merylsilverburg
Aug 7th, 2002, 03:15 AM
My sister subscribed to this magazine called "The Week" that has all of the latest news for the week (for all the lazy or don't-have-the-time people who don't wanna read the paper or watch the news. *raises hand*) and there's this one article that talks about obesity in America. Here it is:
"The Week" Magazine- August 9, Volume 2, Issue 67
Obesity: Is it Ronald McDonald's Fault?
Caesar Barber's love affair with hamburgers and fries began in the 1950s with the bite-sized "sliders" of White Castle. He moved on to the greasy joys of McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now, two heart attacks and eight angioplasties later, this 56-year-old maintenance worker from the Bronx is blaming America's fast-food culture for seducing him into a lifetime of unhealthy eating. "Nobody said what this food would do to me," he complained. So, last week, the 270-pound Barber filed a lawsuit against several fast-food chains for not warning that their fried, fat -and salt- laden provender could make customers too big for their britches. "They said, '100 percent beef,'" Barber told Peter Bailey in Newsday. "I thought that meant it was good for you."
Thus begins the latest round of "I'm Stupid, Therefore I Sue," said Mitch Albom in the Detroit Free Press. It should come as no surprise to any sentient being that it's unhealthy to chow down on grease-stained bags of burgers and fries. But personal-injury lawyers don't believe in personal responsibility, and they're salivating over the prospect of making a meal of the fast-food industry's supersized profits. They're comparing Big Macs to cigarettes, which, of course, is absurd. Cheeseburgers contain no nicotine, and they aren't addictive. Tell that to a jury, said Peg Tyre in Newsweek. Northeastern University law professor Richard Daynard will soon offer "a closed-door strategy session for nearly 100 lawyers" who hope to sue fast-food companies, which they're calling "Big Food." The lawyers plan to focus on fat kids, on the premise that the young and naive can't see through slick advertisements and are thus "passive victims" of Ronald McDonald and the Colonel.
As a father of three boys, "I can attest to the almost hypnotic effect of the Happy Meal," said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley in the Los Angeles Times. McDonald's clever mix of meat and marketing always leaves my three squalling kids "semiconscious in a fat- and toy- induced trance." But in court, it won't be easy to prove that Big Food is alone responsible for America's gluttony. Was it really the Quarter Pounder, or did the fettuccine Alfredo play a role? Should we blame the 64-ounce Coke or Starbucks' white chocolate mocha? Still, now that our mutual funds are on a crash diet, those of us with weak wills and burgeoning guts should root for the lawyers to prevail. Just think of it: "I could well be carrying the kids' college fund around my midsection, safe from stock market fluctuations."
After I read this I thought to myself that that Barber guy is so stupid. Honestly now....why couldn't he use common sense? Fattening and fried stuff...100% beef.....good for you?! Man, he cannot blame the fast food industry for his stupidity....and, he seems to act as if it's their fault he went and ate so much fat and became the way he is now. He could've stopped anytime. Man, people like this piss me off....sure, marketing and advertisting of the foods can appeal to people, but it doesn't mean you have to go out and get that damn Big Mac just because it looks so good on TV. :mad:
"The Week" Magazine- August 9, Volume 2, Issue 67
Obesity: Is it Ronald McDonald's Fault?
Caesar Barber's love affair with hamburgers and fries began in the 1950s with the bite-sized "sliders" of White Castle. He moved on to the greasy joys of McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now, two heart attacks and eight angioplasties later, this 56-year-old maintenance worker from the Bronx is blaming America's fast-food culture for seducing him into a lifetime of unhealthy eating. "Nobody said what this food would do to me," he complained. So, last week, the 270-pound Barber filed a lawsuit against several fast-food chains for not warning that their fried, fat -and salt- laden provender could make customers too big for their britches. "They said, '100 percent beef,'" Barber told Peter Bailey in Newsday. "I thought that meant it was good for you."
Thus begins the latest round of "I'm Stupid, Therefore I Sue," said Mitch Albom in the Detroit Free Press. It should come as no surprise to any sentient being that it's unhealthy to chow down on grease-stained bags of burgers and fries. But personal-injury lawyers don't believe in personal responsibility, and they're salivating over the prospect of making a meal of the fast-food industry's supersized profits. They're comparing Big Macs to cigarettes, which, of course, is absurd. Cheeseburgers contain no nicotine, and they aren't addictive. Tell that to a jury, said Peg Tyre in Newsweek. Northeastern University law professor Richard Daynard will soon offer "a closed-door strategy session for nearly 100 lawyers" who hope to sue fast-food companies, which they're calling "Big Food." The lawyers plan to focus on fat kids, on the premise that the young and naive can't see through slick advertisements and are thus "passive victims" of Ronald McDonald and the Colonel.
As a father of three boys, "I can attest to the almost hypnotic effect of the Happy Meal," said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley in the Los Angeles Times. McDonald's clever mix of meat and marketing always leaves my three squalling kids "semiconscious in a fat- and toy- induced trance." But in court, it won't be easy to prove that Big Food is alone responsible for America's gluttony. Was it really the Quarter Pounder, or did the fettuccine Alfredo play a role? Should we blame the 64-ounce Coke or Starbucks' white chocolate mocha? Still, now that our mutual funds are on a crash diet, those of us with weak wills and burgeoning guts should root for the lawyers to prevail. Just think of it: "I could well be carrying the kids' college fund around my midsection, safe from stock market fluctuations."
After I read this I thought to myself that that Barber guy is so stupid. Honestly now....why couldn't he use common sense? Fattening and fried stuff...100% beef.....good for you?! Man, he cannot blame the fast food industry for his stupidity....and, he seems to act as if it's their fault he went and ate so much fat and became the way he is now. He could've stopped anytime. Man, people like this piss me off....sure, marketing and advertisting of the foods can appeal to people, but it doesn't mean you have to go out and get that damn Big Mac just because it looks so good on TV. :mad: