The Golden Arches
June 3rd, 2004 - 10:14 pm
Tonight I went to see [Super Size Me](http://www.supersizeme.com/), and I am truly disturbed. Morgan Spurlock, the director and star of the film sets out to eat only McDonalds for one month to see what the effects are. Now there were three basic rules that governed his diet for the 30 days.
1. He could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!)
2. No supersizing unless offered
3. He had to eat every item on the menu at least once
I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, so I won’t elaborate too much on the details, but I can tell you that at about the half way mark I found myself squirming and saying “I can’t handle this” over and over to myself. I totally mortified by the end of the movie, however simultaneously fascinated. While on this journey, not only did the victim’s triglicerides, fat, cholestoral, etc skyrocket, but he also started developing addiction to the food. He complained of headache’s and crankiness that would only be satiated if he started stuffing his face with more food. As if that wasn’t enough of a reason to be appauled, his girlfriend complained that his sex drive was severely affected (as in driven down to near zero) by the McDonalds food.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, but be prepared to be both totally disgusted and appalled. I know at least two people walked out of the movie because they just couldn’t handle it.
I’m sure that it was definitely bothersome, as well as a wakeup call to many about the changing dietary habits in the world, but disgusting? We’re not talking about Schindler’s List here. McDonalds, while definitely shy of healthy, is a choice. People know that a Quadra Decker Fattastic Comborific is going to do bad things to them. If people don’t, that’s ok, we have created specialized buses solely for their needs.
the people who walked out were probably regular mcdonald’s customers who wanted the truth, but couldn’t handle the truth. I don’t think I’d have a hard time watching it since I haven’t eaten at a fast food joint in 5 years now .. unless it’s just painful to see what the guy does to himself.
What did people expect? It’s not a Jackie Chan flick. I would assume that anybody going to see the movie had a really good idea what it was about. What do you expect is going to happen to somebody if they eat grease for a month straight? I don’t think anybody would argue that McDonalds food is healthy. McDonalds isn’t required to make healthy food. They’re required by their shareholders to make a profit.
Next, we’ll see a movie that shows somebody getting lung cancer by smoking. Oh noz! Where’s the film about a guy who sleeps with a lot of random women and gets Ghonnorrhea? Cannes is waiting for you, sir!
On the other hand, I am for anything that shakes up the fragile world of the American consumer. Most people don’t take the time to realize what they’re putting into their bodies. This movie, along with books like Fastfood Nation help shock the public (even if only a small percent) into thinking twice about shoving that quarter pounder with cheese into their gaping maw.
hah hah, “gaping maw” is fun to say.
Unfortunately I think the people who would most benefit from this movie aren’t the type to actually view it; they’re the ones who went and saw “The Day After Tomorrow” instead.
I did find it to be disgusting personally. I should clarify. I was disgusted with both the people and the corporations. First the corporations for selling this crap chock full of salt and sugar nastiness. I don’t make a habit out of fast food, but I do go to Wendies to get the salad about once a week. I haven’t had McDonalds in quite some time.
>.. unless it’s just painful to see what the guy does to himself.
Well it’s not only what the guy does to himself, but also all of the images and interviews of other people (fat and skinny) and their ideas about food. There was one bit where they asked a family to recite the pledge of allegiance to which they could not successfully do, but they could recite the “big mac song” whatever that is (I’m out of the loop on this sort of thing, I despise TV).
>What do you expect is going to happen to somebody if they eat grease for a month straight?
Of course the movie is intented to be a bit extreme, but the point is that it’s not as extreme as you think. McDonalds has classes for “users” one such is “Heavy Users” which if I recall makes up something like 35% of their buisness. A “Heavy user” is defined by a user who eats McDonalds > than 3-4 times a week.
>McDonalds isn’t required to make healthy food. They’re required by their shareholders to make a profit.
Also very true, but there are a scary amount of addictive substances in the food that make it a little bit of a bigger issue in my opinion. About half way through this stunt, Morgan started becoming depressive and getting massive headaches. Interestingly enough, the cure to this was to go to McDonald’s and eat. When he did this, it would go away. Sounds like other substances such as alcohol to some.
>Unfortunately I think the people who would most benefit from this movie aren’t the type to actually view it
By in large I think you are correct, but you have to start by educating a few and then spreading the word. It really is an epidemic. We are the fattest nation in the world and its not slowing down. It affects us all regardless of if we choose to pay attention or not.
>There was one bit where they asked a family to recite the pledge of allegiance to which they could not successfully do, but they could recite the “big mac song” whatever that is
I thought the Pledge of Allegiance got banned or something. Maybe that explains it!
Yeah, you really should do something about this comment-posting system — the things you’ve talked about so far merit more than a few quick responses. I want to argue about things in style!
As far as the addictive properties, as long as alcohol, tobacco, and Everquest are legal, McDonalds is not the life raping megalomaniac you’re looking for.
It’s not Corporate America’s problem to keep us safe from ourselves. I don’t think that the government should come in and regulate the fast food industry either, at least in the food that they serve. If we as a nation want nutritional information on each burger wrapper, that is fine with me. That’s not overstepping the bounds of correct usage of governmental power. However, anybody who believes that the government should step in and mandate anything else is stupid.
I do agree, though, that this is an important messabe, but most of the people that should get this message won’t. People that see this movie wouldn’t ever really contemplate deep frying an Oreo. The rest of the country has a broad face and a little round belly, that shakes when they laugh, like a bowlful of jelly. Merry fat ass to all, and to all a good night.
Don’t you know Americans are not responsible for our own actions? Someone else is. If I eat nothing but Big Macs and Hot Scrapple Pie all day, and have a stroke/heart attack/whatever, it’s not my fault, it’s the fault of whoever sold it to me. I think the government should take our freedom from us and keep it in a drawer, not to be returned until we promise to use it responsibly.
Why do you hate my freedom?
We use it to turn our own stupidity into money. Smoking too much and then suing the tobacco company, accidentally shooting our kid and then suing the gun company, cutting ourselves and suing the broken glass company, etc. In other “less free” countries, people don’t get away with these sort of things.
Though I do like the fact that we can complain about anything we want and not get executed for it.
>Yeah, you really should do something about this comment-posting system … I want to argue about things in style!
Ask and ye shall receive.
>McDonalds is not the life raping megalomaniac you’re looking for.
I agree that its by in large not their problem, its the users fault for being dumb enough to keep going back. I’m not suggesting that the government should regulate foods, I’m simply lamenting the fact that people are dumb, and we all get penalized as a consequence.
>In other “less free” countries, people don’t get away with these sort of things.
Thats true, but having less freedoms is a very good way to go about fixing the problem. The problem is really on both sides of the fence. Big businesses spend piles of money on brand recognition, trying to get kids addicted to shit that will harm them. McDonalds is the perfect example in that they have the clown and the happy meal to lull kids into eating this stuff. There’s “cute” commercials and characters and happy meals. So in that sense, they know the food is bad for you, but push it on kids anyway. Thats not cool… We also have a country that it is too expensive to eat healthily in. Its probably an order of magnitude cheaper to go out and buy a big mac than it is to go to a store that serves healthy foods, or to go buy fresh vegetables, etc. yourself. This also is not cool… And for that matter these two are not irreconcilable. If the major corporations were to start buying lots of fresh foods, the price of said foods would drop, supply and demand…
That being said, by in large we continue to feed into this machine. The general population continues to eat crap regularly, we continue to grow bigger. I think the general trend has started to swing towards healthier foods, and hopefully it will continue in that direction. If it does, the mega-corps will respond when it starts to hit them in the pocketbook. To some degree we have already seen this start. McDonalds is getting rid of supersize, and trying to introduce more healthy choices. I know very little about the actual implemenation because I almost never go to McDonalds or any other fast food joint for that matter.
The moral of the story is, in the end, Nox is right, its up to us to fix the problem, but that doesn’t mean that the companies should be exacerbating the problem.
And thats just my $0.02…
You keep saying “by in large”! It’s By AND Large!!
sorry, grammar nazi mode just took over for a moment
The only reason that McDonalds is now putting “healthier” choices on their menu is that people want them and are willing to pay for them. There hasn’t been a market for healthier options until now. That’s why you see everybody advertising healthier alternatives and “low carb” options. I’m glad that the public is demanding healthier food, but it’s a weak retort to a greater problem.
If people want to eat themselves to death, I’m fine with that. What bothers me is the fact that the children of fat people are the ones who really suffer. They learn very bad lifestyle habits from their parents. For that reason, they end up dying from obesity as well. It’s a vicious cycle. However, we can’t stop people from doing far worse things to their kids, so what makes us think we can stop this?
If you’re going to sue and/or regulate McDonalds, there are plenty of other targets as well. That’s why the lawsuits are insane. Little Debbie makes unhealthy food. Most breakfast cereals aren’t healthy. The vast majority of grocery stores in America makes cakes. Let’s sue them all! Wait, that would work out. If all of the fat people sued Big Business(TM), they would be able to fund research into mech technology. They could have robotic exoskeletons that would allow them to be productive members of society no matter what their physical condition. It’s brilliant! It’s fool proof, I tell you!
> You keep saying “by in large”! It’s By AND Large!!
>
> sorry, grammar nazi mode just took over for a moment
Pot, this is kettle. You may refer to him as black.
I only said “for a moment.”
“If you’re going to sue and/or regulate McDonalds, there are plenty of other targets as well.”
true, but none have spread over the world quite like mcdonalds has. mcdonalds is everywhere. but i dont think sueing fast food places will do much. sueing tobacco companies just made them lose money and make annoying commercials. i can still go down and buy a pack for $2.75. i’m personally disgusted with mcdonalds (and other fast food places) because of how they treat everyone who works for them (and those poor cows..) as well as the fact that they sell such shit in a wrapper. they provide the cheapest quickest meal for people, and if you’re poor and work 2 jobs, you aren’t gonna go to wild oats for lunch. it’s like what aaron was saying about how its expensive to eat healthy. i’m a vegetarian so my kroger bill is always a little higher than it could be, but i keep buying it cause i hope that the more people eat it, the cheaper it will get (well, and also cause i dont eat anything with a face). people complain so much about how obese america is getting and always wondering why people are getting fatter. its because of shit like mcdonalds. meh.
> i’m personally disgusted with mcdonalds (and other fast food places)
> because of how they treat everyone who works for them
McDonalds isn’t the only one hiring. Regardless, their treatment of employees is a moot point in this case.
> (and those poor cows..)
Cows are meant to be eaten. Did you learn nothing from the Lion King? It’s the circle of life. One organism must die for another to live. Biology owns.
> as well as the fact that they sell such shit in a wrapper.
I’m assuming that you don’t buy this “shit in a wrapper”. If that’s the case, then you would agree with me in saying that every person on this planet has the right to choose whether or not they want to pay money to McDonalds for that greasy food.
> they provide the cheapest quickest meal for people, and if you’re poor and work 2 jobs, you aren’t gonna go to
> wild oats for lunch.
Cheapest? Last I checked, a home made sandwich ended up being cheaper than a Big Mac. Quickest? It takes me about two minutes to make a sandwich in the morning to take to work. Yes, “health food” costs more, but healthy food does not.
> i’m a vegetarian so my kroger bill is always a little higher than it could be
This makes no sense. Due to the fact that you cut out meat (not the cheapest thing) from your diet, you pay more for food? Could you please explain this for me?
> people complain so much about how obese america is getting and always wondering why people are getting fatter. its
> because of shit like mcdonalds
*buzzer* Survey says….lack of willpower. People get fat, because they see a commercial with a Big Mac, and even though they know that it is not the best option for them, they choose to eat it. There are healthy options out there that are both cheap and tasty, but people don’t want to expand themselves to try them. These are the same people that jump on the Atkins diet to lose weight, but don’t actually exercise. These are not hard concepts.