Food is essential to human life because it is necessary for survival. Unfortunately, the same food that people need can be at the center of the many health problems that make life hectic. Both Chuck Klosterman and David Zinczenko are great American authors with an incredible track record in writing materials about American culture. The two express divergent opinions on who to blame when analyzing the catastrophic impact caused by fast foods. This essay compares the opinions on Klosterman’s McDICULOUS and David’s Don’t Blame the Eater and determines which author has solid arguments and why.
Klosterman starts by introducing the paradox of food to humanity. Even though people need food to stay alive, the same food can prove catastrophic to the health of human beings. To make his point even more precise, he introduces the movie “Super Size Me” that he has watched and seems to encourage others to watch for its entertainment value. Through this movie, the author indicates that people should blame themselves for their bad food choices. In the movie, we see Spurlock eating nothing but food from McDonald’s for thirty days. In the end, Spurlock gains a lot of weight, his calorie levels skyrocket, and to make matters worse, he experiences signs of liver failures encompassed with depression.
Although the author seems to agree that fast-food restaurants contribute overwhelmingly to the overall obesity of America, he ridicules those who blame it entirely on these restaurants. The case of the girls who sued McDonald’s in 2002 unsuccessfully basing their argument on the presupposition that they were unable to stop the eating habits aids in proving his point (Klosterman 150). Further, since these girls lost their lawsuit, blaming the fast-food moving industries may not be a good idea for anyone who cares about their health. Additionally, he argues that McDonald’s is after making money, and that is why they are trying to convince people that their product is suitable for daily consumptions.
Klosterman indicates that the biggest problem with the Americans is that they are not ready to accept accountability; instead, they blame it on faceless corporate forces. He highlights two main problems: the movie is not likely to be the truth and the ideological problem. Spurlock changes his diet to loads of Big Macs and does not get the desired results. This is a clear indication that people should be accountable for their decisions. Choosing to eat a bad meal and blaming it on the seller when a problem arises is not wise. Besides, there is no valid point in using the excuse of corporates breaking the law to make the wrong decisions.
On the other hand, David Zinczenko, through his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” seems to be of a different opinion. The author starts by expressing sympathy for fast-food patrons, probably because he was in the business of fast-foods. The second reason for his sympathy is that they have to struggle with regular lawsuits. He compares children suing fast-food restaurants for making them fat to middle-aged men blaming Porsche for over-speeding, indicating that it does not support the lawsuits. To make his point, he introduces a rhetorical appeal by stating that before 1994, diabetes in children was caused mainly by genetic disorders. He continues by implying that that has changed because obesity in children has gone high, resulting in Type 2 diabetes to account for more than 30 percent of all new diabetic cases affecting children in the country. This goes a long way in lowering the strength of his arguments. Unlike Klosterman, David Zinczenko shifts the blame from the eater to the circumstances. He argues that the circumstances forced him to rely on Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, or Kentucky Fried Chicken when he was growing up. What saved him from these circumstances is that he went to college and joined a health magazine where he learned how to take care of his diet. He concludes that teenagers cannot find suitable meals since there is no alternative for healthy foods.
The other reason that David Zinczenko gives why it is not prudent to blame the eater is a lack of information. The fast-food restaurants are not keen to provide their clients with the calorie information on the food that they sell. The lack of information causes difficulties for people to decide on their foods for a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, restaurants that try to provide calorie information about their products are never accurate and honest with their information (David 95-97). Additionally, David asserts that the advertisement owned by these restaurants do not have warnings such as those on tobacco ads.
While both the “Don’t Blame the Eater” and “McDiculous” seem to agree that fast-moving food is not suitable for a healthy lifestyle, the McDiculous win the argument. People need to be responsible and accountable for the decisions that they make. According to Klosterman, fast-foods are business entities whose primary purpose is to make profits by selling their products to the consumer. This is the argument that makes Klosterman’s article more persuasive. Although they are not supposed to lie when making their advertisement, the truth is that they have to ensure that their advertisements are appealing to convince people to buy their products. Besides, it is ridiculous to make wrong decisions and blame it on other entities.
Works Cited
Klosterman, Chuk. “McDiculous” A decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, edited by Simon and Schuster, 2, Harvard University, 2004, pp. 150.
David, Zinczenko. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” New York Times, November 23, 2002, pp.95-97. Web.