Katharine Joy M.

Nerva July 1, 2014

Hi98
The Flaws in Uncle Ronalds Recipe of Success
Supersize Me (2004) is a documentary film by Morgan Spurlock that aimed to examine
the effects that the ever-growing fast-food industry has had across the spectrum of the society.
This was done through a personal experiment in which Spurlock went on an all-McDonalds,
high-fat diet for an entire month. At the onset, it seemed as though only a crazy, die-hard Mac
fan with the likes of the Big Mac enthusiast, Don Gorske, would ever attempt to do such a thing,
and so it was intriguing to see the rationale of a physically healthy middle-aged man who had a
vegan chef for a girlfriend behind such challenge. The experiment was rooted in Spurlocks
concern over the epidemic-like spread of obesity in the United States and the controversies over
a lawsuit against McDonalds which was dropped on the grounds that there was no way that they
could prove that the Golden Arches is to be blamed for their health condition. Throughout the
film, he conducted surveys and interviews of people from various sectors of the society including
nutritionists, physicians, lawyers, company representatives, and ordinary citizens for their
opinions on the issues at hand.
The film explores the issue of personal responsibility versus corporate responsibility as
regards to the drastic effects that consumerism and fast-food marketing have had on the overall
health of the society. While the United States, which is grounded on the ideals of independence
and liberty, puts a premium on personal responsibility, Spurlocks claim of holding the
consumerists responsible hinges on the fact that they have a greater extent of influence what with
their extensive marketing strategies. Fast-food companies spend a huge amount of money
annually to advertise their chains and to make them even more attractive most especially to the
children. They introduce various promotional packages in the form of Happy Meals, character-
themed parties and merchandises of all sorts. They market Ronald McDonald in various ways in
order to sear the brand on the consciousness of children of every possible race. In fact,
McDonalds Pakistan listed on its website that they market Ronald as having the ability to speak
in about 31 languages and that they change his name to suit the cultural preferences such that in
Japan, he is called Donald and, in Hongkong, he is called McDonald Suk-Suk (Uncle)
1
. Indeed,
we see how these strategies that McDonalds have been employing for so long continue to be
effective. In our country alone, we see the Golden Arches brand in practically every accessible
place we go to in malls, along restaurant strips, college avenues, and what-not.
This culture of having affordable, on-the-go food options in the form of fast food further
promotes an environment wherein we are lured to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. We live in a
society where a mad dash to the convenience store or a fast-food counter is sure to be met with
signs urging us to get that extra, unneeded sugar overload in the form of Big Gulps and Super-
Sized Meals signs which often succeed in luring us. As the film presented, the rise in obesity
rates that the United States have seen in the last decade or so has even resulted to it being
declared as an epidemic. What is even more daunting is the fact that this has been happening
across all ages. At a very young age, the children in our society experience not only physical but
also emotional and psychological stresses which can likely act as precursors for more diseases in
their adulthood.
Perhaps a striking portrayal of the psychological stress that a fast-food-centric diet can
have on people was successfully shown in the film wherein Spurlock would feel disgusted after
binge-eating, but will then proceed to eat more to feel better. This kind is cyclical in nature and,
for some, especially those clinically diagnosed with eating disorders, it is uncontrollable. This

1
Ronald McDonald World, McDonalds Pakistan, accessed June 30, 2014,www.mcdonalds.com/page/ronald-
mcdonald-world.
feeling of a lack of control is exhausting on their part and their confidence and self-esteem
usually take the biggest blow.
Despite all the awareness campaigns and programs that nutrition and health organizations
have been promoting, the reality is that power plays a huge role in influencing the direction we
steer our society into. And, more often than not, this power lies in the hands of these consumer
companies backed by lobbyists that push for legislatures in their favor. This is why we see
legislations, at least in the United States, such as the Cheeseburger Bill a protectionist Act that
was a response to the increasing lawsuits against fast-food chains by obese customers.
It would probably be safe to assume that we have always been, to some extent, aware of
how modernization and consumerism have influenced the way our society has been running in
the past few decades or so. In more ways than one, these innovations have helped make things
easier for us, but in the same token, it has also paved the way for some of the many self-
destructing habits we have developed. The film helps us view this reality through the lens of the
personal and the social experiences.
While a historical lens of a country viewed from the development of the food industry
may seem simplistic at first, this actually provides us with a diverse understanding. The food
industry specifically, the fast-food industry- that we know today is an amalgam of the various
societal changes in our past. The economic, political and technological innovations all come
together to revolutionize the way we eat, and what we eat. McDonalds and the influx of fast-
food chains itself was influenced by the fact that in the 1960-70s, economic needs of the time
allowed the entrance of women into the workforce increasing demands for jobs. Consequently,
there had to be an increase in the jobs for the traditional roles that the housewives usually
performed. The working lifestyles of both men and women in the family necessitated the
introduction of on-the-go food options
2
.
As we have observed, this relationship between the societal changes and the development
of the fast-food industries is a two-way street. Just as the conditions paved the way for fast-food
to grow, this culture, in turn, extends its influence to change sometimes radically the way our
society works. The fast-food culture has even infiltrated the typical life of the Americans. In
2012, Eric Schlosser published an article in which he reevaluated the fast-food culture in
America ten years after he published a book called Fast Food Nation. In this article, he shared
how little has changed in terms of improving the many flaws and problems the culture brings,
and yet how radically the fast-food industry has changed our lives. The annual revenues that the
food industry gains have risen by 20 percent in the last ten years. The exposure of children to
fast-food advertisement have increased, as well with a typical preschooler being exposed to at
least three a day and the teenager being exposed to at least five. Increased health risks have also
been reported and we see issues surrounding the food processing industries that have been
popping up here and there
3
. a
However, Schlosser also recognizes the growing health food culture that we have seen in
recent years. There is an influx of farmer markets, local and organic products and the adoption of
a healthy living lifestyle. Kales, quinoas, vegetable juice cleansing are slowly becoming common
household terms but the reality is that these options are mostly accessible to the ones who can
afford them - both in purchasing and in actually practicing this lifestyle what with the fast-paced
lives that we all seem to have The reality also is that despite the entrance of this new food

2
Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, New York Times Books, n.d., accessed
June 30, 2014.
3
Eric Schlosser, Still a Fast Food Nation: Eric Schlosser Reflects on 10 Years Later, The Daily Beast, March 12,
2012, accessed June 30, 2014.
movement, the fast-food industry continues to reign over and are still influencing our food habits
to a large extent.
Another aspect of deeper historical understanding that the film offers us is one which
concerns the many pitfalls of the countrys glorified fame. For a society which looks up to the
United States, the film becomes a rude awakening of sorts. It is thought-provoking and it urges
us to question the many successes of a highly-developed society and how they also have flaws
and faults that are sometimes harder to overcome. In a way, the film helps us in lowering the
pedestal by which we put these societies in. It brings us closer to the reality, one which some
may try to shun and thwart in order to look favorable in the eyes of the outsider.
For many, perhaps especially for Filipinos, the notion that everything is bigger in the
United States is one which we have held with high regard. Imbued with colonial mentality, we
tend to assume that everything that is bigger translates to things that are inevitably better. This is
why some of us myself included used to view the Super-Size culture as something to be
envied, something that we wish we could also have in our own Mickey Ds especially when we
factor in the fact that we often feel cheated with the false marketing that we receive that is, how
we often receive less than what we are expecting for. However, over the years, we have gained a
deeper understanding of the troubling effects of this fast-food culture. When coupled with a
visual back-up such as the documentary film, then we are made more attuned to this perspective.
Overall, we saw how the film, Super Size Me, was able to forward its rationale behind
pointing the big guns at McDonalds and consumer companies. They were able to do this
through various modes from both personal opinions by the experimenter himself, the ordinary
people on the streets as well as more informed ones by trained clinicians and field experts. It was
notable how the film sought the perspective of the people on the other end of the stick from the
CEOs to the representatives of consumer lobbyists. This gave them an edge in painting us a
more detailed picture of what has been happening in the United States, at least with regards to
their fast-food culture.
If I were to explore the similar themes and produce a film, I would also do a documentary
but it will be one that utilizes a psychological approach as it is the field I find myself in. It will be
a series of experiments which will explore aspects of the fast-food culture. One could be a
controlled experiment on the effects of consumer advertisements on the daily diet decision-
making of people. This will be done through a series of promotional material being shown to the
people. People will also be shown alternative healthy food advertisements. Afterwards, a series
of tests will be done after to measure the effects and these will be subjected to a comparative
analysis. In this way, we are laying out the scientific basis of some of our claims. This can also
alter our preliminary biases and judgments. A variety of related social experiments can also be
done ones which will need to have aspects of novelty and relevance in order to really drive the
messages home.
An alternative could be a cross between a case-study and natural observation. Instead of a
personal experiment in which Spurlock himself underwent a McDonalds binge for a month in
order to observe the effects, this cross study will be observed from actual people who are directly
affected. While this can arguably be less intriguing and less attention-grabbing than Spurlocks
case, it will still be a valuable endeavor because it will ultimately be more reflective what
actually becomes of our society that is ruled over by hamburgers and fries cooked sloppily.

Bibliography

McDonalds Pakistan. Ronald McDonald World. Accessed June 30,
2014. www.mcdonalds.com/page/ronald-mcdonald-world

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York Times
Books, n.d. Accessed June 30, 2014.

Schlosser, Eric. Still a Fast Food Nation: Eric Schlosser Reflects 10 Years Later. The Daily
Beast, March 12, 2012. Accessed June 30, 2014