Don T Blame The Eater Analysis
American Obesity Obesity in America is an ever-growing problem. Despite years of trying to eradicate obesity, it continues to grow. From governmental intervention to simple magazine articles, every step of action has been taken. Amidst the plethora of passages about this touchy subject there are two that stick out. The first is, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” an article written by David Zinczenko. The picture that Zinczenko paints is one that puts the fault of obesity on the fast food industry. Because he was once an overweight child, he sympathizes with the eater. In the second writing on this subject, “What You Eat is Your Business,” Radley Balko, takes a different standpoint on the matter. Balko believes that it is nobody’s business but your own when it comes to what you eat. He absolutely focuses on the problem of obesity, but he puts the blame on the government and the eater. Zinczenko and Balko both acknowledge the growing problem of obesity as a whole. Although they both have very valid points, Balko has a more serious, truthful tone to his writing. Lack of personal responsibility is the primary problem according to Balko. “We’re becoming
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less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s” (396). This statement is true. With the way that healthcare is now a days, an overweight person will encounter some sort of medical issue, whether it be a blood pressure problem or high cholesterol or even a heart attack. Upon the happening of this he or she will go to the hospital and drive up the premiums on everyone’s healthcare plan to get fixed. There are no direct consequences to the eater with this type of system. Why get healthy when the country is essentially paying for you to be unhealthy? Balko is very firm on the point of personal responsibility. He states in TSIS, “Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to the American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health and well being. But we’re doing just the opposite” (396). This quote is true and to the point. The government has no right to try and intervene in our food selection because certain individuals grossly over eat. The real way to go about fixing the problem starts with what young kids are taught, and how they see their parents eating. If a child is taught to eat smaller portions and healthier food less frequently, this will become instilled in the child’s mind. This is an issue that Zinczenko has a much different stand point on. Personal responsibility is necessary with eating and is something that the country should try to master. Zinczenko believes in personal responsibility just as everyone should; however, he calls for a different action to be taken. Clearer labeling on fast food is something that is predominate while reading “Don’t Blame the Eater.” Think about it, why would the fast food companies make their labeling clearer? If the public knew exactly how bad everything really was then their sales would be largely down. Zinczenko States, “For example, one company’s website lists its chicken salad as containing 150 calories; the almonds and noodles that come with it (an additional 190 calories) are listed separately. Add a serving of the 280-calorie dressing, and you’ve got a healthy lunch alternative that comes in at 620 calories” (393). Basically the point is, that fast food companies trick the public with the way they label their food by listing all of the items separately. Someone who is just taking a quick look would think that the chicken salad with everything included is just 150 calories. In order to fix this problem, government intervention would be necessary; the labeling will never change unless the industry as a whole is forced by the government. “Nothing is more personal then what a person eats,” is a statement that Balko would definitely agree with. Intervention by the government on such matters is ridiculous. When the government gets involved it is not just about what is right for the people and what will help. There is too much is going on behind the scenes with politics, and being politically correct in the public eyes. If the government got involved with our food supply it would become very twisted, just like everything else the governments puts a hand on. Certain foods would be banned and probably a tax would be placed on anything that is considered “unhealthy.” This is unfair to people who are healthy but enjoy certain foods every so often. Why should the entire general public have to pay for other people’s lack of responsibility? Government intervention with the food we eat would be a nightmare. Although Zinczenko doesn’t come out and say that he believes in government intervention, he is surely calling to them for help. As stated before, there is no way that the fast food industry is going to change their labeling without a push from the government. For example, imagine if McDonalds put the nutrition facts on everything that they sold as it is. If someone ordered a burger, the ketchup, cheese, pickles, bun, mustard, onions, and so on would be printed right on the wrapper. The public would stop eating at this place because it would “seem” less healthy then other restaurants. However, what people fail to notice is that the other places are just as bad. Zinczenko talks about how the nutrition facts are all listed on their websites, but every bit of food put together to make a meal is listed in different places. On top of all of this, there can be many servings worth of one item in your meal, so its tricky to actually find out how bad something is that you are eating. To be honest, it would be a sick nightmare if the government got involved. Plus, the food industry would find some sort of loophole to further trick consumers. The only solution is, to realize that no matter what someone eats from a fast food restaurant, it will never be healthy. So who is to blame for all of this? Blaming lack of personal responsibility for obesity sounds pretty fair. Sure, there are exceptions to everything, but on a large scale personal responsibility is definitely to blame. Balko makes that very clear in his article, and that’s why it is the most truthful, stronger writing of the two. It is pretty simple if you think about it, fast food never has been good for your body, and it never will be. Avoiding eating at such places will be a great step in losing weight and remaining healthy. One argument could be that some individuals cannot afford to eat anywhere else but these fast food joints. A statement like that could not be further from the truth. The real truth is that some people just don’t want to take the time to go into a grocery store and look for bargains on healthy food and then have to prepare it. Blaming the fast food industry is not fair; it should be common sense that fast food is unhealthy. Unfortunately for Zinczenko, blaming the fast food industry is exactly what he does.
Putting the blame on the entire industry is shear stupidity. There is a myriad of information that shows just how unhealthy fast food is. Everyday there are new cases of overweight people because of their love for fast food. There have been many tests done, which are available to the public that expose what you are eating. One test that was personally performed sticks out more then anything else. A few years ago my eighth grade class took a McDonald’s McDouble, which is basically just a double cheeseburger on the dollar menu. The burger sat out for around one year (school year). At the end of the year, despite the burger being rock hard, it looked absolutely no different. There was no decomposition, or rotting smell. One simple
study
shows how many preservatives are in fast food, and all it took was letting the food sit out for just under a year. The real question one needs to ask is, is convenience worth your health? As been stated, both Zinczenko and Balko make good points in their writing. Balko definitely makes more valid points and states it how it really is. Zinczenko on the other hand used to be obese, so he puts his sympathy with the overweigh population of America. This fact makes his writing weaker and puts flaws on his plans of action. Personal responsibility is something that America really needs to work on in order become a healthier country. Intervention of the government would just the food marketplace into a zoo, which is unfair to those who are responsible. And lastly, the blame should not be on the fast food industry, but the eater. Zinczenko and Balko both acknowledge the growing problem of obesity as a whole. Although they both have very valid points, Balko presents a more truthful, honest tone to his article.
Works Cited
Balko, Radley. "What You Eat Is Your Business." They Say I Say (2012): 395-98. Print.
Zinczenko, David. "Don 't Blame the Eater." They Say I Say (2012): 391-93. Print.
less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s” (396). This statement is true. With the way that healthcare is now a days, an overweight person will encounter some sort of medical issue, whether it be a blood pressure problem or high cholesterol or even a heart attack. Upon the happening of this he or she will go to the hospital and drive up the premiums on everyone’s healthcare plan to get fixed. There are no direct consequences to the eater with this type of system. Why get healthy when the country is essentially paying for you to be unhealthy? Balko is very firm on the point of personal responsibility. He states in TSIS, “Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to the American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health and well being. But we’re doing just the opposite” (396). This quote is true and to the point. The government has no right to try and intervene in our food selection because certain individuals grossly over eat. The real way to go about fixing the problem starts with what young kids are taught, and how they see their parents eating. If a child is taught to eat smaller portions and healthier food less frequently, this will become instilled in the child’s mind. This is an issue that Zinczenko has a much different stand point on. Personal responsibility is necessary with eating and is something that the country should try to master. Zinczenko believes in personal responsibility just as everyone should; however, he calls for a different action to be taken. Clearer labeling on fast food is something that is predominate while reading “Don’t Blame the Eater.” Think about it, why would the fast food companies make their labeling clearer? If the public knew exactly how bad everything really was then their sales would be largely down. Zinczenko States, “For example, one company’s website lists its chicken salad as containing 150 calories; the almonds and noodles that come with it (an additional 190 calories) are listed separately. Add a serving of the 280-calorie dressing, and you’ve got a healthy lunch alternative that comes in at 620 calories” (393). Basically the point is, that fast food companies trick the public with the way they label their food by listing all of the items separately. Someone who is just taking a quick look would think that the chicken salad with everything included is just 150 calories. In order to fix this problem, government intervention would be necessary; the labeling will never change unless the industry as a whole is forced by the government. “Nothing is more personal then what a person eats,” is a statement that Balko would definitely agree with. Intervention by the government on such matters is ridiculous. When the government gets involved it is not just about what is right for the people and what will help. There is too much is going on behind the scenes with politics, and being politically correct in the public eyes. If the government got involved with our food supply it would become very twisted, just like everything else the governments puts a hand on. Certain foods would be banned and probably a tax would be placed on anything that is considered “unhealthy.” This is unfair to people who are healthy but enjoy certain foods every so often. Why should the entire general public have to pay for other people’s lack of responsibility? Government intervention with the food we eat would be a nightmare. Although Zinczenko doesn’t come out and say that he believes in government intervention, he is surely calling to them for help. As stated before, there is no way that the fast food industry is going to change their labeling without a push from the government. For example, imagine if McDonalds put the nutrition facts on everything that they sold as it is. If someone ordered a burger, the ketchup, cheese, pickles, bun, mustard, onions, and so on would be printed right on the wrapper. The public would stop eating at this place because it would “seem” less healthy then other restaurants. However, what people fail to notice is that the other places are just as bad. Zinczenko talks about how the nutrition facts are all listed on their websites, but every bit of food put together to make a meal is listed in different places. On top of all of this, there can be many servings worth of one item in your meal, so its tricky to actually find out how bad something is that you are eating. To be honest, it would be a sick nightmare if the government got involved. Plus, the food industry would find some sort of loophole to further trick consumers. The only solution is, to realize that no matter what someone eats from a fast food restaurant, it will never be healthy. So who is to blame for all of this? Blaming lack of personal responsibility for obesity sounds pretty fair. Sure, there are exceptions to everything, but on a large scale personal responsibility is definitely to blame. Balko makes that very clear in his article, and that’s why it is the most truthful, stronger writing of the two. It is pretty simple if you think about it, fast food never has been good for your body, and it never will be. Avoiding eating at such places will be a great step in losing weight and remaining healthy. One argument could be that some individuals cannot afford to eat anywhere else but these fast food joints. A statement like that could not be further from the truth. The real truth is that some people just don’t want to take the time to go into a grocery store and look for bargains on healthy food and then have to prepare it. Blaming the fast food industry is not fair; it should be common sense that fast food is unhealthy. Unfortunately for Zinczenko, blaming the fast food industry is exactly what he does.
Putting the blame on the entire industry is shear stupidity. There is a myriad of information that shows just how unhealthy fast food is. Everyday there are new cases of overweight people because of their love for fast food. There have been many tests done, which are available to the public that expose what you are eating. One test that was personally performed sticks out more then anything else. A few years ago my eighth grade class took a McDonald’s McDouble, which is basically just a double cheeseburger on the dollar menu. The burger sat out for around one year (school year). At the end of the year, despite the burger being rock hard, it looked absolutely no different. There was no decomposition, or rotting smell. One simple
study
shows how many preservatives are in fast food, and all it took was letting the food sit out for just under a year. The real question one needs to ask is, is convenience worth your health? As been stated, both Zinczenko and Balko make good points in their writing. Balko definitely makes more valid points and states it how it really is. Zinczenko on the other hand used to be obese, so he puts his sympathy with the overweigh population of America. This fact makes his writing weaker and puts flaws on his plans of action. Personal responsibility is something that America really needs to work on in order become a healthier country. Intervention of the government would just the food marketplace into a zoo, which is unfair to those who are responsible. And lastly, the blame should not be on the fast food industry, but the eater. Zinczenko and Balko both acknowledge the growing problem of obesity as a whole. Although they both have very valid points, Balko presents a more truthful, honest tone to his article.
Works Cited
Balko, Radley. "What You Eat Is Your Business." They Say I Say (2012): 395-98. Print.
Zinczenko, David. "Don 't Blame the Eater." They Say I Say (2012): 391-93. Print.