Obesity- Is it Personal or Government Issue?
Through the process of reading articles and putting together a debate about the Issue of Obesity, with somewhat of a focus on fast food as a cause, though my overall opinions have not changed, I have been enlightened to a lot of new information. When this chapter first began, to be honest, I was angered by one of the articles that we had to read and what the author had written about the issue of obesity. I, for one, believe in socialized healthcare and believe that Obesity, as well as health overall, should be an issue that the government helps to fix. Because of this, I was a bit disappointed when I was placed on the side that would be arguing against government responsibility in the debate. However, researching arguments preparing for the debate on this side of the argument actually opened my eyes to a lot of information I had not known previously.
I was especially surprised to learn that according to the CDC, many of the people who face obesity, are not low income. In a survey, it was found that everyone between the poorest 10% to the richest 10%, the percentage who said they eat fast food at least once in a three week period was only difference of about 11% between the lowest to highest. Seeing that the number is relatively the same for people of every economic level was very interesting because people often associate fast food with the poor, and think of it as a “last resort” of sorts because it is known to be unhealthy. However, it is still true that we live in a society that favors the wealthy, so obesity is still bound to be an issue for those who are low income, though they may not be the majority.
I also learned a lot of new things that support my opinions that I had not known previously from listening to the opposing team's arguments. One example being that there are many limits on where and on what food stamps can be used. It was also very interesting to hear about other countries that do have more socialized healthcare or systems where the government steps in and helps out with healthcare. In many cases, these systems work very well, which I think shows that we should take a lesson from them. However, there were also examples where countries put in place limits on waist sizes for people, which does help keep their country healthy, but can be very damaging mentally, and is essentially “bullying”, as juvenile as that may sound. I believe that people should get healthy for the sake of being healthy and wanting to live better lives. I do not think people should change their eating habits just because they are bullied into it by someone saying they need to look a certain way. I also do not agree with this because in many cases obesity is due to things like genetics or other conditions. Sometimes someone can eat and be very healthy, and still be overweight. So putting a limit on someone’s waist size, to me, does not really seem like a good solution.
I also learned a lot about the debate process itself. It was definitely interesting trying to come up with a good, compelling argument for something that I did not truly believe in. It really tested my skills at writing something convincing. It was also interesting to sort of face my fear of public speaking, especially being the first person in my group to talk. This is the first impression of our group, so for me to be in that position where I felt nervous and uncomfortable was very scary.
I was especially surprised to learn that according to the CDC, many of the people who face obesity, are not low income. In a survey, it was found that everyone between the poorest 10% to the richest 10%, the percentage who said they eat fast food at least once in a three week period was only difference of about 11% between the lowest to highest. Seeing that the number is relatively the same for people of every economic level was very interesting because people often associate fast food with the poor, and think of it as a “last resort” of sorts because it is known to be unhealthy. However, it is still true that we live in a society that favors the wealthy, so obesity is still bound to be an issue for those who are low income, though they may not be the majority.
I also learned a lot of new things that support my opinions that I had not known previously from listening to the opposing team's arguments. One example being that there are many limits on where and on what food stamps can be used. It was also very interesting to hear about other countries that do have more socialized healthcare or systems where the government steps in and helps out with healthcare. In many cases, these systems work very well, which I think shows that we should take a lesson from them. However, there were also examples where countries put in place limits on waist sizes for people, which does help keep their country healthy, but can be very damaging mentally, and is essentially “bullying”, as juvenile as that may sound. I believe that people should get healthy for the sake of being healthy and wanting to live better lives. I do not think people should change their eating habits just because they are bullied into it by someone saying they need to look a certain way. I also do not agree with this because in many cases obesity is due to things like genetics or other conditions. Sometimes someone can eat and be very healthy, and still be overweight. So putting a limit on someone’s waist size, to me, does not really seem like a good solution.
Through all of the knowledge I gained from both sides of this argument, my opinion still stands the same. I believe that obesity should be a government issue and that they should take measures to step in and solve the problem. Yes, individuals are ultimately responsible for their own health, but when we live in a country where so many things are misleading, and so little information is out there, it is hard to make informed decisions about our health. It also does not help that we have a healthcare system where when people do get into issues with their health, they often can’t do anything to remedy the issue, because they can not afford it. Changes need to be made by the government to make it possible for everyone to live healthy lives.
I also learned a lot about the debate process itself. It was definitely interesting trying to come up with a good, compelling argument for something that I did not truly believe in. It really tested my skills at writing something convincing. It was also interesting to sort of face my fear of public speaking, especially being the first person in my group to talk. This is the first impression of our group, so for me to be in that position where I felt nervous and uncomfortable was very scary.
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