"Supersize Me", a documentary produced by independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, horrified the country in 2004. At its base, Spurlock's documentary asserts that a fast food diet has extremely detrimental consequences on human psychological and physical health. Spurlock makes his argument through a month-long, personal trial in which he consumed nothing but McDonald's for every single meal. Not only did he eat every bit of every meal, he also forced himself to supersize his meal any time he was asked. According to the film, that happened 9 times in Texas and in New York. Similarly, he also consumed sodas and milkshakes rather than opting for more healthy options such as water or iced tea. In order to demonstrate just how awful fast food is for human health, Spurlock purposed to make his meals as unhealthy as possible, eating as much as 5,000 calories a day, and coupled it by only walking as much as an average citizen on a daily basis. Though his point regarding the obesity epidemic in the United States is valid, his documentary and the evidence presented therein in was not necessarily entirely accurate.
Spurlock asserts that his case demonstrates the problem with the fast food industry; however, such could be considered an anecdotal fallacy because his story is not the only one regarding the fast food industry. Similarly, it could be considered a fallacy of composition because he is using a part (his experience) to describe the whole (all fast food eaters). For example, John Cisna, a school teacher from Iowa, also attempted the McDiet for 180 days. While Spurlock gained nearly 25 pounds in his experiment, Cisna actually lost around 60 pounds (http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/08/meet_the_science_teacher_who_l.html). This was due, in part, to the fact that Cisna's diet was determined by his students who decided to place less unhealthy requirements on him such as maintainnig a 2,000/day caloric intake, avoiding supersizing, and resisting sodas or milkshakes with every meal (http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/08/meet_the_science_teacher_who_l.html). However, he did eat french fries daily, but he also began to walk for 45 minutes a day four or five times a week (http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/08/meet_the_science_teacher_who_l.html). Cisna wanted his experiment to demonstrate that McDonald's is not necessarily the culprit, rather, poor decisions when eating the food are unhealthy. While Cisna's experiment is interesting, it cannot be ignored that Spurlock felt depressed, lethargic, and showed symptoms of addiction to his fast food diet.
He notes that his liver and heart suffered extreme damage while he also experienced vitamin deficiencies, discomfort in his eyes, and trouble sleeping. However, his final line, "Who would you like to see go first - you or them?" is an inaccurate either-or fallacy. As Cisna's experiment demonstrated, it is not a matter of eradicating fast food, but rather, making wise decisions when eating it and only eating it occasionally. Overall, Spurlock's film sheds light on the disturbing reality surrounding fast food and demonstrates, though in an extreme way, the danger of consuming it too much. This is something that American desperately need to consider when selecting their food choices.
That's interesting about the Cisna study. I agree with that - if you eat that many calories and choose the largest and most unhealthy menu items at any restaurant you will gain weight.
That's interesting about the Cisna study. I agree with that - if you eat that many calories and choose the largest and most unhealthy menu items at any restaurant you will gain weight.
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