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Don't Blame the Burgers (Critical Thinking Essay

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Feb 28, 2011 • 990 Words • 4 Pages Check Writing Quality

Faizal Aziz
Critical Thinking (Pn. Syarifah Bahya) 4th November 2010
Don’t Blame The Burgers
The ‘victims’ of over-weight people in America today blames
McDonald’s for the cause of their health problems. Most
Americans claim that McDonald’s and other food companies
are responsible for obesity-related health problems. These fast
food consumers issue lawsuits to defend their health problems.
Five out of eight lawsuits has successfully push fast food
restaurants to provide better nutritional information.
The United States of America is a free country, “a federal judge
who dismissed the case that year agreed, noting, “Nobody is
forced to eat at McDonald’s.”” . ‘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. The USA Today’s argument for this conclusion is
weak from my point of view and it is arguable. (controversial)
USA Today’s basic argument can be summarized as follows:
1. ‘Fat’ lawsuits will not fix obesity epidemic. It is personal
responsibility.

Although the food is bad for health, every individual

choose to consume it by his or her own decision.
Therefore, there is nothing else to blame but the consumers
themselves.
2. Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald’s.
3. McDonald’s is promoting Vtness, not burgers in elementary
schools.
4. 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.
5. The health problems that the Americans are facing from
consuming fast food has turned into a proVt of $117 billion on
annual public health cost. This is an advantage for the
government and the lawyers who Vghts for the fast food
companies.
6. Food companies are responding to health Vndings and
consumers’ demand.
7. The Government has issued new dietary guidelines, council
people to exercise more and eat more fruits.
8. Ultimately, good eating habits are a matter of personal and
parental responsibility.
USA Today’s article brought up some interesting reasoning; it
also raises a certain aaws for a number of reasons.
The Vrst premise states, “‘Fat’ lawsuits will not Vx obesity
epidemic. It is personal responsibility.” It is just a way for fast
food companies to defend themselves by attacking the motive
of personal responsibility. Before there was any lawsuits, fast
food restaurants such as McDonald’s has deceived its customers
by issuing wrongful nutritional ingredient. When health issue
surfaced and customers are blaming for what they perceive fast
food as the cause of their health problem, it is then when fast
food companies took action by providing better nutritional
information.
Leading to the second premise, “nobody is forced to eat at
McDonald’s”, where the court as well as the defendant
companies are blaming the consumers for buying their products
and services. In other words, personal responsibility becomes
the companies’ main attacking the motive point. If we look at
both sides, where is the responsibility for providing better and
healthier food from the fast food restaurants?
More lawsuits and complains against fast food restaurants has
led them to take further action. For example from the 6th
paragraph, Ronald McDonald mascot has been sent to
elementary schools to promote health, not burgers. What we
don’t realize is, the mascot also carries the brand name and the
content of the brand, burgers. Indirectly, they are promoting the
fast food made available from the ‘health’ promotion.
From the Vfth point of the summarized arguments above, ‘USA
Today’ also claims that some fast food restaurants provides
weight watchers’ meals in order to provide healthy food at the
same time. Choices of good food and bad food have been given
out to the customers who are liable for what they choose to eat
and food companies are responding to health Vndings and
consumers’ demand. I would argue at the simple economical
term, when there’s supply it will lead to demand or vise versa.
The main cause for obesity today is because there are supplies
of unhealthy food in almost every country in this world. This
blaming issue would not occur if there were no fast food
supplies in the Vrst place.
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has
grown considerably in recent years. This seems like a severe
issue because overweight children are much more likely to
become overweight adults. As all of us have witnessed how
McDonald’s sends out invitation to children by providing their
promotional happy meals and placing playground for children
to play at within the fast food restaurant’s compound. This
invitation aims to target sells their fast food that causes the
health problems even for children.
Fortunately for the government, this health related issues caused
by fast food brought up a sum of $117 billion proVt per annual
on public health cost. This is a possible reason why the bad
nutrition contained in the fast food has not been put a stop by
the government. The only action government has taken is by
providing new dietary guidelines, council people to exercise
more and eat more fruits. My personal point of view argues that
these actions are not enough and the fast food restaurants have
no essential responsibility in their customer’s health especially
to parents who have strong nutrition background to watch after
their kids because children have different nutritional needs than
adult.
In conclusion, I claim that the argument from ‘USA Today’ is
not fair and it is bias towards the consumers. Although the
consumers are blaming the burgers for the growing concerns of
obesity, fast food restaurants should take a more serious
responsibility concerning children’s health because overweight
children are much more likely to become overweight adults.