BASIC STEPS IN STANDARDIZING ARGUMENTS

To analyse longer arguments, we use a method called standardizing. There are five
basic steps in standardizing arguments:

[1] Read through the argument carefully. Identify the main conclusion (it may be only
implied) and any major premises and sub conclusions. Paraphrase as needed to clarify
meaning.

[2] Omit any unnecessary or irrelevant material.

[3] Number the steps in the argument and list them in correct logical order (i.e., with
the premises placed above the conclusions they are intended to support).

[4] Fill in any key missing premises and conclusions.

[5] Add justifications for each conclusion in the argument. In other words, for each
conclusion or sub conclusion, indicate in parentheses from which previous lines in the
argument the conclusion or sub conclusion is claimed to directly follow.

Argument

Don’t Blame the Burgers

USA Today

Our view: “Fat” lawsuits (kiện tụng) won’t fix the obesity epidemic. Personal
responsibility will.

People who overeat used to be called gluttons . Now, they’re victims. Two overweight
Bronx, N.Y., teens who scarfed down McDonald’s burgers and fries several times a
week blame the company for their health problems. Their attorneys assert they are
victims of corporate malfeasance because the chain deceives customers about its
products.

The “McDonald’s-made-me-fat” lawsuit leaps to mind (appear suddenly in one’s

mind) whenever the subject of frivolous litigation (vụ kiện tụng phù phiếm) comes up.
Nine of 10 Americans say it’s wrong to hold food companies liable for obesity-related
health problems, a 2003 Gallup Poll found. A federal judge who dismissed the case
that year (a group of students who starts school, college,..) agreed, noting, “Nobody is
forced to eat at McDonald’s.”

A federal appeals court (tòa án thượng tố) reinstated (to cause smt to exist again/ to
put a law or rule back into effect) the lawsuit last week, saying the teens should be
allowed to collect more evidence before trial. So the case that became a meal ticket
(S.O/Smt that you use as a way of getting regular amounts of money)) for comedians
and inspired an Oscar-nominated documentary, Super Size Me, about a man who ate
nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days, can again clog the arteries of American
jurisprudence (the study of law and the principles on which law is based). Fourteen
states have passed “cheeseburger” bills to protect chains from lawsuits about their
customers’ girth.

The McDonald’s lawsuit is no joke to the attorneys who see food as their next cash
cow (a product or service that makes a lot of money over a long period of time for the
company that sells it). The lawyers acknowledge that their goal is to use class-action
suits (vụ kiện tập thể) to hold food firms liable for a lucrative portion of the $117
billion in annual public health costs related to obesity. Of at least eight “fat” lawsuits
filed so far, five have been partially successful in pushing companies to provide better
nutritional information. The trial lawyers hope that securing documents from food
chains will yield the kind of incriminating (to make someone seem guilty: buộc tội)
memos (a message or other information in writing sent by one person or department to
another in the same business organization: bản ghi chú) they found with Big Tobacco.

It’s a stretch to suggest that McNuggets are as addictive or dangerous as nicotine.

Although two-thirds of Americans are overweight, lawsuits and government edicts (an
official order: sắc lệnh) are no way to trim the nation’s midsection. Market forces and
public education work better.

Food companies are responding to health findings and consumer demand.

McDonald’s has phased out (to remove or stop using smt gradually) its Super Size
program. Mascot Ronald McDonald will visit elementary schools to promote fitness,
not burgers. More nutritional information is displayed on the restaurants’ Web sites.

Most fast-food chains have cut fat content and offer salads and low-carb meals. All
1,500 Applebee’s restaurants, for example, offer Weight Watchers meals. People who
choose Hardee’s 1,418-calorie Monster Thickburger have only themselves to blame.

Advice to avoid such foods is hard to miss. The government’s new dietary guidelines,
issued earlier this month, counsel people to exercise more, eat more fruits, vegetables
and whole grains, and cut their intake of trans fats in processed foods. The Food and
Drug Administration will soon grade food-health claims, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention is studying the effects of food marketing on children’s diets.

Ultimately, good eating habits are a matter of personal and parental responsibility. As
the trial judge in the McDonald’s case put it: “If a person knows or should know that
eating copious orders of supersized McDonald’s products is unhealthy and may result
in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses.”
-> conclusion
frivolous litigation (vụ kiện tụng phù phiếm): the use of legal processes with apparent
disregard for the merit of one’s own company

hold somebody responsible/accountable/liable for smt: to say or decide that someone

should accept the responsibility for something bad that happens/ to make S.O
responsible for what they do and demand a satisfactory reason for it

appeal court (N) a law court that has the power to change the decision of a lower court

clog the arteries (n) làm tắc động mạch

class-action suits (n) civil lawsuit brought on behalf of a group of people or business
entities who have suffered common injuries as a result of the defendants’ conduct,
with at least one individual or entity acting as a representative of that group

BACKGROUND OF ARGUMENT
(Tại sao lại xuất hiện argument này và cái hiện tượng gì dẫn đến)
Analyzing

Conclusion
- ‘USA Today’ declares that any individual who consumes food from any fast food
restaurants such as McDonald’s is liable for their own health problems. This
statement has stand strong within the Americans and the law cannot protect them
from doing something they are not forced to.
- Good eating habits are a matter of personal and parental responsibility.
- If a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of supersized
McDonald’s products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain, it is not the place
of the law to protect them from their own excesses
-> a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of supersized
McDonald’s products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain just can blame
themselves
Good eating habits are a matter of personal and parental responsibility, and the law
cannot protect individuals from their own excesses.
Argument
1. The two overweight people who consider themselves as victims in America today
blame McDonald’s for the cause of their health problems because they eat Mc
Donald’s burgers and fries many times a week.
2. Their attorneys assert they are victims of corporate malfeasance because the chain
deceives customers about its products.
3. Nine of 10 Americans say it’s wrong to hold food companies liable for obesity-
related health problems.
4. Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald’s
5. Super Size Me, about a man who ate nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days,
can again clog the arteries of American jurisprudence
6. Fourteen states have passed “cheeseburger” bills to protect chains from lawsuits
about their customers’ girth.
7. The lawyers acknowledge that their goal is to use class-action suits to hold food
firms liable for a lucrative portion of the $117 billion in annual public health costs
related to obesity.
8. Of at least eight “fat” lawsuits filed so far, five have been partially successful in
pushing companies to provide better nutritional information.
9. It’s a stretch to suggest that McNuggets are as addictive or dangerous as nicotine.
10. Although two-thirds of Americans are overweight, lawsuits and government
edicts are no way to trim the nation’s midsection.
11. Food companies are responding to health findings and consumer demand
12. McDonald’s has phased out its Super Size program. Mascot Ronald McDonald
will visit elementary schools to promote fitness, not burgers. More nutritional
information is displayed on the restaurants’ Websites.
-> McDonald’s is promoting fitness, not burgers in elementary schools.

13. Most fast-food chains have cut fat content and offer salads and low-carb meals.
All 1,500 Applebee’s restaurants, for example, offer Weight Watchers meals. People
who choose Hardee’s 1,418-calorie Monster Thickburger have only themselves to
blame.
-> Most fast food chains are offering weight watchers’ meals in order to provide
healthy food at the same time. People who choose Hardee’s 1,418-calorie Monster
Thickburger have only themselves to blame.
14. The government’s new dietary guidelines, issued earlier this month, counsel
people to exercise more, eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and cut their
intake of trans fats in processed foods.
15. The Food and Drug Administration will soon grade food-health claims, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is studying the effects of food marketing
on children’s diets.
Evaluating Premises
- Personal experience
- Background beliefs/information
- Credible sources

Premises Accepting Why?

Summary: The "McDonald's-made-me-fat" lawsuit by two overweight Bronx, N.Y.

teens is an example of frivolous litigation. Nine of 10 Americans say it's wrong to
hold food companies liable for obesity-related health problems. Fourteen states have
passed "cheeseburger" bills to protect chains from lawsuits about their customers'
girth. The lawyers are using the lawsuit to hold food firms liable for a portion of the
$117 billion in annual public health costs related to obesity.

Eight "fat" lawsuits have been partially successful in pushing companies to provide
better nutritional information. Food companies are responding to health findings and
consumer demand, such as McDonald's phasing out its Super Size program and
offering salads and low-carb meals. The government's new dietary guidelines advise
people to exercise more, eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and cut their
intake of trans fats. Good eating habits are a matter of personal and parental
responsibility.

Don't Blame the Burgers: Critical thinking evaluation

Writing Quality
Summarize the main idea of the article:
The 'victims' of obesity in America today blame McDonald's for their health issues.
The majority of Americans believe that McDonald's and other food businesses are to
blame for the health issues associated with obesity. To defend their health issues,
these fast food consumers launch lawsuits. Five out of eight lawsuits have been
successful in getting fast food chains to improve their nutritional reporting.
Our group’s opinions towards this article’s view:
‘’Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald's’’- a federal court who dismissed the
complaint that year declared, emphasizing that the United States of America is a free
nation. According to "USA Today," anyone who eats meals from fast food companies
like McDonald's, have to take responsibility for their own health issues. The law
cannot protect Americans from doing anything they are not compelled to do, and this
statement has a solid following among Americans. From our perspective, the USA
Today's argument for this conclusion is weak, dubious and controversial.

USA Today’s basic arguments can be summarized as follows: ( totally 16

premises)
1. Personal responsibility, not a "fat" lawsuit, is the solution to the obesity issue.
2. Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald’s.
3. The lawyers who regard food as their next cash cow are serious when it comes
to the McDonald's lawsuit.
4. The attorneys agree that their objective is to hold food companies liable for a
significant portion of the $117 billion in annual public health expenses related to
obesity through class-action lawsuits.
5. The health problems that the Americans are facing from consuming fast food
has turned into a profit of $117 billion on annual public health costs related to
obesity.
6. Thus, this is an advantage for the government and the lawyers who fight for the
fast food companies. (from 4,5)
 7. As a result, the government and the attorneys who fight for the fast food firms
stand to benefit. (from 6)
8. Food companies are responding to health findings and consumers’ demand.
( from 9,10,11)
9. McDonald’s has phased out its Super Size program.
10. Mascot Ronald McDonald’s visits elementary schools to promote fitness, not
burgers.
11. More nutritional information is displayed on the restaurants’ Websites.

12. Most fast-food chains have cut fat content and offer salads and low-carb meals.
( from 13)
13.All 1,500 Applebee’s offer Weight Watchers’ meals to provide healthy foods.
14. People who choose Hardee’s 1,418- calorie Monster Thickburger have only
themselves to blame.(from 12)
15. The government’s new dietary guidelines encourage people to exercise more,
eat more healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
16. Good eating habits are a matter of personal and parental responsibility. ( from
1,2,3,4,7,8,14)

Evaluate the argument:

USA Today’s article has brought up some interesting reasoning. However, it also
raises some particular flaws for several reasons.
1. According to the first premise: Personal responsibility, not a "fat" lawsuit, is the
solution to the obesity issue.It is just a way fast food companies are using to defend
themselves by attacking the motive of personal responsibility. Before there was any
legal actions, fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s deceived its customers by
supplying incorrect information about nutritional ingredients. When health problems
emerged and consumers began to blame fast food for what they believed to be the root
of their health issues, it is then when fast food companies reacted and took action by
providing better nutritional information.
->
2. Leading to the second premise, “Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald’s”, where
both the court and the defendant businesses place the blame for customers for buying
their products and services by attacking their motives of buying by themselves. In
other words, personal responsibility becomes the primary point of attack for the
companies. If we look at both sides,there’s still something missing. Is it all because of
the customers’ fault? What is the fast food restaurants’ responsibility? Why aren’t fast
food businesses responsible for providing better and healthier meals?
3. Fast food establishments have started taking additional action as a result of more
lawsuits and complaints. In the sixth paragraph, for instance, the Ronald McDonald
mascot was sent to primary schools to promote health, not burgers. This example is
just not true to draw a conclusion that fast food restaurants are responding to
consumer demand and health concerns. There’s a point we are unaware of, is that the
mascot also represents the company name and the brand’s product, which is
hamburgers. It is undeniable that they are subtly marketing the fast food made
available by the 'health' advertising. CREDIBLE SOURCE (CHÈN ẢNH VÀO)

4. From the fifth point of the summarized arguments above. According to "USA
Today," several fast food businesses provide Weight Watchers' meals (which means a
suitable diet for the fat) to supply healthy food. Fast food restaurants respond to
consumer demand and health concerns by giving customers options between good and
unhealthy food. The way they offer options for the clients has committed the false
alternatives fallacy. They claim that there are only two relevant choices when in fact,
there are more than two. For example, a great number of clients, especially kids and
adolescents, come to Mc Donald’s on a daily basis just to get the toys attached to the
meals called Happy Meals served at Mc Donald’s. Children eat there because of toys,
not food. https://www.happymeal.com So it means that customers have to be
responsible for what they choose to eat. When considering aspects in terms of the
economy, I would claim that providing always leads to demand or vice versa. Obesity
today is primarily due to the availability of unhealthy food in almost every corner of
the earth. If there were no sources of fast food in the first place, this issue of blame
would not arise.
-> false alternatives

5. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the US has significantly increased recently.

Given that overweight children are considerably more likely to grow up to be
overweight adults, this seems like a serious problem. As we have all seen, McDonald's
invites kids to come play by offering free happy meals as a promotion and setting up a
playground inside the fast food restaurant's grounds. This invitation is intended to
draw customers’ attention to come to restaurants that serve unhealthy fast food,
especially to young children. The author assumes that the increase in childhood
obesity is directly caused by fast food chains like Mc Donald’s offering free happy
meals and playground. This argument commits the slippery slope fallacy. While it is
true that fast food is often high in calories, it is not necessarily the only cause of
childhood obesity. Other factors can contribute to obesity in childhood such as
genetics, lack of physical activities and aslo unhealthy eating habits at their home.
Additionally, it is certainly concerning that junk food companies are targeting young
children with their promotions, but it is also important to notice that the parents
ultimately have the responsibility to make healthy choices for their children. So
pinning the blame solely on fast food companies ignores the role of personal
responsibility and undermines the importance of education about nutrition and healthy
lifestyles.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280370#Parents-not-taking-childhood-
obesity-seriously -> This article proves that junk food is not the only cause of
childhood obesity, many sedentary behaviors in children such as watching tv, playing
computers games or using social media are also responsible for this problem.
-> This argument commits the fallacy of: Slippery slope
6. Fortunately for the government, fast food-related health illnesses reduced the
annual cost of public health by $117 billion. This could be the reason why the
government has not taken steps to stop the poor nutrition found in fast food. The only
action the government has taken is to encourage people to eat more fruits, exercise
more, and follow new dietary standards. My personal point of view argues that these
measures are insufficient and that fast food restaurants bear no main responsibility for
the health of their clients, particularly in the case of parents who have knowledge
about nutrition and who are responsible for looking out for their children because kids'
nutritional requirements are different from adults'.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I claim that the reasoning from ‘USA Today’ news is unfair and it is
biased towards the consumers.Although the consumers are blaming burgers for the
rise in obesity-related worries, fast food establishments should take their responsibility
for children's health far more seriously because overweight kids are much more likely
to grow up to be overweight adults.
Evidence to support premise