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Super Size Me

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.


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Topic - Super Size Me - Troy 11:40:59 06/09/04 (12)


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