Preview

A Critique of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1677 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Critique of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko
“I couldn't open up a magazine, you couldn't read a newspaper, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the obesity epidemic in America.” is a quote by Morgan Spurlock, that acutely describes the obesity problem going on in America. Any way one can want to talk about the problem, it will always be a huge dilemma throughout the United States. For a long time now, people have been discussing who is to blame for the obesity crisis going on. Some people prefer to blame the government, several blame the restaurants, others the parents and even the schools receive criticism for obesity. People should develop their own ideas on the obesity crisis and to figure out who is to blame and how to fix the problem.
The main article I want to focus on is “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko.
Throughout this article, he refers to the few kids suing McDonalds and other fast food restaurants. According to the book, They Say, I Say, there are two major parts of an article, the They Say, and the I Say. From Zinczenko’s point of view, he was biased towards the side saying that the food restaurants is responsible for the obesity crisis, while the others he is writing against, are writing about personal responsibility and how to teach the world how to be self-empowered and control what they eat. Others write about the government flailing around, not doing anything to stop and fix the obesity crisis. Zinczenko focuses on the fast food restaurants are causing all of the problems, because their advertisements are focused to children, (The Happy Meal by McDonalds) and teenagers, by having cheap carb filled food for the average poor teenager and college student. Throughout his article, he made many valid points as to why the restaurants are to blame for obesity. The restaurants create a very difficult way to tell exactly what you are eating, mainly because there are no calorie information on the food you get in these eateries. This is mainly because the FDA does not cover



Cited: Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business” They Say/ I Say with Readings. 2nd. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 395- 8. Warner, Judith. “Junking Junk Foods.” They Say/ I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 400-4. Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” They Say/ I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 391-3.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    David Zinczenko

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Even thought David Zinczenko and Radley Balko take two different approaches on whom should be blamed for obesity, they are actually in agreement that people should become more responsible with what they eat. This common ground becomes clear through Radley Balko argues its personal responsibility to choose what they out in their mouths, while David Zinczenko argues there should be more alternatives for the youth to eat then fast food. Both authors have great point about responsibility and alternative. Obesity should come to an end before it continues putting end to people’s life.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mark Bittman: Analyzed

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Mark Bittman, a food journalist, 30-year author, and writer for “The Minimalist”, a column in the New York Times, explains his views on obesity and other food related issues in his article, “Why Take Food Seriously? Because Your Life Depends on It”. In the article, Bittman uses specific examples such as personal shout-outs to famous chefs, morbid descriptions, harsh facts, and shocking comparisons between “then and now” in the food world, emphasizing people’s ignorance along the way to show the way he believes to be wrong. He does this, hoping to guilt readers to correctly grow, distribute, prepare, and ultimately change the way we eat it.…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his exposition "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko cautions the shopper about the threats of fast food, concurring that it is terrible for one's body. Through his contention, he demonstrates to his readers that the purchaser is not so much at blame the sustenance business is the genuine guilty party here. With his utilization of inquiries all through the content, alongside individual story, symbolism, and his tone, Zinczenko has the capacity viably contend against the control of the sustenance business.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the essay “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zincezenko talk about how fast food has contributed to the increasing amount of obese and unhealthy children in the U.S. Over the years many people has tried to sue these fast food restaurants like McDonalds, KFC, and Taco Bell for making them fat. David uses his own personal experience growing up to help bring perspective to everyone of how easy it is for people to choose unhealthy eating habits. He talk about how his mom worked and didn’t really have time to cook, so to make sure he ate she would have him choose something to eat that would be quick and not the most expensive. If you are looking for something that is inexpensive and a “quick buy” then fast food would be the most convenient. He also…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In David Zinczenko’s Don’t Blame the Eater article, he blames the fast-food industry for starting the rising obesity problem because of the failure of providing the facts and warnings labels about their high calorie junk food to the consumers. Zinczenko argues that kids are drawn by the cheap, high-calorie junk food that the fast-food chains like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut are happy to supply because with lots of parents working all day, they do not have time to check what their children are eating. For Example, the author David Zinczenko states that when he was a little boy, his mother would always be away at work, so he would eat Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and at other places every day, and he ended up obese.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    "Food for Thought; What We Eat, from Source to Table." The Washington Times 30 July 2006: B08.…

    • 2818 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Blame The Eater Logos

    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Foundation for Economic Education’s article called “Fast Food and Personal Responsibility” by Ninos P. Malek talks about how ridiculous on how fast food restaurants are getting sued for humans becoming overweight. He goes into more detail by saying it’s personal responsibilities on what you eat every day. On the flip side, another article entitled “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko from The New York Times talks about why you should blame the fast food chains and not the person eating the one thousands calorie fast food meal. The two articles are opposing each other and arguing who to blame for the situation. The article I agree with is “Fast Food and Personal Responsibility but it’s less effective to the readers because it lacks…

    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Defense of Food

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages

    References: 1) Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Retrieved from: http://ebookbrowse.com/michael-pollan-in-defense-of-food-an-eater-s-manifesto-pdf-d341084275…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Defense of Food

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater 's Manifesto. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Jungle

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages

    References: Andrew F. Smith. (2009). Eating history. Published by Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231140924, 9780231140928. 156-162.…

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In David Zinczenko article “Don’t Blame the Eater”, he claims that it’s just not the eaters fault but the fast food restaurants as well. He states the effects that fast food restaurants have on children’s health. He also uses his personal experience about how he used to be obese when he was a child. On the other hand, in Radley Balko article “What You Eat is Your Business”, he claims that obesity should be a personal problem and the government should not interfere. Balko feel like obesity is the people’s choice. Zinczenko and Balko, both argue on the subject of obesity, they both uses pathos, ethos, and logos in different ways, but however Zinczenko arguments is more effectively than Balko because he uses more evidences to support his…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Obesity is defined as “a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems” (1). It is a huge problem in America and is an epidemic that is growing to enormous proportions. “Two out of every three adults are either overweight or obese. In addition, one out of every three children is either overweight or obese” (2). “It causes at least 300,000 needless deaths annually in the United States, and related healthcare costs top $100 billion” (3). This is an issue that not only affects our country, but extends worldwide, as well. So, the question at hand is what our responsibility is collectively as a nation, and particularly the government in turning this issue around for Americans?…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nutrition and Obesity

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Americans are heavier than ever before and, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million adults are obese, and 9 million adults are morbidly obese. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. It can be caused by many reasons. One obvious reason is the rise in fast food consumption that companies are so adamant on pushing the public to buy, especially children. With fast food chains creating more and more ways to entice the American public to eat their food, it is becoming harder and harder to stay in shape these days. The fast life of America is quickly taking its toll on the public with the silent enemy called obesity creeping up at an alarming rate. In fact, the rate of it overtaking our lives is so fast; the Surgeon General has called it an "epidemic". Now, the real question is- are fast food restaurants really the culprits at work here? In this essay I intend to compare two very different takes on fast food companies and their ways of making people fat as well as my stand on the matter.…

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nutrition has become a popular debate within the last twenty years. Policy analyst Radley Balko explores how government intervention affects our diet. In Balko’s article “What You Eat Is Your Business”, Balko discusses why he dislikes the policies being passed that monitor the public's intake of unhealthy food. Balko chooses to pull attention away from the outcome these policies will have on health, and instead focus on the financial ramifications that follow major policy changes.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko. tells us of a reason for obesity in children,…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays