Supersize Me

[El Blanco]

I just finished watching it. I did enjoy it. A few things about it:

1) Not too ground breaking. Fast food is bad for you. I pretty much knew he was getting sick eating just McCraphole 3 times a day for a month straight

2) Morgan Spurlock is a lot more personable than you-know-who. He comes off as a regular guy, something that other guy never does in my opinion. He actually put his own ass on the line. And he lived in a tiny little apartment. I actually identify with him. No moral posturing, no stupid gimmicks, no ambush journalism with clever editing.

3) I actually was suprised at how many McDonald's are in Manhattan. When he made the film, 83 sites on a 22 square mile island. Just damn.

4) Here's the big one. At the end of the movie, he says that the only way to fix the obesity and health problems in this country is to make the idnividual descisions. He didn't make us out to be victims of some big evil corporation. He reminds us that the fast food companies are bussinesses and they are out to make a dollar. We don't have give them ours.

But, you might ask, why put this in the poli/rel/phil section and not in the movie section? Good question.

1) This is pretty much the only section that doesn't make me completly hate humanity

2) I actually want to talk about the weight problem in this country and I figured this would be a good start.

Anybody else seen the movie and have an opinion or something they want to say about how fat we are friggin getting?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I got to catch a premiere of it last Spring during SXSW in Austin. Spurlock was at the showing, and he did a very long, very awesome Q&A with te crowd.

I agree with you 100%, he's the kind of guy I'd love to have a beer with (MAYBE I SHOULD VOTE FOR HIM, HAR HAR!).



1) Not too ground breaking. Fast food is bad for you. I pretty much knew he was getting sick eating just McCraphole 3 times a day for a month straight

I like how he makesthe point at the end though, that this could apply to Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc.

He also points out the very obvious fact that you can STILL enjoy shit food like this, as long as it is considered more like a treat, rather than a meal supplement.

2) Morgan Spurlock is a lot more personable than you-know-who. He comes off as a regular guy, something that other guy never does in my opinion. He actually put his own ass on the line. And he lived in a tiny little apartment. I actually identify with him. No moral posturing, no stupid gimmicks, no ambush journalism with clever editing.

Well, having been in sort-of-intimate settings with both gentleman, I have to disagree. Michael Moore, before it became too impossible, used to routinely return personal e-mails. He would go online and chat with folks on AOL IM. Perhaps this has changed, but thus is the case with fame. Keep in mind, we're not watching two people on equal footing. Morgan Spurlock is Moore, the year Roger & Me came out. Moore of THAT time, and Moore of NOW, may be different.

3) I actually was suprised at how many McDonald's are in Manhattan. When he made the film, 83 sites on a 22 square mile island. Just damn.

I particularly like the joint McDonalds/Whaever other shit chain places. :yum

4) Here's the big one. At the end of the movie, he says that the only way to fix the obesity and health problems in this country is to make the idnividual descisions. He didn't make us out to be victims of some big evil corporation. He reminds us that the fast food companies are bussinesses and they are out to make a dollar. We don't have give them ours.

Well, not entirely. No doubt, he made the point you've mentioned, but he also went after McDonalds for failing on their part to be a transparent company that educates their customers (sort of like the THIS WILL GIVE YOU CANCER thing on cigarette boxes, which of course, the big evil government had to FORCE them to do).

Also, he goes waaay beyond personal choices, and touches a lot on marketing and culture. I particularly like the part where he compares student diet habits to those few students who have healthy diet habits, and thus the difference in their academic performance. He hits the theme over and OVER again that companies such as McDonalds are clearly looking for life-long customers, and the way to best do this is by targeting children in their marketing campaigns (happy meals, Ronald, etc.).

He also most certainly points out that certain people, living in certain economic conditions, tend to eat fast food as an affordable lifestyle, not necessarily a rare treat.

On another note: one thing I REALLY like about Spurlock is that he plans to go in to schools with this film and use it to educate kids on better choices. He joked that he would of course have to make an edited version, hehe, one without his girlfriend talking about having to be on top too often.....

But anyway, I think that's awesome. He really believes in this, and he's taking it beyond a mere documentary and turning it into a good educational tool, a project.

Tell me Blanco, how much cooler would it have been, when we were kids, if we got to watch this film in school, instead of some animated propaganda piece with dancing carrots and apples....?

[El Blanco]

Wouldn't have made a difference if the only thing the school could afford was the fast food. But our basketball team needed new uniforms every year.

I'm not trying to say the fast food places are innocent or don't have any blame. I actually think the government should limit advertising during children's programing.

I just think that if we expect them to do anything about it, we better not hold our breaths. The only person who is going to make sure I'm healthy is the guy I see in the mirror every morning.

I don't know if you've seen the DVD extras, but some of the spare interviews (especially with the super market expert and the guy who wrote Fast Food Nation) are really cool.

And about the other dummy, I also don't like his tactics and his manipulation of facts, which I haven't seen any proof of Spurlock doing.

[Preechr]

I am having a problem with the idea of Kevin being "intimate" with Moore and Spurlock. Was this at the same time, or was this when you stopped calling yourself a herbivore?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Don't be jealous.....

[The One and Only...]

I eat fast food every day. For lunch, I eat one slice of pizza. For dinner, I'll eat something from McD, Popeyes, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc.

However, I am a reasonably healthy guy.

The problem isn't so much with fast food, it's with what people order from fast food restaurants. Don't get fries; get the side salad or fat-free ice cream. Tell them to hold that nasty ass mayo and special sauce. And for that matter, don't always get the burger.

You can eat fast food as a staple in your diet, you just have to know how to do it. Or, maybe you just need to be 16 and have a cast iron stomach. I dunno; take your pick.

[FS]

Whatever works for you, chubby.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Yeah, I don't mean to be offensive, and I don't want to start one of these juvenile "OAO is fat!" threads, but haven't you admited to being a bit over weight...? Forgive me if I'm wrong.

Also, in regard to your "side salad" comment, you should see Supersize Me. It turns out that most of the side orders, the yogurts, the salads, have just as much fat and sugar as the stuff we know is bad.

And why the heck would you go eat a salad at McDonalds? You could make and bring one out with you that would be 100% tastier AND healthier.

[AChimp]

Yeah, but then he wouldn't have any excuse to make the girl who rubbed up against him on the bus talk to him again.

"Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order?"
"Actually, I'm here to deliver the quarter-pounder that you ordered when you rubbed my bits on the bus."
"God, you're such a creep."

[FS]

"Is it OK if I pay by credit card? I'm afraid I can't fit a wallet in my pants, my oversized novelty penis won't allow it."

[AChimp]

"Frank? That same guy is back and he's bothering me again! Oh my gawd, you are such a loooser."

[The One and Only...]

Yeah, I don't mean to be offensive, and I don't want to start one of these juvenile "OAO is fat!" threads, but haven't you admited to being a bit over weight...? Forgive me if I'm wrong.

I am not currently overweight. As of my most recent measurement I come in at 155 lbs with a height of 5'9".

Yes, I was overweight, and severely so. But with careful eating habits, I have overcome my obesity. The only problem I have now is with my lack of exercise, because I still suck at physical fitness tests.

If you don't buy it, I posted my picture (albeit a TERRIBLE one... I'm much sexier IRL) in the Post Yer Picture Here thread. You'll have to dig a little for it, it's a couple posts back.

[The One and Only...]

BTW: FS, you weren't even around here when the whole projected penis length calculation thread came up. Do you even know what you're talking about?

And why hasn't that thread been stickied and/or linked to through my account?

[FS]

I was around, or I caught part of it and read the rest back later for comic relief.

[El Blanco]

Kevin's right about those salads. According to the movie, they have artificial sugar in them.

The fries, however, don't. Neither do the pigeon mcnuggets.

And the yogurt parfaits have almost as much sugar as the ice cream of comperable size.

[The One and Only...]

Also, in regard to your "side salad" comment, you should see Supersize Me. It turns out that most of the side orders, the yogurts, the salads, have just as much fat and sugar as the stuff we know is bad.

Dunno about the yogurts, but I know that the salads aren't that bad for you from the nutrition facts. Granted, if you use their salad dressing, then it becomes horrible for you, but even so...

[Anonymous]

The only problem I have now is with my lack of exercise, because I still suck at physical fitness tests.
Uh, you have to get tested in order to exercise?

[kellychaos]

Better yet, go to the grocery store and buy salad stuff, prepare salads or other like healthy things in Tupperware, Glad or similiar air-tight packages. Much healthier and you avoid the looming, beckoning, dark carnal lust exuded by the evil Gordita.

[AChimp]

I bet OAO could easily jump over two little old ladies in the grocery aisle to get at a package of Ho-hos.

[The One and Only...]

Uh, you have to get tested in order to exercise?

No, what I'm saying is that I do poorly on P.E. tests because I don't exercise, ergo my lack of exercise is a problem.

And I must be right, because I said ergo.

[Anonymous]

As in the ergonomic chair in which you sit, perfectly molded to your wider 'base.'

[kellychaos]

Uh, you have to get tested in order to exercise?

No, what I'm saying is that I do poorly on P.E. tests because I don't exercise, ergo my lack of exercise is a problem.

And I must be right, because I said ergo.

Sounds a bit circular to me ... and that you're feeling sorry for yourself. Why don't you start with light exercise and work your way up? Or is it that you don't like exercise and try to avoid it at all costs? If this is the case and you're still slightly fat and out of shape, then I'd kind ask you to STFU because you're a whiner who's doing nothing to change his condition and doesn't deserve my attention.

[The One and Only...]

I'M NOT FAT. I'm out of shape.

And there was nothing circular in my reasoning. I admitted that my lack of exercise is a problem.

[kellychaos]

Given the sorry "I want everything and I want it now ... but I don't don't want to work for it." society that's starting to come up, I can see why you don't think my argument stands to reason. If you want to get in shape, you don't get the fat sucked out of you through liposuction, you eat right and exercise and that takes time and effort. Boohoo! So far, you've managed the "eat right" part to some degree and that's commendable. All that's left is the exercise part. As in the diet, you can't expect to achieve fitness all at once, either. It takes time. I'm no fitness nut by any means but I do some regular exercise and I feel better physically and emotionally. Although the emotionally (self-esteem wise) is a bit shallow, I'm being honest. If you didn't want the "in shape" part of it, you wouldn't have brought it up. Seeing as you did, I've given you the most honest course of action I can think of. If you don't want to at least try, the STFU and stop whining. That is all.

[Preechr]

Or you could always just get the liposuction and a prescription for Zoloft or whatever to keep you mentally balanced, some Xanax to help you sleep better and some Viagra to help you through whatever else you might do in bed. They'll come out with a pill soon to make your body look like you excercise a lot, I'm sure.

You're young. I say screw the excercise, find a way to get the government to give you all the pills you need and bet on the hope that medical science will advance far enough within your lifetime that by the time your innards wear out prematurely they'll know how to replace them all fairly easily with minimal time off work.

[kellychaos]

Yes, of course. Obesity is a disease. Blame it on everything but yourself ... this is the way the world ends ... this is the way the world ends ... you freakin' blights.

[Preechr]

You sound frustrated.

I recommend Wellbutrin-XL once per day dosage.

It's simply wonderful. You can tell by the commercials. Sunshine just doesn't look that good unless your pretty damn fucked up on something...

[The One and Only...]

Given the sorry "I want everything and I want it now ... but I don't don't want to work for it." society that's starting to come up, I can see why you don't think my argument stands to reason. If you want to get in shape, you don't get the fat sucked out of you through liposuction, you eat right and exercise and that takes time and effort. Boohoo! So far, you've managed the "eat right" part to some degree and that's commendable. All that's left is the exercise part. As in the diet, you can't expect to achieve fitness all at once, either. It takes time. I'm no fitness nut by any means but I do some regular exercise and I feel better physically and emotionally. Although the emotionally (self-esteem wise) is a bit shallow, I'm being honest. If you didn't want the "in shape" part of it, you wouldn't have brought it up. Seeing as you did, I've given you the most honest course of action I can think of. If you don't want to at least try, the STFU and stop whining. That is all.

What the hell are you rambling about? I just said in my previous post that my lack of exercise is a problem. That implies that the solution lies with exercise. I'm agreeing with you, for God's sake.

[Zebra 3]

If you don't buy it, I posted my picture (albeit a TERRIBLE one... I'm much sexier IRL) in the Post Yer Picture Here thread. You'll have to dig a little for it, it's a couple posts back.
:lol - You can find Zorro's pic HERE (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/176659.9/imafencerman.jpg).

:) - Here's some friendly advice. Stay the fuck away from McOutHouse. Start being physically active by walking somewhere, anywhere, but fucking McOutHouse and when you're up to it, start a very modest weight training program. In no time you'll toss away your faggot épée and start swinging something manly like an axe or a sledge hammer...

[AChimp]

Don't forget wristguards to keep your hands from flopping around while you exercise.

[kellychaos]

What the hell are you rambling about? I just said in my previous post that my lack of exercise is a problem. That implies that the solution lies with exercise. I'm agreeing with you, for God's sake.

Then do it, Fatty McSweatpants ... and don't post here again until you do! Dismissed!! >:

[Preechr]

*tries to pitch some Paxil in Kelly's mouth*

[The One and Only...]

I just don't understand why you guys still call me Fatty.

P.S. MAN DO I HATE THAT PIC. >:

I vow to post another picture on here within a year.

[Zhukov]

Within a year? Is this one of your dumb 'jokes'? People call you fat because you are boring and unfunny.

Welcome to the real world fatcunt.

[kellychaos]

It takes him three trips to haul ass! :lol

[Miss Modular]

Tonight, Morgan Spurlock came to Cornell and spoke about his experiences doing Supersize Me. Before that, though, he screened the film, which I very much enjoyed.

About Spurlock's approach, I don't have to expand on what El Blanco already said. He's right that these people do a lot of damage, but at some point, we have to take it into our own hands.

After the screening, Spurlock spoke about his reasoning for choosing to eat McDonalds exclusively for the film--being that Mc Donalds is usually the trendsetter in fast-food industry. He talked about the after effect of the film, and how shortly after it premiered at Sundance, McDonalds made some changes. Such as elimnating the Supersize option. And the "health by association" spin, where they'll have the gymnast advertise McDonalds. Of course, she doesn't actually eat McDonalds, as he pointed out. She's an athlete! He completed the speech by saying that the voting machine of 21st Century is the Cash Register.

While many of us were walking into the auditorium, we were handed out flyers saying that Supersize Me was a hoax full of distortions. Unlike people who fact checked Michael Moore, who actually had some valid points, most of the stuff they tried to expose wasn't anything that Spurlock freely owns up to. In this case, I think the fact checkers were doing more distortions that the "spin master" himself.

Offhand, Spurlock is a genuinely nice guy. I complimented him on his use of Wesley Willis' "Rock and Roll McDonalds" in the film, and he made some remark when I asked for his autograph.