Obesity in America Essay

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Nina Shuck

Mrs. Hall

English 112

22 February 2017

Summary /Analysis/ Response Essay

Obesity has become a big problem with in the American public today, more so with children. The American public has pointed fingers in every direction but no one wants to take blame for the epidemic. Companies are more than willing to come up with better ways of eating by providing less sugary drinks and lower calorie snacks. American society seems like they are working on improving the obesity problem in America but they really are all about just making money. Unfortunately, even though companies are providing healthier products, it still starts with the parents and their eating habits and what’s being provided in the home.

In the opinion-editorial “Is the Food Industry the Problem or Solution?” author Dale Buss published in the New York Times on August 29,2004. The food industry has been making drastic changes in child obesity.  Many attempts are being made to find better ways to promote healthier ways of eating. Restaurants are making it harder to find the unhealthy choices on menus, and drink companies are funding health education programs.  The industries push unhealthy foods in the most appealing way and disregarded healthier options until law suits of American blamed their obesity on food changes. Restaurants are pointing the blame on the parents for not being more involved with their children’s activities, and researchers also blame the parents and are saying it’s not like the children can go out and do their own grocery shopping. Now the food chains are making commercials talking about weight loss stories of children and focusing on not how many pounds they lost but on how much healthier they feel. Other companies are on board and making changes to the healthier foods, and some are even

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donating money to try and make a statement. Companies are taking the steps to make changes by providing more sidewalks and play areas.  In all, critics are saying these companies still have changes to be made.

 Genre is a type of writing the author intends to write, and how the author writes or why the author writes are all key points in genre like opinion writing. This genre of writing is an opinion-editorial. Where the author gives his opinion and presents evidence, it’s about how to present the material to an audience and why he’s writing it. This opinion editorial shows how the reader feel about a topic with supportive information. In this opinion-editorial, the author Dale Buss says, “Even more important, according to nutritionists and child psychologists, is the confounding truth that parents, whether distracted oblivious or both, are ultimately to blame for what their children eat.”  The quote is stating that it’s not the child’s fault for their obesity, it’s the parents to blame according to the nutritionist and psychologists, this describes exactly an opinion. Which some people in today’s society wouldn’t agree with.

The purpose is the reason why the author is writing. What’s the problem and what is the solution? Writing is to inform, to explain about something but depends on what the author is writing, depends on the audience.  When the author is writing something specific he is writing to inform the readers on what’s going on, or he could be writing just to write. When you’re writing it could be based on any topic. Whether the need is to explain or give information, or opinions, it depends on what he gearing toward the audience. Buss stated, “Diet trends aren’t just for adults anymore. A new obsession of America’s food, beverage and restaurants companies is thwarting childhood obesity.”  This sentence pulls everything together in this opinion-editorial. It’s stating that diets are a new trend. Everyone is doing it, not just adults but children as well, to try and stay fit and healthy, and companies are finding ways to help out with obesity.

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Audience is who the author’s writing is aiming toward, to the people that want to read the information. It could depend on what the writing is about whether it’s about things that are educational or that pertains to gossip, will all depend on how many readers will choose the material. Buss quoted Nestle, “There are hordes of lawyers looking at the industry marketing practice in a way that’s never happen before.” Nestle is a professor at New York University. This clearly shows that Buss’s audience are the people at colleges, well-educated, and formal groups of individuals and not just the general public.

When writing something and placing the information and the ideas in a writing is organization. The writer organizes and places the order of information through thoughts and ideas. Buss stated, “For decades, of course the industry has been known for serving up sugary or fat-laden products, promoted with ceaseless advertising. And despite all new healthier options, that will not change.” This shows organization by stating the format about that problem, fatty foods and then the solution healthier options, but despite all the options things will not change. This basically states it all with in this opinion-editorial. In the first part, he writes about all the bad food being easy access to the general public, then goes into more specific to the children. In this opinion-editorial, it gears to more the companies being the problem by advertising the bad food, finding new ways to make the food more appealing even though they are trying to promote healthier options.  Buss then refers to the problem being the parents because no child picks out their own food. Despite who’s to blame, children won’t change their eating habits if the parents don’t view good eating habits in the home.