Obesity Critique

With the drastic increase in obesity rates coupled with the increase in fast food chains dominating the roads of America, this article by Ellen Goodman highlights the obvious – the manifestation of unhealthy food into everyday staple food for the busy city dwellers. Goodman believes that the obesity trend is not due to the lack of willpower in people, but rather, the fact that people have become slaves to circumstances. However, she fails to acknowledge that obesity is a confluence of factors ranging from the responsibilities of individuals to that of the government. Hence, the writer’s choice of overemphasizing on corporate responsibility, and at the same time, trivializing the effects of personal responsibilities, makes her arguments largely erroneous and unpersuasive.

While it is true that the increase in pressure on firms to exercise corporate social responsibility highlights the importance of the firms’ role on the issue of promoting healthy lifestyles, contrary to the writer’s assertion, the responsibility does not lie solely with the corporates. For a healthy lifestyle, there needs to be an integration of both individual and corporate responsibility. There is a presence of individual responsibility that is brought together with corporate social responsibility. For instance, Macdonald’s products provide consumer health information such as the calories of each of the burgers. However, this is done on the part of the firm; the individual ultimately has to make his own choice. Even with firms providing better consumer information, it is up to the individual’s discretion to abide to it, and opt for the healthier choice.

In paragraph 7, Goodman points the finger at firms for their socially irresponsible marketing schemes that aim to “expand the existing customers, rather than expanding the number of customers” (2003, para 7). However, the author has overlooked the fact that the government has a ruling over corporates. Besides acknowledging personal and...