Is Society the One that Promotes Obesity?

Without a doubt, obesity has been a problem in the United States for a long time and not much has changed. Who is to blame for this problem only getting worse? Well, Druv Khullar, a medical student disputed that society was the one who brought about this lifestyle of obesity. For the most part, junk food is cheaper and easier to find than healthy food options, making it harder for people to reach for the healthy choices. In Druv Khullar’s essay, “Why Shame Won’t Stop Obesity,” he talks about an experience in a hospital cafeteria where he was surrounded by so many obese people. Despite being in a hospital, a place where one would expect health to be promoted, there were only unhealthy greasy, fatty foods being served. The author was studying medicine at Yale University at the time and was amazed by his realization that instead of “fat shaming” people who are obese, they should be educated and and helped differently. Khullar, went against the notorious idea of shaming obese people and instead he shamed society for not making it easier for people to get to healthier options.

Khullar explained how people who had higher incomes were healthier than those who didn’t because they could afford healthier, better quality foods. For the most part, unhealthy foods tend to be cheaper than healthy foods, so low income families don’t have much of a choice to what kind of food they eat. He stated, “people living in low-income areas have limited access to healthy food options for a variety of reasons, a barrier that contributes to their particularly high risk for being obese.” (Khullar). As a doctor, how is he supposed to tell his patients to eat healthier when they can’t afford to? The author recalled his experience in the hospital cafeteria, “it’s lunchtime and I’m hungry. I slip off to the hospital cafeteria and begin to ponder why these patients can’t seem to lead a healthier lifestyle. As I wait in line, I consider a more pressing problem: should I get the fried chicken or the four-cheese pizza? Only then do I ask myself what exactly I would have recommended my patients eat – besides maybe a side of cheesy broccoli and some bruised bananas – had they joined me for lunch.” (Khullar). The author revealed that he even struggles with choosing healthy options. That shows that he isn’t ashamed in showing his flaws and that brings truth to his words. His truth is depicted through logos and pathos part of the triangle. By incorporating a sense of truth in his work, he touched the readers emotionally while maintaining a logical argument. He stated, “sadly, is the case in the cafeteria of a major hospital, an institution devoted to preserving and promoting health.” (Khullar). Through this statement, he is showing that a place like the hospital which is meant to help others is hurting them with their ignorance to changing the meals they serve. This is one of the things that provoked his aim to make a difference in obesity. A lot of people say it takes a lot of money for fresh foods to be more available because of the preservation process and things of that matter. At the same time, the junk food industry spends millions on promotions for their food, when all that money could be invested in producing fresh foods. There’s a huge misinterpretation in how expensive fresh wholesome foods are, and that contributes to the problem of obesity.

When someone sees an advertisement it leaves behind a memory in their minds every time they may see an ad about it. They may recall this ad sometime during the day and make them crave the product resulting in a higher chance of them going out and getting it. Khullar stated, “Americans today are exposed to an unprecedented amount of readily available high-fat, high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. We are saturated with junk food advertising. We are eating more and more meals outside the home, and portion sizes are bigger than ever. Healthy options are more frequently the exception than the rule.” (Khullar). He makes a powerful argument when he said that healthy foods shouldn’t be the exception, but they should be the rule. These advertisements are directed towards kids because they are the ones who are easily manipulated and who can manipulate their parents. Kids are relentless when they want something so their parents usually give in. A lot of the times, when the kids are eating at these unhealthy fast food places, the parents tend to consume some of the food too. He stated, “Another important measure would be to minimize junk food advertising, especially to children. Each year, the food industry spends nearly $2 billion marketing its products to children, and evidence suggests that children exposed to junk food advertising express greater preference for these types of foods.” (Khullar). In this section of the essay the author gets to the logos and pathos side of the person reading. He uses strong images to influence the phychological side of the reader. The author also argues the relevant side because of the fact that children are the most exposed and vulnerable to these advertisements. After that is when the pathos gets added in, he speaks to our emotions. All of the tiny details that are involved in advertisements, like the colors, mascots, commercials of other kids enjoying the product all add to the overall effect of obesity. These things are what lure people in and make them consume these foods that are bad for their health.

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One of the things that Khullar argued was the fact that healthier food should be easier for people to obtain. Unhealthy food is the easiest to get to and takes up the majority of the shelves in our grocery stores. Despite the grocery store having different sections, like produce or dairy, junk food seems to be everywhere. There a ton of temptations that catch people’s eyes constantly as they are shopping. When you are checking out, there’s a selection of candy bars and other unhealthy last minute additions. Another thing is fast food, it’s cheap and convenient. The author shared, “When you can buy 2000 calories for under $10 at your neighborhood McDonalds, but have trouble getting your hands on an apple, it’s difficult to justify trying to shame anyone into skinniness.” (Khullar). People that come from lower incomes, simply can’t ignore the fact that they can get a lot of food to feed their families for cheap. Sometimes being healthy isn’t the top priority for some people, all they really care about is not being hungry. This is where the issues come, and obesity starts to rise.

The author used the rhetorical triangle to help get his points across. Ethos is partly the credibility of the person who is speaking. Khullar is someone who is in fact credible. He researched medicine at Yale University and Harvard Kennedy School. Logos is the main message or topic in the writing. The main message in this piece of writing is that there’s way too many people dealing with obesity in the United States and society needs to put in more effort to help those who are struggling, rather than just telling them they should change. He uses several facts that explained the severity of this problem of obesity in the United States to show readers that something needs to be done. Pathos can be referred to the emotions given to the audience. The audience that this work was written for would be for the majority of the people, along with huge businesses and the government itself. The author really appeals to the reader’s emotions in the last few sentences of his essay when he stated, “Today’s youth may be the first generation of Americans to live shorter, more disease-riddled lives than their parents – a staggering prediction based largely on the rapid rise in childhood obesity. Let this not be our legacy”(Khullar). This statement speaks to the readers emotions by making them want to lead a healthy lifestyle, it’ll make them want to change for their kids to have a better future and healthy life.

The author’s words really demonstrated the way that society was the one that pretty much helped cause the obesity crisis. It’s safe to say that obesity shouldnt be blamed entirely on a person. Khullar wants his audience to be aware of this issue that’s taking place in our society and uses several rhetorical devices to influence his audience.