Comparing Views Reasons behind the Obesity Problem Essay

Nichole Wojtowicz Wojtowicz 1 College Writing I Mrs. Zewe 20 October, 2010 Obesity: To Be or Not To Be? One of the most controversial debates of this generation is on who is the blame for the obesity epidemic. More specifically, who is responsible for obesity: the individual who is obese or the government and fast food corporations? In Radley Balkos essay What You Eat Is Your Business and in David Zinczenkos essay Dont Blame the Eater, the main ideas that are presented both reflect upon obesity and personal responsibility. The main point that Balko wants to get across in his essay is that obesity has become part of public health which has forced us to pay for the health problems associated with the obese. Whereas†¦show more content†¦Balko is not necessarily concerned with the well-being of the obese and is not mad at the government for not pushing for nutritional facts on fast-food, he is concerned about having to pay for the consequences of the obese: Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits (159). Balko feels that the obese have made financial problems for healthier people. Obesity comes along with many medical conditions and these conditions require medical expenses, but the health insurance system has made it so the obese do not have to pay higher premiums. Thus, leaving everybody else to pay for the obese medical expenses. Zinczenko is not concerned about the financial aspects of obesity, he is concerned about the well-being of the obese and blames the government for the obesity problem. However, he does mention the skyrocketing health care costs in his essay, not to portray the financial aspects of obesity, but to show how much the devestation of obesity has spread to all aspects of life. Unlike Balko, who feels that people have to pay for the problems of the obese, Zinczenko believes that obese have to pay for their weight issues due to the easy access of fast food. One way that he describes this thought is by his statement Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee youll see one of our countrys more than 13,000 McDonalds restaurants (154). He thinks thatShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity : A Serious Health Concern2047 Words   |  9 PagesChildhood obesity continues to be a serious health concern. It can be attributed to many factors such as family lifestyle, income or socioeconomic background, and culture. 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