Comparing Two Articles on Obesity

Obesity has become a major health issue in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 1990 the majority of the fifty states had an obesity rate of 20% or lower. In 2014, all but one of the states has an obesity rate of 20% or higher. The obesity rate has been escalating, especially over the last twenty years. There is an ongoing debate over who is responsible for the rise in obesity. Radley Balko’s article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” expresses his belief that the responsibility lies with each individual, not with the government. While Yves Engler’s article “Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations,” places much of the blame on corporations, he blames the government as well. Even though Balko and Engler disagree on the government’s involvement on the issue of obesity, their articles share similarities in their tone, logical writing style, and weaknesses.

While Balko and Engler disagree on who is responsible for obesity, their straightforward and knowledgeable tone illustrates a striking similarity between the two works. The tone in the beginning of Balko’s article is straightforward and knowledgeable as he provides information on an upcoming event hosted by the media, which Balko states is “a pep rally for media, nutrition activists, and policy makers – all agitating for a panoply of government anti-obesity initiatives” (Balko 157). He reports that politicians have already stepped in and have begun to take action against this growing epidemic. Balko’s tone becomes bold as he insists that the politicians’ actions and the pep rally are the wrong way to fight obesity. He believes that the government should be encouraging the American public to take responsibility for their own health a...

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...er. While each writer presents a very good case, Engler realizes that it is not just the individual’s fault or just the government and corporations. They all play contributing roles in this issue. Everyone needs to step up and do his or her part. Individuals must eat healthier and exercise more, while the government needs to start controlling the food industry and corporations, instead of the other way around. This is the only way to truly absolve the obesity issue in America.

Works Cited

Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business”. They Say I Say. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009. 157-160. Print.

Engler, Yves. “Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations”. They Say I Say. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009. 172- 180. Print.