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Saw this doc last night.For those that don't already know, it's about a guy that decided to eat nothing but McDonalds food every meal for 30 days and how his body deteriorates over the period.
I was pretty skeptical about this subject before the movie. i mean, people have to be responsible for their own actions, right? if you eat fast food every day, you have to shoulder the blame yourself. It's not like everybody doesn't know it's bad for you. They aren't exactly forcing you to eat Big Macs every day.
Well jeez. What an eye opener this movie was. Even the doctors he was consulting before, during and after the experiment were stunned at just how much the guy's whole body fell apart. It was quite amazing.
But it was the real point of the film, the obesity epidemic in America and how the food lobby manipulates the government for their own ends, how the school lunch business has been taken over by the fast food business and the industry's manipulative advertising aimed directly at children. Suddenly, my skepticism lost it's strength. Culturally, we ARE forced to eat this way from the time we are very young. No, forced is too stong, how about coerced. By the time we are adults, we are addicted to sugar, fat and salt and other, healthier foods will not satisfy us. It was more than a little depressing. But I'm VERY glad that I saw it.
I'd equate this as being from the Michael Moore school of documentary making. Some points that would have weakened his story are glossed over (like the smoking comparisons, or his focus soley on McD's, or the fact that he was a health freak before starting the process so that his system was more shocked that other people's might have been, or that maybe his genetics caused him to react worse to the bad food than other people might) and that other parts were sensationalized. This will make it easy for people (like the fast food industry and food lobby and fast food eaters in denial) to dismiss the entire film just like the argument about "Bowling for Columbine", but the fact remains that the general point of SSM and concept behind it are very sound.
I enjoy fast food. I don't think I can enjoy it as much anymore. And that's probably for the best.
Follow Ups:
by the same token, if you get too much water you will drown.
...that people have insatiable appetites for watching others suffer.
The movie only tells part of the story. I urge you to read this fascinating book if you haven't already.
...the Michael Moore remark. Morgan Spurlock is not full of himself, and the real target of his film is *not* McDonald's but the fast food way of life that's being trained into us. Moore is not that subtle. Not subtle at all! He wields a frying pan.Hey! Let's ask MM to make a docu on obesity, huh?
clark
I found Spurlock to be too ingratiating. His agenda is just different than Moore's (and it's one that more people can agree with) so you don't feel he was too heavy handed because you agree with his ideals. Had you agreed with Moore's ideas, you wouldn't feel he was as heavy handed as you do.If his target was all fast food and not just McD's, why did he only eat McD's food 3 meals a day. Why not pizza, tacos, fish and chips or other just as bad for you foods?
Honestly, "subtle" is not a word I'd use to describe this movie.
I donīt.Regards
BF
What they got instead was a good-natured (*not* like MM), wise and funny cine-essay on the modern origins of obesity -- in government schools!Had he diluted it with Dominoe's etc. it never would have drawn the expectant throngs.
clark
I too am looking forward to seeing this film. I have read a bit on health and obesity in the US, and the factors are many -- some intuitively obvious, some not. A few axamples:Portion sizes have increased due to resistence to pricing pressures
Proliferation of "family style" chains (ie Fridays, 99, Applebee's)--portions are huge and the food unhealthy.
Two parents working leaves less time for healthy prepared meals
The advertising game has become so expensive and critical to food companies' success.The above are "obvious" to many, but what may not be obvious:
The development in the late 70's of High Fructose Corn Syrup, which enables companies to make foods very tasty for very cheap. The corn industry is one of the most heavily subsidized one by our gov't.
If you look at charts of obesity levels in this country, the ramp up corresponds very closely with the development and use of HFCS. This product is insidious, and most people don't realize it. I worked for a juice manufacturer for 6 years and all I heard was "sugar is sugar" regardless of whether it comes from fruits or HFCS. Well that is not technically correct. HFCS interferes with the body's ability to metabolize sugars effectively.
If you are interested in this topic, I'd recommend a book called "Fat Land" by Greg Critser and another by Kelly Brownell called "Food Fight". Both are interesting, with Brownell's being more comprehansive, but Critser's really delving into the HFCS and food subsidies thing.
My own observation upon returning to the US after being in Asia for 2.5 months is that the US is as obese as it gets. I was rather shocked when I came back because it was so very clear. And now, all one sees is "low carb"--like that's really going to change anything anymore than "low fat" did.
Cetaele (aka Bob)
I hardly ever see anyone smoking anymore. If I do become aware of someone smoking it's almost shocking and I turn to see who it is.I hardly ever see a drunk anymore. Maybe at a college football game or a homeless person downtown.
But what I do see everywhere is obesity. Young, old, male, female, black, white, ....everywhere. Look around in a super WalMart or a super market, malls, etc. And think of the medical timebombs these people are. Knee replacements, diabetes, heart problems, etc etc.
Just look at sporting event tapes from the early '80's. All the fans, the coaches, everyone was thin. But not now and it has only been 20 years. What will it be like in 20 more years??
I don't know if the problem is too much cheap food, fast food, corn syrup sweetners, lack of exercise, or what, but the problem is here.
I am skeptical as to the notion that "we are helpless victims" to the FF industry. I agree that the influence of massive television advertising and the FF industry's heavy lobbying of the gov't has created a generation (maybe more than one) of folks who actually consider a somewhat regular regimine of this food to be harmless, or at least not un-healthy. But, you don't have to eat too many times at one of these places to realize that you don't feel too good after the meal. Plus if you can take a look in the kitchen while the "food" is being prepated, its pretty obvious that its toxic.I still look forward to seeing the movie though!
...alludes to "helpless victims." The point is made, however, that it is difficult for consumers to make choices when nutritional information is not provided to them. McDonald's claims it shares nutritional information with its customers, but "Super Size Me" shows that it is inconsistently distributed and very difficult to find in general.It is extremely difficult for children to make nutritional choices when fast-food companies run public school cafeterias.
Furthermore, the film makes it clear that there is a big difference between what fast food companies tell the public and what fast food companies say behind closed doors. The industry overall is very, very similar to the tobacco industry.
Jeffery
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