Brett Young
College Composition & Research
Summary Response Essay
February 12, 2016
The Solution to Obesity?
Why is fast-food becoming so popular? Is it the affordability? Is it the taste? The convenience? Whatever it may be, it is becoming a problem in the United States. Every problem has a solution, so where is the cure for this epidemic? As of right now, there is no answer for the problem, however, David Zinczenko has given his opinion in his article “Don’t Blame the Eater.” This article argues responsibility of fast-food consumers, the lack of affordable food choices in America besides fast-food, and absence of food warnings in fast-food chains. I agree with his first two major points which address the responsibility of customers and the lack of affordable eating options; however, I disagree with his statements that promote fast-food chains warning their customers more.
David Zinczenko makes three main points in his article. The first point is that logically, fast-food restaurants shouldn't be blamed for people overeating; however, he does admit that he understands how people make this mistake. He elaborates on this by using an analogy stating how this is similar to someone suing a sports car company for their speeding ticket (391). His second argument was that there are not a whole lot of other affordable options other than fast-food. With this argument, he acknowledges the other side of the argument in that people should know what they are eating, rather than just eating what is available. He then follows this with his third point, a counter argument that points out how fast-food restaurants do not provide proper warning to their customers, and it is the root cause of the problem. He ends the article by saying,“Let the deep fried chips fall where they may” (393). I interpret this as him basically saying that without change in the fast-food industry, there will be no change it America's eating habits.
I agree with Zinczenko’s first statement that fast-food restaurants should not be responsible for their customers overeating, and his opinion that some people do not understand nutrition. When making his point about the responsibility of fast-food restaurants, Zinczenko himself writes, “Isn't that like middle-aged men suing Porsche for making them get speeding tickets? Whatever happened to personal responsibility?” (391) Although this analogy is not exactly the same scenario, it is similar enough to be valid. I believe that today's society is too quick to blame other people for their misfortunes, and less reflective on their own actions. This mentality is the easy way to go about problems. The thought process of these people involves noticing that there is a problem, realizing that solving the problem is too difficult for their own effort, and then finally handing the problem over to someone else. Without a change in heart of these overeaters, the problem will most likely continue. This is the case in most scenarios, but Zinczenko also mentioned that he often sympathized these overeaters, which I can understand because there are some cases where the the overeater is simply uneducated.
Zinczenko’s second argument is that other than fast-food, there are not very many options for young people that are looking for affordable food. He makes this clear when he says, “Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee you'll see one of our country's more than 13,000 McDonald's restaurants. Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit” (392). I agree with this statement, and my home town of Chillicothe will back this up. All other options in Chillicothe are fairly expensive in my opinion. Basically everything that is affordable for most kids is served inside a fast-food restaurant, and this is a big part of the obesity problem.
Zinczenko's final argument refers to the lack of nutritional information that fast-food restaurants provide with their foods. He said, “And I'd say the industry is vulnerable. Fast-food companies are marketing to children a product with proven health hazards and no warning labels. They would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products” (393). On one hand, this is a good point because fast-food restaurants do not directly point out that their foods are dangerous. On the other hand, calorie levels are listed on what seems like every burger wrapper served in the last five years and from a business standpoint, it would be ignorant to write “This food will kill you” on every wrapper. Fast-food restaurants are taking the necessary actions in ensuring that their customers understand that the food is unhealthy, and any further measures would be asking customers to sign a waiver of liability.
In conclusion, David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” makes good points about some people not understanding proper nutrition and the lack of affordable healthy restaurants, however fast-food restaurants giving any further notice to their customers is unnecessary. I believe that the only fix to obesity is further education to those who are affected, not change the restaurants which are clearly not going anywhere.
Works Cited
Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.
College Composition & Research
Summary Response Essay
February 12, 2016
The Solution to Obesity?
Why is fast-food becoming so popular? Is it the affordability? Is it the taste? The convenience? Whatever it may be, it is becoming a problem in the United States. Every problem has a solution, so where is the cure for this epidemic? As of right now, there is no answer for the problem, however, David Zinczenko has given his opinion in his article “Don’t Blame the Eater.” This article argues responsibility of fast-food consumers, the lack of affordable food choices in America besides fast-food, and absence of food warnings in fast-food chains. I agree with his first two major points which address the responsibility of customers and the lack of affordable eating options; however, I disagree with his statements that promote fast-food chains warning their customers more.
David Zinczenko makes three main points in his article. The first point is that logically, fast-food restaurants shouldn't be blamed for people overeating; however, he does admit that he understands how people make this mistake. He elaborates on this by using an analogy stating how this is similar to someone suing a sports car company for their speeding ticket (391). His second argument was that there are not a whole lot of other affordable options other than fast-food. With this argument, he acknowledges the other side of the argument in that people should know what they are eating, rather than just eating what is available. He then follows this with his third point, a counter argument that points out how fast-food restaurants do not provide proper warning to their customers, and it is the root cause of the problem. He ends the article by saying,“Let the deep fried chips fall where they may” (393). I interpret this as him basically saying that without change in the fast-food industry, there will be no change it America's eating habits.
I agree with Zinczenko’s first statement that fast-food restaurants should not be responsible for their customers overeating, and his opinion that some people do not understand nutrition. When making his point about the responsibility of fast-food restaurants, Zinczenko himself writes, “Isn't that like middle-aged men suing Porsche for making them get speeding tickets? Whatever happened to personal responsibility?” (391) Although this analogy is not exactly the same scenario, it is similar enough to be valid. I believe that today's society is too quick to blame other people for their misfortunes, and less reflective on their own actions. This mentality is the easy way to go about problems. The thought process of these people involves noticing that there is a problem, realizing that solving the problem is too difficult for their own effort, and then finally handing the problem over to someone else. Without a change in heart of these overeaters, the problem will most likely continue. This is the case in most scenarios, but Zinczenko also mentioned that he often sympathized these overeaters, which I can understand because there are some cases where the the overeater is simply uneducated.
Zinczenko’s second argument is that other than fast-food, there are not very many options for young people that are looking for affordable food. He makes this clear when he says, “Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee you'll see one of our country's more than 13,000 McDonald's restaurants. Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit” (392). I agree with this statement, and my home town of Chillicothe will back this up. All other options in Chillicothe are fairly expensive in my opinion. Basically everything that is affordable for most kids is served inside a fast-food restaurant, and this is a big part of the obesity problem.
Zinczenko's final argument refers to the lack of nutritional information that fast-food restaurants provide with their foods. He said, “And I'd say the industry is vulnerable. Fast-food companies are marketing to children a product with proven health hazards and no warning labels. They would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products” (393). On one hand, this is a good point because fast-food restaurants do not directly point out that their foods are dangerous. On the other hand, calorie levels are listed on what seems like every burger wrapper served in the last five years and from a business standpoint, it would be ignorant to write “This food will kill you” on every wrapper. Fast-food restaurants are taking the necessary actions in ensuring that their customers understand that the food is unhealthy, and any further measures would be asking customers to sign a waiver of liability.
In conclusion, David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” makes good points about some people not understanding proper nutrition and the lack of affordable healthy restaurants, however fast-food restaurants giving any further notice to their customers is unnecessary. I believe that the only fix to obesity is further education to those who are affected, not change the restaurants which are clearly not going anywhere.
Works Cited
Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print.