Posted on 02/14/2005 3:25:25 PM PST by Graybeard58
When the film "The Day After Tomorrow" debuted, even Al Gore and other global-warming crazies condemned the "science" on which the picture was predicated. But that didn't stop some Connecticut public schools from showing it -- uncritically and without discussion -- in high school science classes, thus giving it credibility it does not deserve.
Now schools and lawmakers are embracing as a teaching tool a movie that is the second most dubious "documentary" of this century, behind "Fahrenheit 9/11." Inspired by a lawsuit blaming McDonald's for making people fat, "Super Size Me" conducted a bogus experiment to "discover" what would happen to a sedentary person who ate 90 straight meals at McDonald's. To no one's surprise, director Matthew Spurlock, the film's guinea pig, gained 25 pounds, and saw his blood pressure and cholesterol skyrocket by eating extreme quantities of fast food.
The film got two thumbs up from the food police and the trial lawyers, who saw it as a harbinger of more fast-food litigation, and copped the best-director award from the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination. But Mr. Spurlock is neither a scientist nor nutritionist, but a prankster. He began his career with MTV, which may explain why "Super Size Me" has the feel of reality TV, "Jackass" and left-wing drivel rolled into one.
Its premise is Americans are not to blame for being overweight. They are victims of fat-cat corporations that push "addictive" fast food on unsuspecting consumers, and the only way to stop this evil is through lawsuits and legislation.
No one in his right mind would eat the equivalent of five meals a day for 30 straight days at the same restaurant; no one advocates that, not even McDonald's. But be it Big Macs or health food, if an average man consumes 5,500 calories a day and doesn't exercise as Mr. Spurlock did, he can expect to gain between 20 and 30 pounds in a month. Sustaining a 5,500-calorie diet is no easy task, even at McDonald's.
"Super Size Me" addresses an important issue dishonestly and dogmatically, yet Marlene Schwartz of the Center for Eating and Weight Disorders at Yale University -- an Ivy League institution! -- urges the state to make the forthcoming edited-down version part of the public-school health curriculum. "Mostly because one of the points he makes in the film is that food companies market directly to children and the products they market are the least healthy ones they make. Kids could benefit from that side of the story."
They would benefit a great deal more from a serious, authoritative exploration of dietary and obesity issues, and the imposition of nutritional discipline by their parents. They don't need laws banning soda and junk food from schools or brainwashing from Hollywood. They need balance -- in their lives and in their classrooms. They should be taught at home and at school that sensible eating combined with moderate exercise is vital to maintaining one's weight at a healthy level.
But most of all, they and the rest of America should learn that staying fit is about personal choices and responsibility. And that if they get fat, they have no one to blame but themselves because they, like Mr. Spurlock, were the ones who consumed too much and exercised too little.
BTTT for the truth!
Absolutely not! McDonalds forced me to eat that double quarter pounder with cheese every day.
Now how can I get a lawsuit started in my area? I don't want it to just be McDonalds either. I want to include the whole gambit of fast food, starting with A and ending at Z. They've all got to go.
Are there any enterprising attorneys out there? Any that are ready to retire on a big royalty check? :) Hehehe!
Refer to post three before you start spewing your hatred. :)
ROTFL! You Jerk! We want before & after pics!
Not only that, but he went from exercising regularly and eating healthy to shocking his system with no exercise and tons of unhealthy food. Not to mention, the average person does not have a super size POP and a milkshake. Nor does the average person eat until they puke and then continue eating.
Side note - due to an unfortunate situation with an awful landlord - I was without a refrigerator for 3 months. I ate sparingly (couldn't keep anything cold) except for my one big meal a day at a fast food restaurant. Of course, I exercised regularly. Dropped 1 dress size and even did a 20 mile rollarblade stint.
"The Day After Tomorrow"
Crappiest movie I ever saw.
NO. THIS IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY! NO MORE FAST FOOD! EVER! IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN! :)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1258512/posts
Here is the before and after picture. Well, there's a little more gray in the beard now. This one's about two and half years old.
Have any of you actually seen the movie? Spurlock interviews the trial lawyers who are suing McDonalds, and asks them "Is there any motivation for this lawsuit other than pure financial gain." The lawyer scratches his chin, exhales, and then says "I can't think of any." It was a truly classic moment.
The truth is that most Americans are overweight, and fast-food and lack of exercise are a FACTOR in this problem. Spurlock lives in NYC, where the average person walks 3 to 5 miles a day. He stopped "exercising" - i.e., walking, b/c the average American in the 'burbs walks less than 0.5 miles a day, and he wanted to thus "exercise" the same amount as the average suburban dude.
I think it is more our culture of incessant driving and reliance on the automobile for every trip out of the house that helps make Americans the earth's fattest people. I know I'll get slammed here for this, but incessant motoring in huge inefficent SUV's, and paving over more and more land to build strip malls with 10X the parking they will ever need is not the recipe for a sustainable economy. Building more and more suburbs farther and farther out from population centers is foolish given the reality of our energy situation. The suburbs and the trophy automobile are yesterday's tomorrow.
OK, very nice, BUT now lets see the Mikey D scourge pic!! *L*
I'll get back to you on that. I'm having a big mac attack.
Quite frankly, I much prefer my two light trucks and I want nothing to do with your socialist utopia of 'sustainable development'.
I almost forgot about that. Thanks, BL. Not to mention the punity damages I'll receive for McDonalds making me feel guilty about how I look. The depression I felt while looking in the mirror, the cost of prescription drugs that I can't get on a government program.
All of this because McDonalds had to be the ultracapitalist pigs that they are! No, BL. This isn't a personal choice. :)
No, Scotty. Now get with the program. This has nothing to do with walking or exercise. This has everything to do with some ultra capitalist pigs and the affect they have on the American people. Now snap out of your dream work, SB.
:) Hehe! Just kidding!
On a serious note, you raise some excellent points. Exercise will change quite a few problems. For those that are able.
:) Hehe!
See. Now this why I need someone that really cares about the American people. They're obviously too stupid to take responsibility in their own hands. So, we'll do it for them. Remember, IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN! Now wake up, E. :)
I forget the name of the "docudrama", Bush...something?
Sustainable development, like environmentalism, has become a shield for the radical leftist agenda. That does NOT mean that we should fail to pay attention to the long term effects of our activities, and foul our nest uncaringly.
Wow, a post from my hometown paper.
I have to admit that I eat fast food every day for lunch, sometimes for dinner also. Not to mention I drink 3-4 cans of Coca-Cola a day, eat "unhealthy" snacks and I smoke. My job requires me to sit on my rear 9 hours a day. NO!, I'm not Ted Kennedy.
My weight has stayed around 180-190lbs for the past 8 or so years and my blood pressure ranges from normal to just a bit over normal. This guy must have laid in bed and had fast food fed to him to keep from burning ONE calorie if he gained that much weight in a month.
Even if my name was Shamu it's not because fast food is "addictive". I eat fast food because it's convenient. (I'm single and too lazy to cook, lol)
Good points, but...
...one solution, building more high-rise apartments to create "urban city-scapes" is just not "politically correct" in most areas. When zoning boards kill such projects, home-seekers must look elsewhere (far afield) for available, affordable housing.
Another motivator for suburban sprawl is the poor education offered by most urban school districts. Most parents will endure long commutes to benefit their children.
How long is "long"?
Well, the average commute from Fairfield County to NYC is more than one-hour each way by mass-transit. Then comes the "walk" to the office...
Your home town newspaper has the most consistently conservative editorials of on line newspapers that I have found.
I don't eat McDonalds. Not because of any health reasons, but because it doesn't taste good. the last McDonald's cheeseburger I ate, I had to drown it in ketchup to mask the flavor.
But if I want to go down to Hardee's every few months and have a big fat cheeseburger, it's my right, and no "food nazis" are going to stop me.
Same goes for cigarettes, booze, and enjoying the occasional dirty movie.
What the.... Who did this guy think he was? A Roman? Or a Supermodel?
Let's attack corn syrup as a food additive and health menace first, then we'll go after the easy targets.
It is what a Big Mac can only dream of being.
It's for theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee CHILDREEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hehehe! :)
Just out of curiosity, what did your landlord have to do with you not having a refrigerator for three months!
Anyway, you can eat somewhat healthy at these fast food places. Many times I grab one of their chicken salads for lunch. Instead of their dressings, I just pour in some olive oil that I keep in my glove compartment for that purpose.
The Egg McMuffins aren't bad to have once in a while either. Stay away from the fries and shakes though.
I bet I could eat 90 straight meals at McDonalds and still stay the same weight.
It's for my inner child.
:^p
I agree with that. I have a strip mall near my house that has a Dunkin' Donuts and a bank on one end and a supermarket on the other. I've personally witnessed people driving from one end of the parking lot to the other rather than park in the middle and just walk from place to place!
I started walking 5+ miles a day about two years ago. It was tough transitioning to being a pedestrian. It is so hostile out there for those who want to walk. Most towns have no sidewalks and the center of town is a maze of streets full of cars zipping from here to there. Drivers actually get angry and frustrated at me when I walk down the side of the road or want to cross the street.
I know. I have some cake with cream cheese frosting on it. The forecast for it remaining doesn't look good. :)
That would be my landlord refused to have the fridge replaced. As part of my lease, the landlord was responsible for providing a fridge and maintaining it's upkeep. It's actually pretty typical here in Indiana. They even supply and maintain the stove, oven, and sink too!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.