A Response to Amess Fast Food Isnt to Blame - Essay Example

? A Response to Ames’s “Fast Food Isn’t to Blame” Outline Paragraph I: Introduction on Opinion of R.A. Ames Paragraph II: Body of the Paper ParagraphIII: Conclusion The title of the article “Fast Food Isn’t to Blame” is an extremely powerful statement which already speaks for itself. As the author R. A. Ames (295-299) has argued, weight problems are not because of the unhealthy, salty, oily menus on fast food which offer thousands of calories per meal but is caused by nobody else but themselves. It is apparent that the author considers that it is the people’s own fault why they end up with excessive fat deposits in their body. The opinion of the author as articulated in the essay is it is always up to people to choose what to purchase and eat. People get fat because of not being responsible for their own decisions. The blame should not be put on the fast foods but should be placed on the individuals. The entire portion of the article is dedicated on discussing Ames’s points of view regarding fast food and weight concerns. As stated, about two-thirds of American population is noted to be overweight (297). This is a very large number, indeed. But despite this huge recorded number, I definitely agree with that claim for this is supported by Flegal, Carroll, Odgen and Johnson (1723-1727). For them, the overweight in all sectors of American population remains to increase. Unfortunately, like just what Ames has pointed out in the article, majority of the Americans consider the fast food chains for being liable on why the population has become affected by more body fats or even making them obese. There are even two teenagers that have come up to a moment where they accuse McDonalds for the excessive fats deposits in their body. And certainly, as showed in the essay, it is one faulty accusation made by these people. As R.A. Ames (279) has expressed, people live in this free land in which individuals are not coerced to decide but everything is up to their own preferences. However, the author also has claimed that this freedom has to be accountable for whatever choices they make as well as whatever the outcome of that decision is. Freedom does not mean people have to put the blame on others when the outcomes of the decisions people make are something not expected and something not liked. For me, my stand is harmonious with Ames. I greatly tend to agree with that statement for the reason that people are what they eat. People are free individuals who are free to make their own choices. All the options can be seen right before people’s eyes but what they consider to do is always up to themselves like what they prefer, what they want to buy, and most especially what they want to eat. As argued by Ames (296), the food they prefer to have inside their stomachs are because of what individuals’ hands have inserted inside their mouths. I also consider this point proper because, like for example, there are various options on where people can eat. There are fast food chains, restaurants and even one’s home. Inside these mentioned places to eat, people are offered several options of food to choose from. There are many food choices. Nobody is forced to eat something they don’t want to. It is not the case that people are forced to eat the menus given by fast food. People are free to think carefully and most especially, they are free to be responsible for their own decisions. When individuals get fat, it is not the fast food’s liability but it is them to blame for they choose to eat those foods. Just like what Freakonomics has articulated on correlation against causation, fast food is just correlated on why people get fat but it is certainly not the cause for there is another variable that causes why individuals become overweight. The cause is nothing but the people themselves for not being responsible for their own actions in terms of the food that they want to eat and for not being careful enough for their own bodies. In addition to that, Freakonomics has also highlighted that conventional wisdom is not true at all times. Although it is not directly stated, Ames wants the readers of the essay to re-examine the things that people used to believe like that of fast food is to blame of why people have weight problems. My stand is same as the author’s view because Freakonomics has made it clear that people lack the urge on thinking things over again but just believe on what other says to be true. So, in the article, people just consider the myth that fast food causes weight concerns for this is what they know and believe. On the one hand, I tend to somehow agree and disagree when R.A. Ames (296) has stated that getting fat is really not difficult compared to remain thin. My agreement is because indeed, having extra weight does not need any effort but mainly eating. With the lack of conscious efforts of having healthy diet and exercising, we get fat. My disagreement is because of the word “thin” because it is not about being thin but it is all about being fit and healthy. Obesity is not just a matter of wrecking one’s physical appearance and of enlarging one’s waistline, but importantly, this is a health concern. As the article has compared, smoking and obesity have similarities (298). For me, it is true because everything is people’s choice, even when we know how the jeopardy smoking can lead to individuals, they don’t care but continue to burn these cigarettes. And just like obesity, even if people know the serious effects of eating unhealthy and too much, they would still enjoy consuming excessively. Like cigarettes, foods, of course, give people pleasure but when to make worthy decisions is always up to themselves. The pleasure of eating unhealthy and excessively directs people to their very own graves. This is also articulated by Mokdad, Marks, Stroup, and Gerbending (1238-1239) as they claimed that poor diet and physical activities which are associated with obesity is one among the top grounds of death. As they have concluded, this can take over the no. one cause of death. As a response to R.A. Ames’s main argument that “Fast Food Isn’t to Blame,” I definitely consider it right. I believe that we, individuals, have only one life to live. Whatever the consequences of our action are, we only have to point our fingers to ourselves just like what the author has said. The blame is ours and not the fast food industries’. Just stop putting the fault on others because the real solution on dealing with the issue of being heavy weight individuals is to start working on the problem. Accept the fact that it is one’s lifestyle why he or has she has ended up fat. There are a lot more ways to do like exercising, eating healthy and having a healthy lifestyle. Works Cited: Ames, R.A.."Fast Food Isn't to Blame". What Matters in America. Garry Goshgarian. New York: Pearson Educational, Inc., 2007. 295-299. Print. Flegal, K.M., Carroll, M.D., Ogden, C.L., and Johnson, C.L. “Prevalence and Trends in Obesity among US Adults,1999-2000.” JAMA 288.14 (2002): 1723-1727. Print. Mokdad, A., Marks, J., Stroup, D., and Gerbending,  J. “Actual causes of death in the United States: 2000.” JAMA 291.10 (2004) 291: 1238-1245. Print. _______. “What Makes a Perfect Parent.” Freakonomics. Web. 29 Nov. 2011 _______. “Perfect Parenting, Part II; or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?” Freakonomics. 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