when he disagrees with the government not allowing soda in public schools. I also agree with Balko on the matter of healthcare and how other people are paying for the unhealthy habits of others and this will eliminate the financial incentive for individuals to stay healthy. The problem of obesity is continuing to grow every day. I believe that the government should maintain a small role in the regulation of our foods but also let the public hold some level of personal responsibility to remain independent.
I am responding to the request to analyze Radley Balko’s article, “What You Eat Is Your Business” and make a recommendation for or against publication in The Shorthorn at University of Texas at Arlington. In order to respond, I have examined the rhetorical appeals of Balko’s piece and determined why this article should be posted in the next edition of The Shorthorn. I believe that the Shorthorn audience would be interested in what is being discussed regarding of obesity, things that could potentially affect their lifestyle as well as the professors. In “What You Eat Is Your Business”, Balko claims that obesity is the responsibility of the individual not the government, and how our government is allowing American to live an unhealthy lifestyle
Zinczenko’s argument summed up is that fast food restaurants are to blame for America’s obesity issues. He gives statistics that go over childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, diabetes cost of health care in the United States, and the number of McDonalds restaurants in the United states. The only thing that Zinczenko suggests to change is that he wants all fast food restaurants to post nutritional information, and he
Richard Balko and Mary Maxfield discuss personal responsibility, and choices in one’s health in their essays “What You Eat Is Your Business,” and “Food as Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating” respectively. Balko feels the government should not intervene in people’s food intake because it is an individual preference. Instead, Balko asserts that the government should foster a program to assist the American people to take on personal responsibility and ownership of their own health. Similarly, Maxfield paints the same picture that our culture now finds it immoral to eat what our body needs, therefore believing in the idea of eating less is healthier. Maxfield points out the multi-billion dollar campaign of corporations into advertising false hope into consumers by buying into eradication of fatness. Why has food have suddenly become a risky subject at the dinner table? And who is to blame? Is it everyone else or do we blame ourselves?
In “Don’t Blame the Eater”, by David Zinczenko and in “What You Eat is Your Business”, by Radley Balko both authors discuss and make their stance’s clear on their believed cause of obesity in America. On one hand, Zinczenko argues that it is not the consumers fault for putting themselves at risk of becoming obese or being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but that it is the fast-food companies fault. While on the other hand, Balko argues that we as individuals hold responsibility on whether or not we are putting ourselves at risk for obesity.
Beside on that, Balko argues with the government recommendation of health care systems, and it is willing to pay for citizens’ medication due to poor eating and living habits. He says, “Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits” (467). How it is possible to make offers for people instead of fighting companies that sell unhealthy food. He also points out, “For decades now, America 's health care system has been migrating towards socialism” (467). His point is that if the government would start to put lows to these companies in order to stop their widespread. As a result, the government needs to address this problem by providing health care systems, and this requires citizens to pay for it. I believe it is true that government might make a billion of dollars from health care systems as profits. On the other hand, government does not do anything for the companies that provide unhealthy food or food that has more than the average amount of calories so the government truly allows these companies to spread out their products, and citizens are
Should people be held accountable for what they eat? Many believe that it is a matter of public health, but some think that it is the matter of personal responsibility. In the article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko argues that the government spending more money on anti-obesity measures is the wrong way to fix the obesity epidemic. He claims that people should be more responsible for their personal health. I am of two minds about this author’s claim that eating and lifestyle are matters of personal choice. On the one hand, I agree with his claim because of the unfair insurance policies, people should be more responsible for their own health, and people should take the time to be responsible for their kid’s health instead of blaming someone or something irrelevant. On the other hand, the government should do their best to dispose of “food deserts,” provide more opportunities to live a healthy life style, and give tax breaks to people selling healthy foods.
In the article “What You Eat Is Your Business”, the author claims, Americans need to be more responsible for their own health and the government should not become involved (Balko). I argue this point; the American people have been tempted into buying foods that are unhealthy, cheap, and convenient, and we cannot be responsible when foods like this are so easy and available to purchase. We are also one of the fattest nations in the world. He conveys in the article that we should have some sort of responsibility for what we put into our own body (Balko), but I feel that with all of the tempting foods being right at our fingertips, we are getting fatter and fatter. When we turn on the television at night, and every fifteen minutes a food commercial comes on. When we go to school, there are vending machines in every building. Nobody offers water anymore with our meals; it costs extra just to get a cup for water with a meal.
In the article “Don’t Blame the Eater” author David Zinczenko discusses on the conflict of how we can’t blame the youth for being overweight, but the parents or guardian on taking personal responsibility for what their children are eating. Luckily, Zinczenko was able to turn his life around by the Navy Reserves recruiting him and being involved for some time the men’s health magazines. Now, he is currently the president of Galvanized Brands, a global health, and wellness media company.Growing up, Zinczenko’s parents were divorced and he was living with his single mother that worked long hours to make enough money to just keep a roof over their heads. According to Zinczenko, he learned the hard way of struggling within managing his diet. Zinczenko’s
Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled “Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,” in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise.
Radley Balko, The author of the essay “What You Eat is Your Business”, would agree that in order to stop obesity, we must turn this public problem around and make it everyone’s individual responsibility. Instead of inflicting the importance of personal ownership, government officials, politicians and congress make obesity a public problem by prohibiting junk food in school vending machines, federal funding for new bike trails and sidewalks, and restrictive food marketing to children. Overall I agree that this manipulation of food options is not the proper way to fight obesity, however, I think that government should inform people about the food they are eating because then they have no excuses for not taking responsibility of the actions.
Ever since the creation of the golden arches, America has been suffering with one single problem, obesity. Obesity in America is getting worse, for nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight. This obesity epidemic has become a normal since no one practices any type of active lifestyle. Of course this is a major problem and many wish it wasn 't in existence, but then we start to ask a major question. Who do we blame? There are two articles that discuss numerous sides of this question in their own unique way. “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko is better than “Don 't Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko due to its position in argument, opposition, and it’s reoccurrence in evidence.
The fact is that in our country, any government intrusion looks undesirable. We are so used to making free choice and to having access to everything we need and want that we have already forgotten the value and usefulness of the government control. No, that does not mean that the government must control everything and everyone. What I mean here is that the government control should be balanced with the freedom of choice. Unfortunately, plentiful foods do not lead to improved health conditions. We cannot always make a relevant choice. Our hurried lifestyles make us extremely fast, and eating is not an exception. We eat fast, but fast does not always mean useful. I believe, and in this essay I argue that the government must have a say in our diets. Because there are so many obese people, because obesity is an expensive disease, and because very often it is due to poverty that people cannot afford healthy foods, the government must control the amount and the range of foods which we buy and eat. Healthy foods must become affordable. Poor populations must have access to high quality foods. The production of harmful foods should be limited. All these would be impossible if the government does not take active position against our diets.
We make personal choices about what and where to eat. The government is not going to eliminate the unhealthy food because we think it is the cause of obesity. Ultimately, we must decide to either stay away from unhealthy food or eat them in moderation. Despite all the efforts of education, media and guidance it doesn’t prevent us from grabbing that cheeseburger with fries on the way to work. In his essay “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko argues that society should take full responsi...
In his article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko emphasizes that we ought to be accountable with what we eat, and the government should not interfere with that. He declares that the state legislature and school boards are already banning snacks and soda at school campuses across the country to help out the “anti-obesity” measure. Radley claims that each individual’s health is becoming “public health” instead of it being their own problem. Balko also states, “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s.” For instance, a couple of new laws have been passed for people to pay for others’ medicine. There is no incentive to eat right and healthy, if other people are paying for the doctor
Not only is food education important, but also genomic education. For instance, ninety percent of lung cancer cases begin from smoking. Accordingly, personal obligation is a considerable aspect in determining the risk if somebody gets lung cancer. Individuals can even get lung cancer while never smoking a cigarette. Moreover, this obscures several health policy debates. I believe that a small amount of obese individuals are hereditarily preset to become obese and most likely will come to be overweight regardless even if they followed a strict diet plan. Some are hereditarily susceptible to obesity in that they must be vigilant about their nutrition, which may evade obesity. Furthermore, many have no inherited traits contributing to obesity, but through careless eating habits become obese. Radley Balko, a senior editor at Reason, states, “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s” (396). Individuals consistently buy fast food around the country, choosing the decision to consume foods that can cause obesity. There is the false economic belief that it is less expensive to eat fast food than to purchase healthy alternatives at a grocery store. Fast food is less expensive in the beginning, yet costs significantly more at the end; I am simply discussing nourishment quality here, not the consequent health insurance costs it puts on the obese. No one needs to reprimand the individuals who end up getting obese on account of no deficiency they could call their own, yet neither would anybody like to exonerate obese individuals from personal