Super Size Me Review

The movie Super Size Me is among the most celebrated documentaries in the world. Morgan Spurlock carried out on an investigation that focused on the largest fast food chains in the world. In a span of 30 days, he was going out for a meal best described as every eight-year-old’s dream meal. Within this period, he was to eat only McDonald’s products. All this happened under the supervision of medical experts with the intent of proving that the products of this company, mostly fast food, lead to the alarming obesity in the country (Scott, 2004). The paper considers the analysis carried out in this documentary, and the role of economics in the whole process.

The documentary presents very disturbing statistics. With facts evidencing that sixty percent of Americans are obese, the need to express concern was placed correctly. The documentary shows many overweight people engrossed in consuming of fast food. Such eating habits might be mistaken for the normal order of things in America. The number of people McDonald’s feeds daily is higher than the population of Spain (Scott, 2004). During a month, Spurlock ate only McDonald’s products and in the end the results were very alarming. His health and his social life deteriorated tremendously. All because he stuck to the diet consisting of McDonald’s goods and lived, walked, and acted like any average American. The film reminds of the combat between David and Goliath in more than one ways. The movie tackled a sensitive issue that affects the whole country and the McDonald’s marketing team. It covered a sector that was profiting one of the world’s most prominent fast food companies and showed it as bad. Fast food is a very big industry that requires a massive program to educate people on the dangers this kind of food poses, which was Morgan Spurlock’ main aim.

 

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The documentary includes the analysis of McDonald’s advertisement strategies pointed out by the director. One of them is that McDonald’s draws children into consuming their products using clowns, birthday parties, toys, and playgrounds (Scott, 2004). In certain instances, communities have only McDonald’s playgrounds. A fascinating experiment is presented in the documentary when Spurlock gets pictures of George Washington, Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald and shows them to children. The only person they recognize is Ronald.

The concept of corporate responsibility is also covered. When the company builds playgrounds for children, its real aim is to use these places as an avenue to attract more customers. They build a client base by getting children engrossed in the products and brainwashed at a very young age. Corporate responsibility, in this case, is used as a way to get more clients consuming the products (Scott, 2004). With such an appeal to customers, the insatiable need to have bigger and bigger burgers or fries at McDonald’s keeps growing. The company captures the customer’s needs and wants, and seems to stimulate them to earn more profits without considering the customers’ health (Scott, 2004).

The company acted after the airing of the documentary and removed its super-size products. This idea was the initiative of the marketing department, and was perceived as a move into the right direction. The company switched to introducing products that were healthy for both parents and children. Spurlock’s documentary lead to the benefits the whole country deserved. Concerns expressed in the documentary touched on a very intimate and personal aspect of the entire population. These matters refer to social and economic issues that lead to the appropriate implementation of corporate responsibility. Still, the problem of obesity should not be wholly placed on McDonald’s. The customers are responsible for maintaining their own health. Much as the products being offered appeal to that unquenched desire, personal liability should not be ignored.