A Defense of Collective Responsibility Within the context of the obesity epidemic today, the finger of blame is most often cast in the direction of individual responsibility towards health maintenance. This reasoning, however, is ineffective, as it evokes shame upon those struggling with weight management, suggesting their weakness and/or poor self-control, and is a source of lax governmental intervention. When we consider the externalities at force which manipulate eating habit and choice, it’s found that general lack of food knowledge, corporate behavior, and biological mechanisms severely compromise the concept of free-will. Thus, the issue of obesity is a matter of collective responsibility, in which a multitude of factors exist to influence our nations over-weight. Embracing this ideology would serve us best to acknowledge the circumstances of our health decline, and alter them accordingly in order to better the health of the people. The dueling ideologies of “personal responsibility” and “collective responsibility” are perhaps most influential in Americans’ attitude toward obesity. Given that both maintain exceptionally different responses to the health dilemma, it’s the acceptance of either which have divided our nation on who is to blame, and how the issue can be resolved. In consideration of what summons their contrast, we find at the most basic level, that collective responsibility accepts our nations lack of dietary knowledge as a predecessor to obesity, and stipulates that we are not to blame for either (“Theories of Weight Bias”). Knowledge, or lack thereof, in the case for collective responsibility. As children, many of us were implored by our parents to eat the vegetables that they had purposefully ... ... middle of paper ... ...Brownell. "A Crisis in the Marketplace: How Food Marketing Contributes to Childhood Obesity and What Can Be Done." Annual Review of Public Health 30.1 (2009): 211-25. Publhealth.annualreviews.org. Annual Reviews, 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. "Food Marketing to Youth." Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity — What We Do —. Rudd Center, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. Krashinsky, Susan. "The Effects of Ads That Target Kids Shown to Linger into Adulthood." The Globe and Mail. Philip Crawley, 13 Mar. 2014p. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. "The Diane Rehm Show." Dr. Nora Volkow. WAMU 88.5 American Public Radio, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. Volkow, Nora D., and Roy A. Wise. "How Can Drug Addiction Help Us Understand Obesity?" Nature Neuroscience 8.5 (2005): 555-60. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
Obesity is a serious epidemic that majority of Americans face. The dangerous of obesity should not be taken lightly and addressed admittedly. However, the big question is how or why do some individuals stay skinny or become fat. The movie Weight of The Nations, Part 2: choice helps us explore this unanswered question to give us a better understanding of how this problem has gotten so out of control. This movie targets the obese society in America. This documentary uses scientist to research and address techniques to help people prevent weight gain and loss unhealthy weight. Most Americans want quick fixes to this problem, but have to realize big changes take time, but offer big results. Over all, the idea is to get people motivated by positive results to live a healthier live style.
American health, specifically our obesity epidemic, has grown into a trending media topic. A quick Google search will bring up thousands of results containing a multitude of opinions and suggested solutions to our nation’s weight gain, authored by anyone ranging from expert food scientists to common, concerned citizens. Amongst the sea of public opinion on obesity, you can find two articles: Escape from the Western Diet by Michael Pollan and The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss. Each article presents a different view on where the blame lies in this public health crisis and what we should do to amend the issue. Pollan’s attempt to provide an explanation pales in comparison to Moss’s reasonable discussion and viable
In Nancy Hall's "Obesity Lawsuits" (2004) essay, Hall is determined to address the problem constantly growing and silently taking lives in America every day, obesity. The author goes on to argue that people should not be suing "fast food companies" (Hall, 2004, p. 113), but rather look at themselves to blame for becoming obese. Americans need to think about their own decisions routinely, exercise to keep the extra weight off and choose meals that are healthier (Hall, 2004). The authors thesis states: "Listening to the subtle nuance emerging from legal debate, we can hear a discernable message that clearly spells out the desperate need for further study, public awareness, and education on obesity in America" (Hall, 2004, p.114). Even though Nancy Hall is not educated on obesity nor holds a degree in Health Sciences, the article is still persuasive because of the emotion placed into words pursued by direct and solid facts laid out on paper (Hall, 2004).
Obesity is one of the most serious health problems, and it has been increasing significantly. The film “Fed Up” attempts to provide an answer to why people become obese: food itself. However, “real food” as solution offered in the film begs the question of feasibility. The film assumes that people in general have time to buy, prepare, and cool “real food” and thus commits the fallacy of contradicting its own theory by suggesting that it’s the people’s fault for not being diligent enough in taking care of their health.
We need to acknowledge that our methods to control overweight and obesity may commence, but must not conclude with individual accountability. Only a number of diseases require a general approach, other than the effort to hold and decrease the levels of overweight and obesity, and in few places are the stakes higher. Employers seem to have accepted this and are attempting to develop programs to address it.
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.
Obesity in the United States, which the media has labeled a national crisis, has also been connected to poverty rates. Big fast food industry’s target poor communities, and spend millions of dollars each year to create advertising that appeals to these specific areas. These industry’s also target naïve children when advertising because they know that eating habits developed in childhood are usually carried into adulthood. Children who are exposed to television advertisements for unhealthy food and who are not educated well enough on good nutrition will grow up and feed their families the same unhealthy foods they ate as kids. A big way fast food giants are able to make certain young people have access to unhealthy food is by strategically placing franchises in close proximity to schools. They will often place three times as many outlets within walking distance of schools than in areas where there are no schools nearby. The way fast food advertising is targeted towards children is very alarming considering how important good nutrition is for young people and how a child’s eating habits can affect their growth and
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.
Powell, L., Harris, J. and Fox, T. (2013). Food Marketing Expenditures Aimed at Youth: Putting the Numbers in Context. American journal of preventive medicine, 45, (4), pp. 453-461.
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.
Worcester Polytechnic Institution. "Fast Food Marketing to Children." Public Health Communication. (2007). http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-082107-231740/unrestricted/Appendix_1.pdf (accessed February 17, 2014).
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
McGinnis, J. Michael., Jennifer Appleton. Gootman, and Vivica I. Kraak. Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2006. Print.
The United States is one of the most obese countries in the world. This shows us that many people look towards food to fill voids, to de-stress themselves, for convenience, and for various other reasons. This also shows that countless Americans do not try to stop their bad habits until it is too late. This highlights that many of them have the mentality of “it won’t happen to me”. When they do develop a disease, or become obese they wish they would’ve done something about it. This also brings up the issue of many generations acting and thinking this way due to their parents’ lack of knowledge and understanding. This causes their children to grow up thinking and acting the same way towards food and potentially walking the same path as their parents did with food. Obesity has become a growing infection plaguing the world and its children. A simple forty-five-minute exercise everyday can reduce the risk of heart disease, a disease in which I struggle with daily and has become a never ending battle. If American’s would make eating properly and exercising regularly a priority, their lives would be
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is