Individual choice, not fast food, causes obesity

By Jessica Farrow

I swing the car into the tiny parking spot. Before the car completely stops, Leni jumps out and makes a dash to the door.

Leni and I eat out for lunch four times a week. With limited choices in Jackson, we end up eating fast food.

We usually do not venture to McDonald's or Burger King because of the distance from school, but we eat there occasionally.

Although I eat a plethora of fast food, I would never dream of suing McDonald's for making me fat. The lawsuit would be a complete waste of time for myself and the McDonald's corporation. I stuff my face with fattening food; therefore, I get fat, plain and simple.

So why would others blame the restaurant for their own bad judgment?

Because individuals make the choices of what they eat, because fast-food restaurants publish dietary information on their products and because these lawsuits needlessly overload our legal system, fast-food lawsuits should be dismissed.

One reason fast-food lawsuits should be dismissed is the reality that individuals make their own choices.

No one stands behind a customer and whispers the order of a supersized value meal.

According to Steven Anderson, president of the National Restaurant Association, "Restaurants have a wide variety of choices on their menus, and people make the choice to eat what they want and when they want every day."

Restaurants aren't responsible for customers who gain weight when they decide to eat fast food.

Another factor regarding obesity is the lack of judgment and self-control by customers over their diet. Anderson says, "This is all about personal responsibility and moderation."

Lola O'Rourke, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agrees. "Fast food and other industries have their own agendas, and it's up to us to seek out information on good nutrition."

Fast-food lawsuits should also be dismissed because the restaurants publish dietary information and provide copies for the customers.

Julia Sommerfield, an MSNBC news reporter, says, "Nutritional information usually appears on the front counter of fast-food restaurants and contains the same information as labels you would see on packaged food."

If nutrition is not posted at the front counter, the dietary information is available upon request by the customer.

But some defense attorneys claim a customer would have to be a nutritionist to read the labels.

This is a ridiculous claim, because anyone with simple knowledge of the labels can easily read them accurately.

Needlessly overloading our legal system is another reason to dismiss fast-food lawsuits.

A case in New York made by two teenage girls is a prime example of the burden fast-food lawsuits put on the legal system.

The teens sued McDonald's for making them obese. The judge permitted the girls to amend their suit to make the complaint more specific.

However, a federal judge, Robert Sweet, presiding over the case, suggested, "They were unlikely to prevail."

Judge Sweet later dismissed the case.

Why allow cases to proceed,if the judges realize the suits will be dismissed immediately? Fast-food lawsuits are only another burden on the already overburdened legal system.

Although the use of advertisements may sway more individuals to eat fast food, the customers are informed the food is unhealthy. Customers should exercise a little self-control and judgment.

Even though television bombards children with advertisements, parents control their children's diets.

Pam Foster, a mother of a child cited in U.S. News and World Report, says, "Morgan ate multigrain cereal for breakfast with fruit juice. Now I've had to buy Scooby-Doo Marshmallow Cereal" since Morgan saw advertisements on television.

No one is making Foster purchase the Scooby-Doo cereal.

She also says she feels she gives in to Morgan.

Why blame advertising for her son's changed diet, when she purchases the food?

All parents want to blame, but none wants to stand up to their children and reveal the bad guy.

Julie Vallese, a CNN reporter, says, "Genetics, medical conditions and sedentary lifestyles are all considered factors for the growing prevalence of obesity in the United States." No medical experts suggest fast food is to blame for the many Americans obesity problems. Vallese states, "Medical experts say fatty food in moderation, a varied diet low in fat with a regular exercise regimen is the best way to achieve a healthy lifestyle." However, too much fast food diet coupled with no exercise corrupts the health of the individual.

According to a survey of 20 Jackson High School seniors, 15 eat fast food at least twice a week if not almost every day. Even though many individuals consume fast food, it is not the cause of their obesity. With a little self-control many people could avoid gaining weight when eating in moderation and exercising.

Jessica Farrow is a senior at Jackson High School.