I have to share this:
My husband and I finally bought a NetFlix account on our Wii.
We both have been dying to see Super Size Me.
Well, we watched it, and I have to say that I found it a bit unrealistic. While I'm not doubting the experiment that Morgan conducted (God knows that I do not know how he didn't stray during those 30 days), I kept saying throughout the entire piece that it did not seem real. Unless you totally took a month-long break from your normal lifestyle, how can someone eat McDonald's for every meal for thirty straight days? Not many people could do this, right? Because of my skepticism, I wonder if I truly can say, yes, I believe the truth that Morgan was trying to convey to his audience?
I have to admit, though, that I will never look at McDonald's the same again! So, maybe this documentary did have a plausible effect after all?
Did anyone else see this documentary in its entirety and feel this skepticism while watching it?
Ashley, congratulations on your Netflix account! ;) Prepare to find many new and interesting things to watch in your spare time.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a while since I viewed Supersize Me, but I do remember feeling a little bit skeptical at the time. The whole “experiment” seemed a little dramatic and unrealistic, even though I do agree with the general premise behind the documentary. I’m wondering if Morgan felt he had to go overboard in order to prove his point dramatically. It wouldn’t have been as effectively appalling if he followed a more plausible diet of McDonald’s once a day or as he felt like it instead of for 3 meals a day. I signed into our wiki for the first time today and someone posted some interesting commentary on Supersize Me that seems to resonate with what you have said. (I would give credit to someone, but I’m not sure who wrote it.)
We missed you in class yesterday!
I haven't seen this documentary since my high school health class and it wasn't even the main documentary that freaked me out about McDonalds food. I remember when I watched this documentary, I had trouble buying into the complete McDonalds diet. How could a person force themselves to eat nothing but the same type of food over and over again and not break it off at least once? It even showed at the end of the documentary that he had to discontinue the experiment for his personal health.
ReplyDeleteYet the part of Super Size that convinced me to never touch McDonald's food again was actually an extra on the dvd. It was a different experiment where Morgan put several McDonalds products such as different types of burgers and french fries into jars and waiting to see how long they would take to expire. Using street vendor french fries and burger to compare to, he monitored these items for the course of several months until they were accidentally thrown out.
Naturally, the street bought food was the first to go but it took several months before the McDonalds burgers started to show any sign of decay. But here was the freaky part, (I don't know how accurate this is so bear with me) the McDonalds french fries, NEVER DECAYED! For almost a whole year they remained the same and Morgan wanted to see how long it would have taken but unfortunately he did not get the chance. I'm just surprised that this particular experiment got his point across a lot better than the main documentary.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteTo an extent I can see where you are coming from, but I definitely found this movie to be believable. Ok, so maybe there is no one who eats McDonald's every day all day for 30 days, but there are many Americans who eat at least 1 meal, if not more, EVERY DAY from a fast food place. Spurlock's diet probably seems unrealistic, and it is a bit, but I don't feel like it's that far of a stretch from reality. I mean, if you consider not just places like McDonald's or Burger King but any type of processed, take-out style food (fried chicken, even most of the food at Sheetz), most people are eating this stuff at least once a day.
@Jenna - That is true. Actually, it's kind of scary how much the average person relies on fast food...
ReplyDelete@Fenixrite - I wish I had the DVD to see that experiment!
@Danielle - I wish I was there! I would have rather been sitting in class than the ER for 8 hours! And, don't worry, my husband is addicted to NetFlix now. Yes, I think Morgan's dramatic approach provided a wake-up call. Considering that McNuggets were a fave of mine, I cannot say that I will find them as appetizing ever again.