In August 2002, the initial lawsuits against McDonald’s for causing obesity amongst their customers began. The lawsuits were brought forth by a group of New York youths. Controversy surrounded the suits from the very beginning. McDonalds, their lawyers, and their supporters believe that the customers themselves were to blame, claiming that obesity is an individual responsibility, not a corporate one. Opponents of “Big Food” never denied personal responsibility being a factor, but key players like John F. Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University and the lawyer who lead the legal charge, retorted with the accusation that customers were misled by McDonalds and were never given the proper information to make an educated decision. …show more content…
The first of which was “Negligence and Failure to Warn.” This line of prosecution was based on the premise that the food was “unsafe for intended use”, and that the average American consumer in 2002 was unaware of this fact. In 2002, Americans were not nearly as health conscious as we are today, (not that we are much better today, but progress is progress), it wasn’t a fair assumption that everyone actually knew what they were consuming. For example the average customer might know the fat and calorie contents of a chicken nugget, but might not be aware of other harmful ingredients. One ingredient is sodium aluminum phosphate, which is linked to early onset Alzheimer's. Another ingredient is dimethylpolysiloxane, which is a key ingredient in silly putty. Neither of those ingredients are disclosed to the average …show more content…
McDonald's claims that you can eat McDonald's three times a day and still be healthy. They say with their wide range of items on their menu it is possible, hinting towards their “healthy” salads. They once marketed a salad as being two-hundred forty calories. The lettuce and vegetables alone may have been two-hundred forty calories, but when you add the dressing, the meat, the nuts, and the fruit you get an item that even outclasses the Big Mac when it comes to calories. In another case they marketed fries with zero trans-fats. It was true that the potato itself contains no trans-fat, but the oil they use to fry the potatoes completely saturated the starchy treat with high cholesterol causing trans-fats. Lastly, in the case of deceptive marketing, they target kids, giving out a toy hamburger patty named “Slugger” who had a book that explained if you eat more hamburgers it makes certain things easier, such as climbing a tree higher than before or riding your bike faster and
Matt Theurer was an 18 year old high school senior and a member of the National Guard. He is employed by McDonald's, the defendant. Matt's manager knew Matt had to drive about 20 minutes to and from work. Matt was scheduled to work a shift at McDonald's from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm on April 4th, 1988 and 5:00 am to 8:21 am on April 5th, 1988. He was also given a voluntary opportunity for a cleanup shift from 12:00 am to 5:00 am on April 5th, 1988 which he accepted. Matt worked all of his assigned hours, including the voluntary shift. After the last shift was complete,
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...
Everybody eats McDonald 's...right. Do not lie; you have cheated on your diet before. The guilt of knowing that one burger will change your weight. No that is not it, you just feel guilty because you constantly hear "calorie balance, calorie intake". So what is the point of all this? Well in zinczenko 's article "Don 't Blame the Eater" he talks about whether we should take the blame for obesity or blame the company. They each play their parts, though I concede that zinczenko is right: the fast food industry should label their food. I still insist that people should make their own researches to see what they are eating instead of suing the fast food industry. It is not personal...it 's just business.
In the documentary “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock, America’s obesity issue was exposed and pinpointed at one of the giant contributor and fast food marketer “McDonald's”. Throughout the documentary, many rhetorical devices were utilized to provide reasons as to how America’s obesity issue is dangerous and how Mcdonald's and major food companies contribute to this disaster in the American society. Drastic continuance of unhealthy eating habits on top of an increasingly growing population calls for an alarm to everyone. He then stresses the dangers of obesity and addresses the issue’s cause. Morgan creates a strong visual and effective argument that eating fast food is the key reason to America’s obesity issue.
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
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.
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).
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.
Many people in America love to get greasy, high calorie fast food from many places such as McDonalds and its competitors, but in the article “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko, he reveals the health problems associated with these fatty, salty meals. His articles are affective with its well organized layout, rhetorical appeals and tone which give it a very convincing argument. As you read through the article the author reveals the underlying problems with eating fast food and how there are no warnings of such problems posted. As a former obese child who grew up to diet and watch what he ate he sets a credible stance for the argument.
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.
In Voltaire’s Candide, several literary devices are used to convey its main theme; the folly of optimism. One of the most prevalent uses of literary devices is how the characters fully embody a character archetype. Generally, the characters of Candide embody certain archetypes to further serve the theme. Specifically, Cacambo’s embodiment of the sidekick archetype serves to highlight the flaws of optimistically following orders without question.
When researching McDonald’s through online sources, it is clear that nutrition is a major concern of the public visiting the fast-food chain. Secondary research conducted shows that there are several case studies and other secondary source searches around the same topic. McDonald’s has often been the center of nutritional attention within the fast-food industry. Secondary research shows that the restaurant has recently made changes to the American Happy Meal to reduce the amount of French fries offered and replace the portion with fruit (Strom, 2011). In a study conducted by McDonald’s a secondary source reports the meal cuts calories by 20% for the children’s meal (Strom, 2011). This is a critical move by the organization on children’s obesity is currently a hot topic within food chains and attention is driven by the Obama administration. Secondary research also shows that although the public has major health concerns with the food chain, profits are increasing during a high point of an economic recession (Dahan & Gittens, 2008). Acco...
Take a second to understand why fast food firms choose to sell products that are unhealthy. Their unhealthy products are in a high demand in the food market; in fact, they are simply giving us what we demand for. Most firms have started putting food labels on their menus so there is no room for excuse when making the right food choices. Nobody is forcing us to eat a whole box of Krispy crème donuts or a super-size meal at McDonalds. I believe that we are always looking for shortcuts in life and now we can anticipate there is a shortcut in what we put into our bodies. So we are consistently after things that are cheap, fast and affordable. Who better to attend to our needs than the fast food industry?
First, my personal reaction to this is documentary is an eye opener. I knew McDonalds was more harmful to than other fast food places, but I never knew about the lawsuit between McDonalds and it consumers. I never saw McDonalds as having big impact on my life; this is probably because the McDonald’s in my hometown never had a super-size option. In the video, Spurlock conducted interviews to gain ...
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.