Today, the issues of obesity have been argued left and right. However, Eric Schlosser, author of Your Trusted Friends, seems to have discovered the very core of this epidemic. In his article he provides a tremendous amount of insight on the major corporations McDonalds and Disney and how they have been able to have a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of people around the world through their successful advertising campaigns. Schlosser would likely agree with the arguments of Yves Engler, author of Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations, and David Zinczenko, author of Don’t Blame the Eater. All three authors are united in the idea that fast food companies such as McDonalds and their persistent advertising and promotions have negatively influenced the eating habits of consumers. However unlike Engler and Zinczenko, Schlosser provides detailed insight on what specifically these companies have done to be so successful in not only strengthening their executive's pocketbooks, but inadvertently contributing to obesity. To do this, he examines the various marketing tactics that have enabled the fast-food empire to become what it is today.
Engler was on the right track when he put the problems simply by stating, “The main reason that people are consuming more, especially unhealthy products, is the food industry's relentless advertising, especially to children (Engler, 175)”. Schlosser would certainly agree with this statement but would also consider how and why advertising campaigns and promotions, such as the Teenie Beanie Baby giveaway which was "one of the most successful promotions in the history of American advertising"(Schlosser, 194), have been so profitable. On the flip side of profits and costs, Zinczeko was also accurate in arguing that “it may be only a matter of time before state governments begin to see a direct line between the $1 billion that McDonalds and Burger King spend each year on advertising and their own swelling health care costs"(Zinczenko, 155).
The thing that sets Schlosser on a higher level of argumentation in comparison with Engler and Zinczeko is that he considers the interests of the corporations. Like all businesses these colossal corporations are looking out for their profits- which coincidentally soar with effective advertisements. It's been said before, "It's not personal, it's business".
Works Cited:
Engler, Yves. "Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations." They Say I Say. Comp. Gerald Greff, Cathy Berkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print.
Zinczenko, David. "Don't Blame the Eater." They Say I Say. Comp. Gerald Greff, Cathy Berkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. Print.
