“Supersize Me” is a riveting documentary about one man’s challenging, Morgan Spurlock, to eat fast food for thirty days and to see the effects on the human body. The movie also shows the psychological and social effect of the American people by fast food companies. The movie in itself was a scientific method; containing all four types were used surveys, observations, experiments, and existing sources. As a documentary, it has no choice but to gather data from within or existing sources and display them to the public. First scientific method was in the category of surveys, Morgan uses interviews, and in the beginning of the movie, he interviewed the citizens of New York about their thoughts on fast food. Following those interviews, Morgan interviewed his three doctors on their thoughts of this challenge all said some weight gain maybe some vitamin imbalance but not too much more. The second scientific method Morgan used was in the category of experiments, the movie was in itself an experiment, and Morgan had to eat all his meals from McDonalds and had to eat at least one thing from the entire menu. Another experiment in the movie used was children looking at pictures of well-known figures of the world including Jesus and most of them …show more content…
Morgan talked to faculty members who cook and create the lunch menus, which were not that healthy, and students to see what they were really eating, most ate just french fries. There were not many healthy alternatives for the kids, a lot of processed frozen foods, only six meals out of the month was home cooked. The forth method Morgan used was existing sources, a powerful tool when eating junk for thirty days. Morgan gathered from other sources all of McDonalds nutritional statistics, plus the concerning overweight statistics of America. This created a baseline for the experiment and for further research of secondary
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...
When people consume supersized fast food meals, is the food to blame when they themselves become supersized? Morgan Spurlock takes on the challenge of eating only McDonald's every day, three times a day, for thirty days straight to see how these meals affect the physique and general health of the human body. The Film Supersize Me uses logos, pathos, and ethos to effectively persuade the audience that eating fast foods, namely McDonald's, has horrible side effects. McDonald's is one of the most popular fast food restaurants across the country with some of the most sugar and calorie packed foods. In America, that spells trouble since the smaller sized items tend to be the largest sizes in other countries across the globe.
Documentary films have become very popular in the last few years, with the success of Michael Moore’s films fueling interest in learning while being entertained. Two filmmakers have benefited from this new interest in the non-fiction film movement, including directors Morgan Spurlock and Lee Fulkerson. The two filmmakers both made documentaries regarding healthy eating, or the lack thereof, in North America. Spurlock’s film, Super Size Me, was about a healthy man who wanted to see what would happen to his body if he ate nothing but items from McDonalds for an entire month. On the other hand, Fulkerson’s Forks Over Knives is about a man on a quest to improve his health by consuming a plant and whole food based diet.
Morgan Spurlock decided to make this documentary to investigate the fast food companies, and the effects of certain fast food chains products, particularly McDonalds, on the health of society. This Documentary explores the United States growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes as well. Morgan decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for thirty days. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another stipulation of Morgan's experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesn't serve it Morgan can't eat it.
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.
In a society that is facing numerous problems, such as economic devastation, one major problem is often disregarded, growing obesity. As the American society keeps growing, so does growth of the fast food industry and the epidemic of obesity. In order to further investigate the main cause of obesity, Morgan Spurlock, the film director and main character, decides to criticize the fast food industry for its connection with obesity in America. In his documentary Spurlock performs a radical experiment that drives him to eat only from McDonald's and order a super-sized meal whenever he is asked. By including visual and textual techniques, rhetorical appeals, and argumentative evidences, Morgan Spurlock was able to help viewers know the risks of fast food and how it has caused America to be the world's “fattest country”.
The movie Supersize Me is an investigative documentary that looks into the effects of fast foods, in particular McDonalds. As the worlds fattest nation we are also the largest producer of fast food restaurants like McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Whataburger, and more. Morgan Spurlock takes a drastic attempt to convince us that fast food is directly responsible for obesity. Spurlock compiles an effective argument by using the three aspects of the rhetorical triangle pathos, logos, and ethos to better persuade his case.
Government date shows that in the past thirty years, rate of being overweight in six to eleven year olds is up 19% and 6% in age 12 to 19. Without support, school lunches remain high in fat. (Finkelstien) According to the CDCP, obesity is double what it was in children and triple in adolescents since 1980. Many reforms were attempted to help this problem, but many inadvertently caused more problems. (Finkelstien) A 730 calorie lunch should have no more than 24 grams of fat and no more than 8 grams of it saturated yet the average USDA lunch has 31 grams of fat and 14 rams of it is saturated. (Yeoman) These very high levels of fat are why obesity is becoming worse in children. It can be concluded that school food is still extremely high in fat and this can be directly linked to the high rates of obesity in young children and
The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent body mass increase, cholesterol skyrocketed immensely, and fat accumulation in his liver rose to. He became depressed and he only felt happy and in no pain when he was eating the fast food. By using ethos, logos, and pathos, “Supersize Me” became one of the most watched documentaries in the United States. Without these appeals, this documentary would not have developed the effect that it did.
America has always been about being the biggest nation: the biggest houses, the biggest cars, biggest cities and unfortunately the biggest bodies. There is no doubt that fast food is causing major health problems for many Americans today. In his documentary, Super Size Me, released in 2004 Morgan Spurlock decides to eat only food from McDonald’s for thirty days to see how it would affect his health. Spurlock starts out healthier than the average man for his age. Throughout the film, we can see that his health gradually degenerates and reaches a critical point, before his thirty days are over. Super Size Me is very persuasive in showing the negative effect in fast food restaurants by using logos, pathos, and ethos.
Numerous individuals around the world are familiar with McDonald’s and its unhealthy menu; however, that does not stop many from visiting the fast food giant. Super Size Me is an in-depth film by Morgan Spurlock, which shows viewers his journey from healthy eating to becoming a fast food junkie. Viewers are able to see the damage that the unhealthy food from McDonald’s causes while Spurlock eats three meals a day from the fast food chain. Spurlock visits three schools, each with different meal programs. The differences in the healthy and unhealthy choices made by the schools are abundantly clear. Audiences also become aware of how effective advertisers are in securing business for unhealthy food products. Spurlock’s documentary gives audiences an in-depth view into how an unhealthy diet from McDonald’s can affect the body, how easily good nutrition can be better incorporated into schools, and the effective advertising that causes Americans to choose unhealthy foods.
In his documentary, Morgan first sets the stage by describing how from 1989 to 2004, the amount of overweight children had doubled and for adolescent had tripled. He then outlines his plan to eat Mcdonalds for a month and draws a comparison of his
Williamson, D. A., Han, H., Johnson, W. D., Martin, C. K., & Newton, R. L. (2013). Modification of the school cafeteria environment can impact childhood nutrition. Results from the Wise Mind and LA Health studies. Appetite, 61, 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.002
“Would you like to super size that?” Many people in today’s society are well aware with the ever-popular phrase and concept of “super sizing.” The term, supersize, according to Webster’s Dictionary is “a larger than average or standard size.” Today, the term supersize is correlated with the fast food business’s cleverly targeted marketing tactic to persuade customers to a larger size food product at a marginally greater price. Although statistical findings demonstrate that since the late nineteen hundreds, portion sizes in both the home and restaurant industries have amplified, the cause for concern is in the substantial increase in the size of fast food offerings, such as soft drinks (the average size rising over fifty percent, from thirteen fluid ounces to twenty fluid ounces) and burgers (increasing from five ounces to almost eight ounces today), and the increased frequency in a week that those larger fast food meals are being consumed. The United States is currently facing a major obesity epidemic, in which more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. The meals that one purchases in fast food chains, like McDonald’s are highly processed, full of fat, calories and sodium. One could certainly take in the suggested daily intake of one thousand five hundred calories from just one meal at these kinds of establishments. Eating just one meal from a fast food restaurant on a routinely basis can lead to increased calories which can lead to weight gain and surely lead to health conditions like heart disease. A number of other diseases that can result from obesity, that are actually quite preventable with simple life alterations or modifications of eating habits include diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, vascular di...
McDonald’s, one of America’s fastest growing fast food restaurants, has made more than its share of money within the last twenty years serving more than 46 million people daily. They have twice as many restaurants as Burger King and more restaurants than KFC, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell Combined. Often children have the dream of eating fast food for every meal of every day. Well, Morgan Spurlock took the challenge to see how dangerous it would be to eat McDonalds for every meal. He also took the challenge in response to a lawsuit against McDonalds by a family whose children became obese by the contents of its meals. Directed and starring Morgan Spurlock, who is married to a vegan chef and a healthy man for his age, Super-Size Me is a film that followed Spurlock for 31 days as he follows certain rules set by a series of physicians. He was only allowed to meals off the McDonalds menu including water. Also, he couldn’t exercise but had to walk the same amount of steps as the average American. Filmed all over the United States, Super-Size Me was made to inform the public on the manufactured foods they consume daily. The film also raises awareness on the dangers of what manufactured foods do to the body. Super-Size Me showed how one of the most popular fast food restaurants around today may be leading future generations to severe health problems.