Obesity in America

David Zinczenko (a heath magazine editor) and Radley Balko (a liberal magazine editor) discuss their views on how obesity in America should be handled at a magazine convention. They meet each other while siting down for a presentation on the appeal of advertising.

DZ- Hi is this seat taken? I arrived here a little late and everywhere else the seats have already been taken.

RB- Sure have a seat. Wait a second! You are David Zinczenko from Men’s Health Magazine. Would you mind discussing your views on obesity in America with me? It is a topic that greatly intrigues me and I have read some of your work. I personally think this whole obesity crisis stems from our government.

DZ- Of course I will discuss this topic with you. I find it quite fascinating. So you are telling me that you think it is our government’s and our fault that obesity is so prominent in America? 

RB- Yes, I do. I think our government is too focused on dictating to us what is good for us. Deciding what is good should be our own responsibility and not the government’s. 

DZ- I see where you are coming from, but I think the government’s intervention is completely necessary. Numerous consumers are ill informed about what they are eating because the food industry does not provide enough information about their products.

RB- How so?

DZ- You may think that we should know what we are eating, however the nutrition facts can be misleading. A person may see no harm in his or her meal because the nutritional facts about each item are listed separately. Before you know it a meal that you think is 400 calories has jumped too 1,200.

RB- That may be so, but our government should not have to tell these companies to show us what is good for us. We should take responsibility for what we eat. As oppose to taxing unhealthy things, our government should reward us for being healthy. They spend so much money on health care that there are no consequences for being obese. There will just be another pill or medication to fix things. This should not be the case. People that are healthy should have to pay less for their healthcare, and be able to allocate their money elsewhere.

DZ- That is a valid argument, but look how difficult it is for people to be healthy. It is so easy to find thousands of fast food chains, however it is so difficult to find healthy alternatives. These quick fixes are easily accessible and much more affordable. Our government should intervene and require the food industry to provide information about their products and also make healthy choices easily attainable.

RB- I think what you are asking for of the government is just too much. We are in a democracy, however the government’s actions are resembling more and more socialist qualities than democratic ones. Our civil liberties are being limited.

DZ- I understand your point of holding a person accountable of their own health, however it is so difficult for a person to do that when the food industry is creating advertisements that are so enticing. These advertisements target the youth that is less likely to make themselves accountable for their own health. At times they are too young to understand the severity of their choices, so the government needs to intervene. By clarifying why the fast food industry is so bad there is a smaller chance for people to be taken in by it. Therefore, I believe that we should be responsible for our own health, but that we also need the government to guide us in our choices.

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Thesis- It is completely inconceivable that our government should be able to dictate to us what we should be able to eat. If a person wants to eat a particular item, no matter how well informed they are they will still eat it regardless. We live in a democracy and not a socialist society. The government should not insult our intelligence and tell us what is right for us, it should expect its people to have enough knowledge to do what is best for them. Even though both arguments make valid points, I disagree with both. The problem is not the government getting involved, or the food industry increasing our resources, but America becoming a sedentary society. It is the lack of exercise and movement in America that is causing people to become obese, not the food and not the government.