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July 16, 2005
Super Size Me
We were finally able to watch the documentary Super Size Me that was written and directed by Morgan Spurlock. I looked for it here in town, but had no luck. I ended up finding it at Target for about $13. I can now say that it was well worth the money spent. I plan to loan it to friends so that they can see what it is all about also. In case you don’t already know, I’ll give you the scoop.
Morgan Spurlock wanted to prove the ill effects of fast food on a body. To prove the harm that can be done, he went on an all-McDonald’s diet for thirty days. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he ate nothing but McDonalds. He had three doctors and a nutritionist checking his stats on what seemed a weekly basis throughout the thirty-day period.
The effects on his body were astonishing. Yes, you could argue that no person would eat McDonald’s three times a day; however, you cannot ignore the fact that these ill effects are taking their toll on our bodies little by little.
The film looks at other things such as gastric bypass surgery and corporate responsibility. I for one do not think that any fast food corporation is responsible for this country’s obesity epidemic. We have a choice to eat a Big Mac or a salad. Ronald McDonald is not forcing us to eat fattening foods. I don’t believe that Joe Camel was responsible for starting kids smoking either, but you see what happened to him. People like to blame others for their problems and this is just another area where they are doing it. They’ve eaten too much, they need some money, so why not sue the fast food corporations?!
It’s a good thing that we don’t have to worry about people suing over this anymore. We now have the “Hamburger Bill”. You can Go Here to read more about it, but it basically says that you cannot sue fast food restaurants for weight gain, obesity, or health conditions associated with weight gain. It’s a shame that Congress ever had to address this issue to begin with.
Posted by tami at July 16, 2005 2:06 AM
Comments
That is the most sensible thing I've seen written about the Fast Food industry for some time. Well said girl!
Posted by: Urban Gypsy at July 18, 2005 8:37 PM
Now that you've seen the movie, go get the book, "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. It actually pre-dated Spurloch's movie, but I don't think gained as much popularity until people saw "Super Size Me" and wanted to learn more.
We can't blame them for what we eat, but it is disturbing how they target children in their marketing because they want them to grow up with McDonald's being a big comfort food to them.
To paraphrase: Train up a child in the way of the (fast food), and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Posted by: Kimberley at July 18, 2005 8:48 PM
I had heard of the book, but didn’t know what it was about until I saw the interview in this movie.
I found it interesting what they said about targeting children with the toys and the play yards. But, I feel that it is ultimately the parent or grandparents fault if the child becomes addicted, not McDonald’s. The parent or grandparent is the one with the money and they are the ones wanting a quick lunch or dinner for themselves or their child.
They also said in the movie that adults should have access in the restaurant to the charts or pamphlets listing the calories so that they can make more informed decisions. The charts are a nice idea; however, I don’t see how any thinking person could believe that a Big Mac is better for them than a salad. It’s a matter of using good judgment. I don’t think a person can claim ignorance with food.
On another subject with this DVD that I forgot to mention: I LOVED “The Smoking Fry” that is in the bonus menu. If you get this DVD, you have to watch this!
Posted by: Tami at July 19, 2005 12:53 PM