Well it wasn't me says the boy with the gun
sure i pulled the trigger but it needed to be done
because life's been killin' me ever since it begun
you cant blame me cause i'm too young
You cant blame me, sure the killer was my son
but I didn't teach him to pull the trigger of the gun
It's the killing on his TV screen
You can't blame me, it's those images he sees
Well, You can't blame me says the media man
Well I wasn't the one that came up with the plan
and I just point my camera what the people wanna see
man it's a two way mirror and you can't blame me
You can't blame me says the singer of the song
or the maker of the movie which he based his life on
It's only entertainment and as anyone can see
it's smoke machines and make-up, man, you can't fool me
He goes on to say that ultimately we all share a little of the responsibility, which I think to some extent is true. There is that old saying, "It takes a whole village to grow a child." But come on people. The blame shifting has got to stop somewhere. Someone has got to actually own up to their actions.
In 2004 there was a report by CNN that stated, "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to ban lawsuits by obese customers who say they became overweight by eating at fast-food restaurants." So why is this issue coming up yet again?
Friday night I watched a Dateline on "The Food War." McDonald's is up against its 3rd lawsuit where obese people are claiming McDonalds has made them that way. Not only that, but Kraft and other companies are being reamed for advertising "unhealthy" foods such as mac n' cheese, cookies, fruit snacks, sugar cereals, etc. to kids by using cartoon icons. Some of the lawyers are saying things like, "Parents can't really be expected to take on a billion dollar company's cartoon advertising and actually say "no" to their children. It gets tiring saying no time and time again."
Of course it does! But it gets tiring to go to work every day too! Should we stop doing that? It gets tiring to get your kids to brush their teeth or do their home work or clean up their toys. That's what parenting entails. I mean, I don't have kids so correct me if I'm wrong parents. I would imagine that parents who buy those "unhealthy" options would buy them regarless because they're easy and they taste good. I have a box of Mac n Cheese in my cupboard, and it's for those days that I truly can't bring myself to really cook. But I am not kidding myself about the nutritional value when I make it. And truly I didn't buy it for a cartoon character on front. Now if Dora was on a bag of spinach, would those same parents (you know, the ones who can't say no) rush out to buy it? I kind of doubt it.
One group they interviewed about McDonald's new exercizing campains and their salad options were saying that those things are incompatible with McD's and that you go for the French Fries, not the salads. Yet they're still blaming McD's for being known for their French Fries and for making them so darn good. Rubbish. Yes they're known for their fries and burgers. And it's A. O.K. to eat them on occasion. But if you're in a position where you have to eat out every day, make sensible choices. That's what I say.
Now, I might have a different opinion on the matter if McD's was advertising their batter fried chicken, their fries, and their Big Mac's as a healthy lunch choice. That would be blatant lying and/or misleading consumers. But they're not. They publish their nutition facts and if people are really so concerned, they can easily access those numbers. Their responsibility is to provide choices, and the consumer is then responsible for what choices they take and then consume. Fat people can't say that McD's is making them fat. Their choice to eat McD's every day, plus their lack of exercize, plus their other food ventures (ice cream, cookies, soda, juice, chips) high in calories contribute too.
Some were suggesting you put a lable on those foods saying "if eaten excessively this product could contribute to poor health and weight gain." To that I say, should we lable apples with
"if eaten excessively will give you diahrreah"? Or how about tagging our fingers, "if used improperly could be used to induce vomitting"? Common sense people. Common sense. Moderation in all things.
I think obesity really is going up, not just because junky food is so addictive, but because most people don't eat home cooked meals anymore. Parents don't take time for balanced meals. It's hard to muster up the desire to make anything after a long day at work. I can attest to that. But should we blame the restaurant for that? Should we sue the pants of people because we can't fit into our own?
14 comments:
Sorry for the mispelled words. I blame spell checker not working. hehe. I mean, I can't be held responsible for my inability to spell relatively simple words now can I?
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The trick is to say yes but be lying. That'll get 'em!
I used to be mad at those people who sued McDonald's, but now I'm glad because now fast food restaurants have a lot more healthy choices--not just salads, but applesauce, mandarin oranges, apple slices, yogurt, and white meat chicken instead of processed chicken gut mcnuggets. still not quite healthy, but better./
But that's the thing. They didn't change it because of the lawsuit. The lawsuits were thrown out. I think they changed it because of Jared, the subway guy, in all reality.
And maybe because of the movie Supersize Me.
I agree...it's sad that people who are looking for the easy way out of their problems just blame said problems on someone else. It's convenient, so why not? I think it's ridiculous.
But I do have to say that I appreciate that fast food places are offering more "healthy choices." Oh, and I also think that those 99 cent menus are great, too. Then you can get something small and something healthy and be moderate and all that jazz. At least I now feel like I can leave a Wendy's without feeling so full of trans fats I think I might keel over.
In our society, one of the last prejudices that is acceptable in society is the one against fat people. Its very easy for us to look at someone and blame them for being fat. After all, why don't they get off their butts and exercise?
And there's truth to that. Americans are well known for being the heaviest people on the planet. Exercise and moderation is not a cultural norm. Perhaps its due to a change in our perceived safety. Walking in inner city neighborhoods are seen as dangerous.
Or it could be a time effect. We are always rushing from one place to another. Who has time to walk 3 blocks to a neighborhood grocery and pick up a loaf of bread? You drive your car.
But then it's perception also. Many people are embarrassed to be seen walking along the side of the road with a bag in their hand. They don't want to be seen as a homeless person or someone who can't afford a car. Its the same reason people don't use mass transportation. Its for poor people.
Our culture has changed the last 50 years. We aren't a culture centered around the family. We don't sit down to eat dinner every night. We don't cook from raw ingredients. We look for convenience. That means buying prepared or semi-prepared foods.
People want food that is tasty. Its long been a practice to improve food taste, you add sugar. I remember the McRib sandwiches when they first came out. Without the sugary bar-b-que sauce, it was very badly tasting processed meat.
It isn’t surprising we are where we are at today. We only need to look at the messages we are being sent in the media. To maximize profits, they ask you to use two, three, four, five times the amount you actually need. How much toothpaste do you really need to brush your teeth? I use 1/5 what they show me on TV. How much cereal do I eat in the morning? 1, maybe 2 cups full. Certainly not filled up to the rim on a huge bowl they have on commercials. Steak also. A nice 4 to 6 ounce steak is plenty large enough, not the monster 14 to 16 ounce ones they want you to eat.
I guess it all comes down to social responsibility. Is the consumer 100% responsible? Or are the companies, who’s decades worth of advertising sets the cultural norm, liable in any form? I guess that is what these cases will decide.
Th.: good advice!
Amanda and Lindsay: I too am glad there are healthy alternatives. My favorite is the caesar side salad from Wendy's for just a buck! I dumped it on a plate once to see how much it really was and it was an entire plate full. Yum.
Mizike: interesting. It's true that it's easy to lump overweight people into a category and say "you lazy slob." That was not my intention nor do I believe that.
I do think that some people are more prone to gaining weight, and some people have a much harder time losing weight. And some people gain weight because of medications they're on. And some people can't exercize because of accidents they've been in.
I do have to say that my definition of overweight would probably be different than a text book definition. Mainly because by textbook answer I am 5 lbs. away from being overweight and I just think that's silly. I am all for health. Numbers don't mean much to me. If your quality of life is not suffering because of your weight or size, I don't think there's anything wrong.
But there are so many people who can barely live the life they want because of dietary and exercize choices. One of the High School teachers at home can barely walk from one end of the hall to the other without stopping for a rest. He's an amazing person with an amazing mind and personality, but he's definitely made some very bad nutritional decisions in his life.
I do think that a large portion of people in the US have misconceptions about portions and "normal eating" and healthy eating, but are TV commercials to blame? I have a hard time accepting that.
I agree that Supersize Me changed a lot of fast food practices. Did you watch the segment after the movie about putting the food in glass bottles for several weeks. The McD fries NEVER grew mold. Home style fries from a local mom and pop restaurant grew mold within one week.
I just can't bring myself to eat McD fries any more after that. I have been meaning to try my own test on Arby's curly fries. Now those are truly my favorite. I hope they grow mold!
Because I have made jillions of home cooked meals I am always amused when people think it is a lot of work to cut up veggies for a salad. It takes minutes and often it is not so much what we eat that causes the weight gain but what we don't eat. We simply don't eat enough vegetables or fruit or whole grains. Our kids are paying for it. And not just the 15% who are now obese.
I think I'll stop here. I feel a tirade coming on about how today's young people now have old people diseases. I'll spare you because my guess is that everyone who reads this is pretty good about eating the good stuff.
PS I'm glad you didn't blame your mother for not being able to spell every word. :}
It actually was the lawsuits that started the whole thing. It preceded supersize me and the supersize guy cites them. Also, the people who tried to make Oreos illegal in California (completely ridiculous idea) were the ones who started the "0 grams Trans Fats" thing that is so popular these days (a great "fad"). I am not saying that I am in favor of frivolous lawsuits, but I do like it when they spur good trends.
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Even though I haven't been to a McDonald's in about ten years, I'm still offended by you all's suggestions that my problems might not be their fault.
Think about what you are saying people!!!!
ROFL!!!!
Always good for a laugh th.
oh my gosh, th., you are funny.
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