Natalie Jimenez
Period 2
2/5/2010
Response to Super Size Me!
To me, the most memorable part of Super Size Me! was when Morgan, the test subject, goes to an elementary school. During his visit he shows a small group of students a set of pictures. While he does, one by one, but separately, the students guess who is in the picture. The first picture is of George Washington and only one chills guessed correctly. The next picture was shown and a small boy says it was George W. Bush.
Morgan tells him it is a good guess and turns it around to show the camera. The picture is of Jesus Christ. At this point the entire class broke out in a chorus of laughter, chortling at the absurdity of the situation. The child’s guess was no where near the correct answer.
However, when the children are shown a picture of Ronald McDonald, each of them guesses correctly. This particular part stands out to me because it shoes how prominent fast food, especially McDonald’s, has become in our daily lives. Not even our nation’s founding father or religion is held in high esteem anymore. This goes to show how successful McDonald’s is in marketing towards children and the intensity of its assault.
On the other the hand, this particular incident reflects the priorities of American parents.
It shows how parents have allowed their children to immerse themselves in today’s pop culture. This can be potentially dangerous when it comes to knowing who America’s most fattening clown is while not knowing one of history’s and Christianity’s most iconic figures are. These children have learned at an early age who Ronald McDonald is, but what they do not know is how bad his food can be for their health.
In today’s society, food is everywhere. As a result more and people are unpacking their wallets while packing their waistlines. What is worse is that our young are learning these unhealthy habits. Many parents are ignoring this when they are ones to blame.
Although they carry most of the responsibility, they can use some help in carrying it and in solving the problem. For example, there should be laws banning fast food in schools.
This is necessary in combating obesity because parents are not there to regulate what their child eats. These educational centers should do their part in teaching children good eating habits while their parents are not around. These laws could enforce that. Just like the government should monitor schools, they should also implement policies regulating fast food companies, up to a certain point. Each fast food location should be required to display nutritional facts where they can be readily seen by the public. They should also be required to have a sheet of these nutritional facts ready to be distributed upon request. A fine should be imposed upon any fast food joint that does not comply with these ideal guidelines. Once these policies are established, consumers can craft their diet around them, not necessarily withdrawing all of their business. It is still up to the consumer to change their diet. The sooner everyone realizes their role in solving the problem, the sooner the trend of obesity will be cut. Thus all potentially fatal consequences will be averted.