Corporate greed, private wealth, and a complacent government should hold most, if not all, of the blame for the kind of monster the fast food industry as turned into. As long as the American public is fat and has a false sense of satisfaction, then that is all that matters to these multi-national corporations. They don’t really care about the health. The only reason, I believe, that changes are being made is simply because of the squeaky wheel. There is a healthier menu – not out of the kindness of McDonald’s heart – but because of such epidemic in weight gain and heart disease. Super Size Me’s strongest message centers on school food programs that ignore health and nutrition in the name of efficiency and economy, much like what the underlying issue is in the greater scheme of things in the United States.
It seems as though the last thirty or forty years have brought with them nothing but globalization, privatization to the nth degree, an energy crisis, several of the worst presidents in American history, more unnecessary involvement in the Middle East, a decline in the economy, as well as health. We need to start at the top to understand these problems. McDonald’s alone or any of these fast food chains by themselves cannot be dealt with from a small scale level. They must be hit hard by government regulation. I feel that this is the only way to bring about any kind of real change. Of course we need a few good-hearted politicians but we also need the support of the American people. One person will not change the fast food industry; it takes a good leader and an informed, attentive public. Without the public’s support, the good leader is simply “pissing into the wind.”
