"Two thirds of Americans are now either overweight...or obese," (Par. 1) states Maia Szalavitz for MSN Health & Fitness. TWO THIRDS. Is that not one of the scariest statistics you've ever seen? Two thirds of Americans. In November of 2002 the story broke of the two girls who were suing McDonald's because it made them overweight. According to the New York Times, these girls were angry because they were not provided the proper nutritional information to make better choices of what to eat. (Santora Par. 7) Now, I can't even imagine, what person in their right mind thinks that going to McDonald's and making healthy choices is going to be an easy task. If you're looking for healthy choices then choose food that is healthy. Make your own food, for instance, they have Lean Cuisine's in every grocery store in America. Why were these girls saying that McDonald's made them fat because they didn't provide them with nutritional information? Honestly, how many teenage girls go into a fast food place and ask for nutritional information? As a teenage girl myself, I've known very few people to ever even care about knowing those things. Continuing on in the New York Times article, the lawyers representing the company said that everyone knows the consequences of eating food like they serve. The consequences on your dress size, on your health and how it will effect you if you continuously eat it over and over. (Santora Par. 9) It's unfathomable to think these two girls had no idea that eating McDonald's hamburgers and fries multiple times a day would have no impact on them. In my honest opinion, no one has any right to blame fast foot companies for obesity. Everyone is making the conscious decision of what they're going to eat. If children are obese, it's because their parents are choosing to neglect making them eat healthy. If anyone else that has a mind of their own is obese, it's because they are choosing to eat fast food. Fast food companies are choosing to meet the demand of people wanting something fast and quick to eat. People say they want healthier choices, but how healthy do you think something can be if it's ready when you get to the next drive thru window. Subway has managed to make healthy choices a possibility and Taco Bell has a special menu for people trying to watch their weight, but every day people still blame everyone but themselves. If you want healthy choices, make time to sit down and make the meal yourself if that is what it takes. You can't sit there and say "oh well I'll make dinner tomorrow night because I was too busy tonight" because if you keep saying that you'll always be busy. Personally, I know a family who has three children and they're all under the age of 16 and are all involved in at least one athletic team. These three children and their parents are ALWAYS on the go, and not one of them is obese. It is possible to keep your children healthy. Unfortunately, there will always be blame on the Fast Food companies and they'll continue to have to fight off law suits left and right. Hopefully, eventually, people will learn that they can make their own decisions. What will it be? A Big Mac or grilled chicken breast salad?
Works Cited
SANTORA, MARC. "Teenagers' Suit Says McDonald's Made Them Obese - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.
Szalavitz, Maia. "Obesity in America 2010 - Page 1 - MSN Health - Health Topics." MSN Health: Health Articles & News – Fitness Tips & Guide. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.
If you walk down the street on any given day and interviewed random people, everyone would have something they strongly support. It could be being pro-life/pro choice, it could be gay rights, it could be cancer research or possibly anything else you could think of. Corporations, with their human rights, like to have different causes to support, to make them more like an average individual. GAP supports AIDS research with their (RED) line. If you walk into the GAP and "buy a (RED) product, 50% of their profit" goes towards AIDS research. (Par. 1) TOM'S Shoes donates one pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair of shoes that you buy (Par. 1) and Campbell's soup put pink ribbons on their soup cans during Breast Cancer Awareness month . Are you noticing a trend here?
If you buy a shirt or buy a pair of shoes or buy soup during October, then you will help fund these causes. How many businesses do you know that have a piggy bank that says, "we support AIDS research, help us help fund it" in their stores? I've never seen it. But, if you help them make a profit, then they'll help out with their cause.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying what they're doing is bad, because research shows people want corporations to support something. Allyson Kapin of Frogloop found that in 2010, it was found that 81% of Americans want companies to give them the opportunity to buy a cause related product. (Par. 2) But, what I am saying is why can't these corporations and these people that want to buy cause related products, just support the cause without having to give profit to other seemingly related companies? And, you have to be careful about whether or not your money is actually going to help anyone. How are you supposed to know whether or not you're actually supporting anything besides the money hungry companies who are convincing you are helping? YOU ASK. Your average cashier probably wouldn't know how much money is going to breast cancer research if you buy pink sharpies that say they're going to help fund it, but calling these major corporations and asking would probably shock you (and them) because no one really seems to care. As long as they think they're helping someone, they feel fine.
So, before you buy that pink ribbon-ed soup or anything else that "proceeds help fund... [insert whatever cause here] research" keep in mind that your money would probably be better spent just simply donating to that cause. While it's nice to wear the Gap (RED) shirt and show you support AIDS research, you spent $30 on a shirt that sends only $15 to AIDS research. Go donate the $30 in whole!
Corporations are doing a good thing by picking up causes and allowing you to help support them, but the way they're doing it isn't the best. Get online and search for how to donate directly to the cause of your choice so you can have a say in how much money goes their way.
"One For One Movement - A Pair Of New Shoes Is Given To A Child In Need With Every Pair Purchased - TOMS.com." Official Store - TOMS Shoes - One for One - A Pair of New Shoes Is Given to a Child in Need With Every Pair Purchased | TOMS.com. Web. 19 Feb. 2011. <http://www.toms.com/our-movement/>.
3
"Ninety Percent of Consumers Want Companies to Support Causes ." Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media - Frogloop. Web. 19 Feb. 2011. <http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2010/9/28/ninety-percent-of-consumers-want-companies-to-support-causes.html>.
Hypothetically speaking, you're sitting at work when your boss comes into the office. Smiling, he tells you you're going to get a 30% raise on your salary. Thrilled, you call your family and friends and want to celebrate. Knowing you'll make a lot more money, you decide to blow some of the money you have now. When your next pay check comes around, it is the same as the last...no 30% raise. Confused, you approach your boss and ask about it. How would you feel if you heard him say "I lied"? Not only did you just spend a lot of money, resulting in you not being able to pay all your bills this month, you've gotten your hopes and the hopes of your family up at his expense. He lied to you and gets away with it and now you're financially in trouble. This is something no one should go through, being lied to by their boss. But in today's world there are plenty of bosses and CEO s of major corporations lying.
At Stanford University, analysts may have discovered how to tell if your CEO is lying to you with seven simple hints. (Par. 4-10)
Your CEO says we, not I. If he is willing to share responsibility, it's definitely something worth thinking about.
Your CEO says "everybody knows", "others would agree", "everyone agrees" etc. it decreases their personal responsibility.
Your CEO indulges their inner cheerleader and uses words like "phenomenal" and "flawless" as opposed to "good" or "promising".
Your CEO makes the bad even worse by using words like "mortifying" and "heartbreaking" as opposed to "tough" or "difficult".
Your CEO curses, even small curses like "hell" or "screw". Dishonest CEO s are more prone to curse than honest CEO s.
Your CEO uses words like "hate", "crush", and "kill" to demonstrate their sincerity as opposed to using facts or figured.
Your CEO asks you if you trust them, or tells you to trust them.
It seems to me that if you're going to be a CEO of a major corporation you would be smart enough to tell the truth and you'd be smart enough to know the major consequences of lying. USAToday can help us take former CEO of Radioshack, David Edmondson, for example. About 5 years ago, Edmondson came clean about "lying about his educational history". (Par. 1) I'm curious as to why no one caught this beforehand. Not only because lying about having a degree is not smart to begin with but mainly because Edmondson claimed to get a degree in psychology from Pacific Coast Baptist College, a school that didn't offer, nor had it ever offered, a psychology degree. So, as stupid as it is to lie about getting a college degree from a school that never offered that degree, who was supposed to check up on that and why hadn't they done their job? Previously to finding out that he lied about his degree, Edmondson had been charged with 2 DWI s. Now, I'm not trying to judge, but on what planet do you want the CEO of your company to be someone who had been convicted of driving intoxicated? All of this may be shocking, but the most shocking has to be that they actually didn't keep him as CEO. Why do you ask? Because who ever was in charge of him before was stupid enough to hire him.
Even more depressing, Edmondson isn't the first, nor the last, nor the only CEO to be called a liar. MSNBC exposed Enron's founder, "Kenneth Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling went on trial for lying" for more than four years. (Par. 1). Bernard Ebbers, former Worldcom CEO was sentenced to jail for "one count of conspiracy, one count of securities fraud and seven counts of false regulatory filings" said the Seattle Times. (Par. 3).
It's no wonder that major corporations are seen as a bad thing. They're being run by dishonest people who are in it for the money and will take whatever short cuts and tell whatever lies they need to tell to make sure that they are set for life. They don't care about their workers and they don't care about who they crush on their way to the top. Now, I'm not saying that every CEO of every company is horrible. Take Larry Shea for example. He started out at a "sales associate at Barney & Barney in 1968" and later became CEO. He was considered one of San Diego's Outstanding CEO s in 2004. (Par. 6)
The world would be a better place if people would treat their companies more like Shea and not like Lay. The more honest our CEO s are the better known their companies will be. Let's face it, Edmondson lied about a degree, while he lost his job Radioshack remained a company in good standing. However, the biggers liars, like Lay, gave the name Enron an extremely negative connotation. How do we know which companies to support if we don't know which companies are corrupted by lying CEO s? Sadly, we don't know. Even more sadly, average employees of those companies don't know who they're working for either.
1
Watson, Bruce. "Corporate Charlatans: Seven Signs Your CEO Could Be Lying - DailyFinance." Business News, Stock Quotes, Investment Advice - DailyFinance. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/lying-ceos-seven-signs/19680621/>.
2
"USATODAY.com - RadioShack CEO Lied on Resume." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2006-02-16-lying-exec_x.htm>.
3
"Lay-Skilling Trial Really Comes down to Lying - Business - Corporate Scandals - The Enron Trial - Msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News - Msnbc.com. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10928376/ns/business-corporate_scandals/>.
4
Hill, Miriam. "Nation & World | WorldCom CEO Guilty in $11 Billion Fraud Case | Seattle Times Newspaper." The Seattle Times | Seattle Times Newspaper. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002208972_ebbers16.html>.
5
"Profiles of Outstanding CEO's - San Diego Magazine - February 2004 - San Diego, California." San Diego Magazine - San Diego Restaurants, Events, Photos, The Best of San Diego. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. <http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/media/San-Diego-Magazine/February-2004/Profiles-of-Outstanding-CEOs/>.
