Professor Anne Marie Yerks
Composition 106
23 April 2010
Who/What is to Blame?
I will start by stating the obvious; there are more overweight and obese people in the United States today than in the past. So what is going on? Is it each individual’s own fault due to their inability to exhibit any self control in their lives? Many people believe so. It is not uncommon for people to think, “Well you eat too much so you deserve to be fat,” but this can be an unfair assessment. Notions like this do not take into consideration the way American society has evolved in the last few decades, and its enormous significance in people’s daily lives. In reality, trying to stay healthy and fit in today’s world can feel like fighting an endless battle, with adversaries in every direction. Things are not as black and white as they were a few generations ago; there are even multiple shades of gray. Kids used to be accustomed to filling home made meals their stay at home mothers prepared, but today this is a rarity. No longer is it completely accurate to blame the individual when the structural basis of American society is heavily contributing to the increasing levels of obesity.
Perhaps one of the best examples of change in the United States has been the development and expansion of the huge fast food industry. McDonalds, Wendy’s, KFC, Arby’s just to name a few; these are the main sources of nourishment for many people nowadays. Prepackaged and frozen foods that are often high in calories and lacking in the fruits and vegetables department tend to be the cuisine of choice for fast food corporations. Another problem is the ever increasing portion sizes. Even without “super sizing” a meal, the amount provided is usually already more than the suggested size, and Americans tend to have trouble with the concept of ceasing to eat when one is no longer hungry. Also, unfortunately, fewer people in today’s fast paced world have the luxury of healthy, home cooked meals. On the run substitutes are becoming more and more frequent due to the convenience they provide. As a result, today Americans spend approximately $150 billion per year at fast food restaurants and these corporations keep multiplying due to their increasing popularity, especially to younger people (Slegel 12).
What makes everything worse is that it is not just the United States that is being affected. Effects of industrialization and Americanization are felt all around the globe, and are penetrating societies far from our own. Countries like England, France, and Japan all have fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, and the iconic American hamburger can now be found in numerous countries. Projected statistics for the World Health Organization are that by 2015 there will be approximately 700 million obese and 2.3 billion overweight adults around the globe (World Health Organization). With these kinds of health traps populating the globe it will be increasingly difficult for future generations to maintain healthy diets and weights.
Further complicating matters is the fact that fast food corporations target young people specifically in their marketing campaigns as a way to increase sales. As a matter of fact, in 2000 advertising to children was over a $2 billion investment (Marketing and Consumerism). Tactics like the McDonalds Happy Meal are designed to use kids parental pestering to bring in more customers. Everything from colorfully animated TV commercials to plastic toys lures them, and believe me; they are not going to buy a salad. By starting young, these companies establish a lifelong clientele, and in return the customers get heart attacks and diabetes. The scheming even flourishes in schools where contests or awards are given to individual students or the school for things like collecting Campbell’s Labels for Education or Pizza Hut’s Book It! System (Marketing and Consumerism). This is a popular way of getting the brand name out there and into the minds of children, for example by offering incentives like free pizzas for reading, which encourages loyal consumers.
Other factors that are contributing to obesity, particularly in American children, are schools. One of the biggest problems with these institutions are types of cafeteria food they provide. Pizza, bosco sticks, slushies; these are the kinds of foods that are closely associated with a typical school lunch, and with fewer kids packing lunches from home these also end up being the most appealing option. Also, with each year, the pressure put on students to succeed and do well in school increases, as does their homework loads, especially if they are in advanced classes. This leaves less time for physical activities like playing sports, which helps students stay in shape while they attend school. Similarly, even students who are lucky enough to have the time for sports sometimes lose out because of the rising levels of commitment and dedication required to participate. In addition, according to Mrs. Haftel’s opinion, a teacher at Cabrini Elementary School in Allen Park, MI, students spend too much time stationary during the school day (Haftel). As a former nurse, Mrs. Haftel knows that prolonged periods of sitting are not only detrimental to the physical health of students, but it can also make it harder to think and concentrate on school work (Haftel). Opportunities like recess are even more limited in most high schools where supplementary time is dedicated to studying purposes. Basically, the whole institution channels students to spend great amounts of time stationary while being fed greasy food, and tempted with pop vending machines at every corner.
Finally, new inventions and technology are contributing to rising obesity in ways their creators did not foresee. Look, for example, at the infamous television remote. A simple device created to make life easier, but if it allows an individual to sit in front of the television for hours on end without ever having to get up to change the channel, who is it helping really? From simplistic devices like this to complexities like the Internet, a new wave of technology is threatening the health of individuals of this generation. It seems like everything today is done online. Teachers assign homework to be done online. Instead of going out and playing baseball with the neighborhood kids, young people sit inside and watch youtube clips together. People do not even have to leave their house to go shopping anymore! Oh, and sites like Facebook, not only do they keep kids from finding more active things to do when they are bored, but they are a huge distraction while doing homework, and even the cause of sleep deprivation. In a way these inventions have lived up to their full potential as labor saving devices, but with the increasing levels of inactivity they are not necessarily a good thing.
Now at the beginning of this argument I stated that it is not every obese individual’s own fault for their condition, but this is not always true. Even though society is making it increasingly difficult to live a healthy lifestyle that does not mean it is impossible. If someone is just really lazy, or refuses to try to eat the proper foods, then whatever their problem, it rests mostly on their shoulders. All I am trying to argue is that the fast paced lifestyle patterns that accompany living in today’s society tend to push people into unhealthier habits than previous generations had formed. It is more difficult today to make the healthy choices that our parents took for granted, like healthy home cooked meals as opposed to Taco Bell. Obesity has become the common side effect of survival in today’s world; so I guess, in a way, we have inadvertently done it to ourselves.
Works Cited
Haftel, Christine. Personal Interview. 7 March 2010.
“How Marketers Target Kids.” Marketing and Consumerism. Media Awareness Network, 2010. Web. 10 April 2010.
Obesity and Overweight. World Health Organization, 2006. Web. 23 April 2010.
Slegel, Donald. “Children, Schools, and Fast Food.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 78.4 (2007): 12. Web. 8 March 2010.
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