NEWSFLASH: McDonald’s existed back when I was a kid

I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

Nobody forces you to eat fast food. Just saying

No, they don't force me. I don't eat fast food often, but when people are busy and they need access to a cheap meal, they go to places like McDonalds and other places. It's not a crime to want a cheap lunch. The places that purport to serve food have a responsibility to the people they serve.

Yes, everybody could pack their own lunch and all the restaurants could close down during lunch hour. But many people, many working people, eat out. The places where they eat should take some responsibility not to serve heavily processed, terrible food.

Companies have some responsibility to consumers. For example, they can't poison you. The next step is to ask them not to serve ridiculously processed crap to people. No, people don't have to eat it, but removing responsibility from the company is ridiculous. Or, to put it another way, Republican.

The OP apparently considers that the Occupy Wall Street movement "blamed big corporations for their plight in life and thus decided to go on a rampage to destroy private property." A complete lack of social consciousness.

It's not a crime to eat food out. Restaurants should serve reasonable food. It's not the 19th Century, 'buyer beware'.

Also, when kids go out, a lot of them go to places like this because it fits with their pocket money. McDonalds very directly marketed towards children, though I take the point of the poster above who says that it's less so today.

You know what? Yesterday I didn't bring a lunch and was swamped at work. McDonalds is close and convenient, so I took 10 minutes to run over there and grab something to bring back to my office. I ordered a grilled chicken southwest salad (hold the tortilla strips please!). My entire lunch cost me 350 calories and that was with "real" dressing (southwest ranch). That's it, and it tasted fantastic. I eat McDonald's often, but I haven't had a hamburger or fries there in several years. I also eat at Taco Bell, Jimmy John's, Subway, Qdoba, pizza, etc. very often. I just did my research and know what offerings they have that fit within my daily goals. Once in a while I even splurge and then either eat less the rest of the day, or exercise more. It's not rocket science.

My point is that McDonalds and the rest of the fast food industry DO serve healthy food - if you want it! I'm with the OP. Quit blaming everyone else and take some personal responsibility. Is it hard to pass up the temptations? ABSOLUTELY! Is it hard to say no to your kids when you've had a hectic day and they are screaming for a burger and fries? Of course! However, you *can* pass up the temptations and say no to your kids if you really want to. I'm so sick of the "blame the fast food industry" movement. Gah!

I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

Did McDonalds always serve that option? The reason why they have been changing their menu to include lower calorie items is... consumer pressure.

They serve healthier options because consumer groups demand it, not because people smugly sat around saying 'it's personal responsibility!'

I'm so relieved all the personal responsibility folks don't live in abject poverty. The voices of those in extreme poverty aren't here and you know why? Because they don't have computers!!!!

when I was at university, I had about five pounds a week to feed myself. It wasn't that long ago either (late 90s). Just because I have money now it doesn't mean I have no idea what it's like to try to live off very little.

I wasn't fat then. Actually I was pretty lean, seeing as the jobs I had to pay my way through university (ice steward at the local ice rink, delivering the mail) kept me thin. Plus having barely enough to eat... no danger of overeating because I couldn't afford to. On the rare occasions I went to McDonalds (couldn't afford it usually) I ordered 2 fillet o fish (the cheapest burger) because 2 of them was the same price as 1 burger + meal deal, but had twice as much protein and was more filling.

If poor people in the USA can only eat McDonalds, then that's a serious problem with the infrastructure in American society. It's bizarre that McDonalds is the most affordable option, or that people who don't have cars can't get to supermarkets to buy fresh produce. In the UK, there are cheap supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi that have small branches in residential areas, and they sell discounted fruit and veg and most people have at least one cheap supermarket in walking distance of their house. Plus there are buses, and while some places have better bus services than others, pretty much every city/town runs a daytime bus service to the centre of town. Maybe you have to live in London to have a night bus service, but most places you can get to the shopping centre during the daytime.

And most of the time I lived in the UK, I used to walk to the town centre to save money on bus fare (1-3 miles, depending on where I was living at the time). And when I was really poor at university, I bought fruit and veg from the local greengrocer (cheaper and easier than taking the bus to Tesco (a supermarket) and carrying all the shopping bags back from the bus stop). I got some staples from Kwik Save (a very cheap supermarket) and a few other places to take advantage of cheaper options. I walked to most places, only Tesco was a bus trip.

Also, there are ways for poor people to access computers in the UK... public libraries have free wifi and computers that can be used by anyone with a library card (which is free to residents in the area that the library is in).

Also, if McDonalds is only one of 2 meals a day that are being eaten by poor kids, then that's not going to make them obese... 2 meals a day isn't going to make any kid obese, especially if they have to walk everywhere because their parents don't have a car. So I don't really get how McDonalds is responsible for making poor people fat.... if the issue is accessability to a wider range of food choices, then there needs to be affordable public transport and some way to encourage cheaper supermarkets to have smaller outlets that serve residential communities. You can't blame McDonalds for the lack of public transports or affordable fresh food within walking distance of residential areas where poor people live.

Look at what is going on with the VA... that is what you get with federally-provided health care. The government deciding who gets what services because government-provided resources are limited.

Actually, many countries have great government-funded healthcare, including many strong capitalist places. What is happening with the VA etc. is because of the American political climate, not because of the possibilities of government healthcare. Ask the Scandinavians. Even though the Brits complain about the NHS, they'd never go without it.

Did McDonalds always serve that option? The reason why they have been changing their menu to include lower calorie items is... consumer pressure.

They serve healthier options because consumer groups demand it, not because people smugly sat around saying 'it's personal responsibility!'

I don't think consumer groups and personal responsibility are mutually exclusive concepts. Consumer groups exist because some people feel it's their personal responsibility to advocate for something because they care about it. We all have that option.

There's a big difference between consumer pressure and regulatory pressure. I think what people here are saying that consumer/customer pressure is fine. That's the way that markets work.

This is also a completely different argument from "McDs made me fat."

I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

Junk food is actually not cheap. If i went to McDonalds here in the UK and bought 2 adults meals and 2 happy meals for the kids, the cost of that would exceed me going to sainsburys, buying a pack of fresh mince, some spaghetti, some tomato sauce and some fresh vegetables.
Why does everyone say fast food is cheap?? It really isnt. Its just fast. And sure, its ok every now and then- but dont say its cheaper to buy a Maccy D's for a family of 4 because i can proove it isnt.