As we read Born Round, we find ourselves faced with a debate on obesity in American. As time progresses, our collective health as a nation diminishes with waistlines increasing and scales' limits being tested. The questions we must then ask is "who is responsible"? How did this massive change come about? Is it a reflection of a lack of consumer responsibility? Should food companies go to greater lengths to ensure the safety of their customers? Is it the government's responsibility to regulate companies and habits to promote healthy eating? Where does the responsibility lie?
I'd like you to continue listening to the podcast we explored in class and engage in ANY of these discussions in the comments section of this post. Feel free to introduce new evidence, ask questions of your peers, and provide necessary insight into this debate!
I think obesity is the government's responsibility to regulate and control. At the point where so many Americans are affected by obesity that it is considered to be an epidemic, it is quite obvious that the state needs to do something about it. It is obvious that many Americans don't have the self-control to prevent themselves from becoming overweight. At that point, when people can no longer solve the problem by themselves, it is the government's responsibility to step in and do something about it. Government can't watch idly while an entire country becomes obese. The government should also do more than simply enlighten people about calorie levels. If people can't place restrictions on their own diet, the government should place these restrictions on them. The main reason that our nation has gone from being largely underweight in the 1920's to largely overweight now is the introduction of cheap fast food which contain large amounts of sugar and fats. Rather than simply making companies post calorie levels, the government needs to remove the incentive to buy these foods, which is mainly the food's low price. If the government were to enact a tax on fast food across the U.S., poverty stricken families, who are the most common targets of obesity, would no longer have an incentive to purchase fast food, causing them to lose weight. This loss of weight would lead to a reduction in obesity-related afflictions and significantly lower obesity percentages. The government steps in to prevent other epidemics. Why not do something to actually end this one?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a personal responsibility when it comes to obesity. These obese people have to make their own choices. It was their choices that led to them becoming obese in the first place. Of course, there are some circumstances where the families are so poor that they have no other option but to buy fast food. If the government really did enforce taxes on fast food, then they would no longer have anything to eat, which would be a negative impact. Obese people must make it their own responsibility to lose weight and become healthy. The government now has put into place several campaigns and movements for weight loss and preventing obesity. However, they have not worked at all. Rather than that, the percentage of obese people has only increased over the years. Why should the government waste taxpayers' money on something that doesn't work? This is only going to affect everyone negatively in the long run, with the percentage of obese people increasing anyways and the loss of taxpayers' money. This country is already in debt, so why should we spend billions more for campaigns that just haven't worked. The state government was going to ban large sodas, but that wouldn't have stopped people from buying two, or even three drinks. The government can do all they like to prevent obesity, but the plain fact is that nothing is going to happen unless the obese people themselves make the choice of loosing weight.
ReplyDeleteI feel that obesity is a controversial issue and doesn’t have a distinct side as to who is responsible for the dramatic increase of obesity in the US. Both Nino and Alice presented excellent debatable responses as to their belief that it is the government’s responsibility “to regulate and control” or the individual’s “personal responsibility”, but in my perspective, I feel that these responses are starkly black and white rather than my perception of it being gray. I feel that the responsibility of obesity should be balanced between the government and the people and not for such responsibility to be assigned to a particular side (or the extremes). In reference to Alice, the government should not interfere and immerse themselves too deeply in the personal lives of the people-there is a restriction/a limit to where a government should essentially stop and allow the people to make their own decisions…according to what the podcast mentioned, it appears to the public that the extremity of the government’s involvement is practically “stripping the basic rights from them” and “becoming a totalitarian”. Yet just looking at past events in which the government started to put taxes on cigarettes influences the decrease in the percentage of smokers (also in the decline of those who smoked with diseases such as lung cancer) reveals that government’s involvement played a crucial role in making the citizens more healthier (in essence).
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that the podcast is immersed too deeply into the concept and debate of who is responsible of the rapid obesity rate that they forget the real problem that is in front of them: obesity itself. We can argue for years whether or not it is the government’s responsibility or the personal responsibility and never find the solution to obesity which continues to rapidly grow. We are raptured in the idea of personal freedom and protest over the “increasing” control that the government that we fail to realize that we need to find a solution together and quickly. Yes, the government attempted to present solutions (found in ads, magazines, etc.) which we scorn at-one example being Mayor Bloomberg’s restriction of the size of sodas in fast food restaurants which found many protest and negative responses from the public. We should collaborate and find a better solution together. We need to open our eyes wider and realize that this is a pressing problem in this world today…as Nino emphasized obesity as “epidemic”.
(As I mentioned earlier, there isn’t a distinct side, black or white, rather a grey region in the situation of finding solutions. Metaphorically speaking, there isn’t a clear solution and often these are very complicated and complex…despite this, our real concern is “What now? What are some ways that we can slow down the obesity rate?” rather than “Who is responsible for this massive change?”)
I think that obesity is mainly our faults. The government tries their best to help us with weight loss since our president Barack Obama spends millions of dollars each year trying to clear the obesity problem in our nation and what does it do? Just about nothing the statistics on how many people are obese are only rising. Its not like we can't stop ourselves from eating. We are responsible for our own weight that's why we take it to ourselves when we need to lose weight. People don't say," Damn that government making me eat that extra fried chicken"they know its their own faults. The government can only do so much to help us until it gets to a point where its too personal. Food companies shouldn't go to greater lengths to help us since we know that on drinks and fast food the fat that they contain yet we still eat it we are well aware that the tag on the Coca Cola Can will tell us that Coke contains tons of sugar. I mean why put the money that we give to government as taxes which are suppose to be used in a useful way generally into something that won't actually help the general public and no one takes into consideration. The government and food companies should just let people do what they want in every state there are some people who are just are obese and some who are just skinny we can't change that by spending millions of dollars as we have seen already.
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