Rankin 1
1142 words
Calyb Rankin
Roberson
English 150
4/3/16
Obesity, who’s to blame?
In a society where so many people are worried about what they are consuming and what toll it has on their body, I am always dumbfounded that people still eat out at fast food restaurants. So many people are quick to judge and blame the fast food industry for so many health related issues, such as obesity or heart problems. Although many people believe that the large chain fast food industry is to blame for obesity, in reality the fault lies with the consumers. As a human being we all are entitled to free will so when it comes down to it people ultimately have the power to decide what they feed themselves along with their families. The fast food industry
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While it is a smart personal choice to limit consumption of fast food, we can’t and won’t be able to remove it from the American diet as long as there is a demand for convenient, inexpensive, and tasty food. So as I pointed out we all act outraged at the fast food industry when in reality most of the blame is on us the consumer. Another way to look at it is very well put in the article Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko who was once the editor-in-chief for the fitness magazine Men’s Health for many years as well as an author of numerous best-selling books, he suggests “Kids taking on McDonald’s this week, suing the company for making them fat. Isn’t that like middle-Aged men suing Porsche for making them get speeding tickets? What ever happened to personal responsibility?” (462) I could not agree with Zinczenko more, just because there is an appeal to get or do something and then it results in something undesirable doesn’t make it their fault, you know what you’re signing up …show more content…
With this being said I am not, I repeat not a Fast Food industry enthusiast or supporter but I do believe that they shouldn’t be serving this food that has bad health effects. I hold myself accountable, if I am going to eat fast food that is my choice. I do believe that our health care system plays a role in our society thinking that we can blame the fast food industry and not ourselves. In the essay What You Eat Is Your Business by Radley Balko who was once an editor for Huffington Post as well as a columnist for FoxNews.com, Balko argues “For decades now, America’s health care system has been migrating toward socialism. Your well-being, shape, and condition have increasingly been deemed matters of “public health,” instead of matters of personal responsibility” (467). In simpler terms in today’s society we no longer have the sense of our personal health being our responsibility, which can make it easier to blame external forces for our unhealthy lifestyle rather than accepting that it is our fault. Balko later goes on to say “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s. Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits. And if the government is paying for my anti-cholesterol medication, what is my incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger?”(467) If the
While everyone generally knows that fast food is not good for their health, however people still eat it for various reasons. Most people that buy fast food have low incomes, are uneducated, and/or are people just trying to save a couple of bucks. Most people trying to save money are buying fast food and it is costing their health in the long run. This will eventually end up costing people even more money.
Most Americans know that fast- food is very unhealthy and leads to many different health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and even mortality. I do not understand how people can blame the fast food industries for making themselves obese. When will people stand on their own two feet and take responsibility own health, obesity, and lack of health care management? From an early age, most people are taught by schools about the effects of the fast food industry and unhealthy eating. This allows people to make informed decision about the choices and health effects contributed to fast food. So I do not feel sorry for obese people, because they are the ones who made the poor choices to eat unhealthy. They knew the consequences before ordering that unhealthy meal.
In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to
Who would have thought that people would start suing fast food corporations for making them fat or obese? Roughly 600,000 people have died due to obesity, such as heart failures. Fast food has been around since the 19th century. Lawyers have tried to file several lawsuits towards this. Not just Americans need to realize this. The situation should be an international problem to society. As a society, people need to wake up and become aware that obesity is killing nearly as many citizens as cigarettes are. 16 through 27 year olds need to do their best to prevent the consumptions of unhealthy foods. They’re the next generation, a change needs to occur. People are responsible for what they put in their own mouths. Fast food is getting popular by the day because of the cheap price that has its benefits. Consumers should eliminate the consumption of all unhealthy foods because it leads to obesity, heart failures, and diabetes.
Fast food eateries are one of the main, if not the primary, reason behind obesity in the United States. Fast food, what many people for the most part view as a speedy approach to get some nourishment, is really killing a large number of individuals than you may suspect. In this current time, nearly everybody realizes that fast food isn 't especially the best thing for you to eat, yet that won 't verge on preventing us from eating it. Diverse things play a component with respect to why we as a whole eat fast food. It could be a money related circumstance, a little or extensive depending on the oily stuff, or only a requirement for snappy sustenance.
In a 2003 court case, “Caesar Barber v. McDonald’s Corporation, et al.,” Barber claimed he was unaware of the nutritional and fat content of the fast food he ate on a near-daily basis for decades, and which he claimed caused his multiple illnesses (Daily Caller). The people of the court ruled that Barber’s choice of food was the cause of his many health issues, not the restaurants which supplied the fast food. In this case, the court held the consumer responsible for his selections; however, the court’s expectation of personal responsibility in food selection will most likely become anachronous. The article “Is Fast Food the New Tobacco?” addresses the issue of rapidly growing fast-food chain restaurants, such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell, and the health issues that perpetuate from an increased amount of these restaurants. Anywhere we travel today, out of town, to a big city or a small village, consumers are bound to see some sort of advertising for fast food. Many billboards display life-size pictures of steaming hot sandwiches, fresh-cut fries, or an ice cold beverage. The streets are lined with bright, golden arches, fluorescent bells, or a red-headed, smiling little girl. All of these modes of advertisement draw consumers in, whether they be hungry or simply in a rush with no time to cook dinner at home, and feed them food that just isn’t up to par with healthy-eating standards. Notice, these restaurants don’t use force to bring customers in by the masses;
In today’s society a huge issue is that we constantly hear about the food industry in America. We often hear in the news that obesity rates have increased, or that Americans have many diseases that contribute to being obese. “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko expresses that people are at fault for making such unhealthy food choices. Others argue that the food industry is to blame for being so unhealthy. According to David Zinczenko in “Don’t Blame the Eater” he blames the fast food industry as well as the consumer. Zinczenko asks “shouldn’t we know better than to eat two meals a day in fast food restaurant’s?” (392). So, who is to blame for American’s eating so much unhealthy food? Should it be the consumers’ burden or the fast food companies? On one hand, as consumers we continue to purchase foods that we know are making us overweight. On the other hand, fast food companies continue to offer high in calories foods.
In the essay David Zinczenko wrote about how fast food chains are making it easy for people to become obese especially in children. Zinczenko makes some very good points throughout his essay. At the beginning of his paper Zinczenko stated “I tend to sympathize with these portly, fast-food patrons, though. Maybe that’s because I use to be one of them.”
There are many foods and drinks that are unhealthy for us, but we still consume them. Fed up is a documentary about the causes of obesity in the United States. It presents tons of information explaining that the foods we eat are high in sugar. Most of the foods we eat lack nutrition thus making us gain weight. Our government doesn’t care much about this because they’re getting a lot of money being partnered up with these evil corporations. They give false information about the foods we eat and blame the obese people for being fat.
Today, many people eat fast food instead of home made food. The reason is that fast food is fast, cheap and convenient. However, at the same time, fast food is contributing to a big social problem in the U.S., which is obesity, and recently some people are beginning to sue the fast food companies for causing their obesity. Should the fast food companies have responsibility for American's obesity? My answer for this argument is "No". I think that whether people eat fast food or not is an individual choice. There are many people who eat fast food, but aren't obese. They may do some exercises for burning calories, or try not to eat fast food as much as they can, caring for their health. Moreover, some fast food companies serve relatively
People today have a need for speed. Everything has to be more convenient, and bigger. Humans are the super-sized rulers of the world, and people need it as fast as possible. This lifestyle has consequences; if one does not start taking charge, and fight these big corporations right now these mistakes will be too far reaching and irreversible. Because fast food is convenient, inexpensive, and is a cultural habit, people must stop eating it since it has increased health problems, has taken away from family values, and destroys the environment. People tend to blame fast food restaurants for being obese, when in fact it is making the poor decision to choose convenience over being healthy which has led to being obese. Also
David Zinczenko introduced the concept in his article, "Don't Blame the Eater." He states that many frequent eaters of fast food are beginning to sue the franchise because they are now considered obese due to the fast food restaurant. Fast food industries are serving food high in calorie, cholesterol, and trans fat. They do giving the customer an option of eating healthy. David Zinczenko is correct in stating that fast food industries try to cover up the dangers of their food. It is hard to comprehend or even find a calorie chart in the restaurant. In their advertisements they shy away from the dangers of their food. However, placing a lawsuit on the company may be a little
It may appear that the food industry is to blame for obesity since it's everywhere, but all that's needed is physical activity and better choices when it comes to consuming products. With the fast food industries, local availability they need to take into consideration how this will affect them when consuming that food and what actions need to be done to stay healthy. “Fast food is mainstreamed, cheaper,quicker service and tasty meals(Down to Earth)”. People are choosing to be sedentary and choosing to make not so smart health choices which is leading to their weight problem not that fast food is locally available in every area it just takes better choices and exercise. Even though fast food is everywhere in all areas no matter the location and local availability doesn't mean you should eat it. “Fast food along America's roadways,burger advertising on TV, rows of candies at the checkout corner of any convenience store(Murray)”. Food is everywhere, but people can get active and start making health focused choices even if their community is surrounded by fast
When I think of fast food, I think of children. It is pretty well known that children love fast food. When a child sees those “golden arcs”, they get a smile that they just can’t contain, and parents get an earful that they might not be able to handle without giving into the desperate pleas and turning into the parking lot. There is something about that instant gratification you receive when going through the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant, but what happens when the insane amount of major consequences outweighs that gratification? The argument that fast food leads or doesn’t lead to child obesity has been around for years. We’re going to see how it not only leads to child obesity but how through child obesity much more
So on the way to work they will buy dinner at a fast food restaurant. Places such as McDonalds's, Burger King, and Taco Bell have begun to appear on every street corner. Fast food restaurants made an appearance in America in the 1960's. They have not been around for very long and already the effects are destroying the health of the people in America. This is because people go to what to tastes good and these foods taste good to the kids. When their parents grew up a trip to grandmas for Sunday dinner was a treat and a variety from the meals at home. Today the treat is going out to a fast food restaurant. These foods are usually inexpensive, prepared for the person, and they taste good. The downside to these places is that their food is greasy and high in fat. Both of these are contributors to high blood pressure and high frequency of heart attacks among the American population.