Did you know Americans have a constant need to point fingers? When there is a missing piece of pie from Mom’s famous lemon-meringue, somebody had to point their big finger at me. Whenever the garbage didn’t get taken out, somebody ominously pointed that dreaded finger at me, like the grim reaper had finally decided my time was up. Chances are, at one time or another, we have all been victims of the pointed finger. There is an even better chance that we happen to be the hand behind the finger more often than not. Such is the case with America’s fat problems.
In attempting to identify the causes of such an overwhelmingly huge (excuse the pun) problem, the onus has been unfairly placed on the people who provide us with such delicious delectables as the McFish, pork rinds, and the ever-ironic, low fat mayonnaise. That’s right! We’re trying to blame food manufacturers for force feeding us the foods we love the most. “The obesity finger-pointing is at things that have always been here. Sugar-coated cereals and fast food were there before the obesity epidemic, so why blame them now,” contends Ed Slaughter, director of advertising and trends research, Rodale Inc (Swann). The answer is simple, Ed. We blame them because they create a single, identifiable enemy. If we just defeat McDonald’s, Burger King, Al-Qaida, Pizza Hut, and the guy responsible for Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe, all of our obesity problems will be solved.
The real reason we blame these companies is because we have such a difficult time turning that chubby little finger back on our own balloon-like gut. Like a big, nation-wide Alcoholics Anonymous support group, we have all let each other slip into nasty, little nutrition habits. So, in an attempt to make amends, and fulfill the final step of my ‘Eaters Anonymous’ Twelve Step Program, I will officially point my finger at the real culprit: the family.
The institution which, until recently, provided the guidance and education in almost every aspect of young people’s lives has been under attack for years. It was this institution that taught the young in society how to act, and, in this case, what to eat. It was the family that sat at the table for breakfast and dinner with home-cooked, generally healthy meals. And, with the deterioration of the importance of the family in our modern society, so goes the healthy habits that it had supported. Popular feminists champion the mother who leaves the home to achieve professional success, when in reality she sacrifices the ability to teach and develop skills that contribute to her family’s well-being. Too often, kids pick up a Mc-whatever for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to replace a healthy, home-cooked meal.
Now before the Susan B. Anthon-ites gather their pitchforks and torches, let me say that the blame should not all be placed on the collective shoulders of women everywhere. Men are more likely more to blame for the state of the family now. Too often, irresponsible jerks leave a young family to scrounge for itself because that little ‘poop-machine’ was cramping their style, leaving the mother as the only person willing to actually bring home the super-fatty, unhealthy bacon.
The lack of familial responsibility is the culprit responsible for stealing our healthy eating habits. The fast food industry is a result of the demand created from the void that was the sit-down, home cooked meal. Now we need to ask ourselves, so what if the Goodyear Blimp is the real American Idol?
In an article written by General Johnnie E. Wilson, the General places obesity in a category that would surprise most all of us, national security. “Obesity, it turns out, is the No. 1 reason why applicants fail to qualify for military service,” writes the General (Wilson). That’s right, folks! According to this General and several of his colleagues, America will soon be too fat to defend itself militarily. Sadly Gen. Wilson makes no call to reenlist the family in the fight against obesity, but, like First Lady, Michele Obama, focuses on changing school lunches. “Where do we start,” asks the General, “One place is the schools…Today, retired admirals and generals are calling on Congress to support at least $1 billion per year in new funding that will help to improve nutrition standards for meals served in school, after school, and in child care settings” (Wilson). It sounds like the key to defeating McDonald’s, Burger King, Al-Qaida, Pizza Hut, and the guy responsible for Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe. However, according to Ed Slaughter, schools are not so much the Russia of the Communist Obesity Bloc as they are Albania. “What’s different is that women left the home and went to work—there’s been a change in home and family meal patterns,” explains Ed, and he is right.
The Admirals, Generals, First Lady, and every one of the salivating lunch litigators must start their fight against fat with the family. This is the battlefield that will define whether the war is won by diabetes, heart disease, and the guy responsible for Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe or by the tremendously physically fit American Army recruits.
We, as Americans, must value our nutrition enough to educate ourselves and our loved ones. We must look at this as an individual problem that can only be solved by the individual. We must acknowledge that the family is our ‘Eaters Anonymous’ support group, not corporations and big government. We must return to the core values that made Beaver Cleaver so adorable, not to mention skinny.
Works Cited
Swann, Lauren. "Seeking solutions to obesity: issues surrounding obesity—from its causes to consumer and industry perspectives to possible solutions—were discussed at a recent conference | Prepared Foods | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. Oct. 2004. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
Wilson, Johnnie E. "Obesity threatens national security." Atlanta News, Sports, Atlanta Weather, Business News. 08 Feb. 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
Zinczenko, David. "Don't Blame the Eater - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 23 Nov. 2002. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.
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