Reading Response

Two more articles from "Food Matters" are what will be examined in this response; "Downsizing Supersize" by Surowiecki and "Why Shame Won't Stop Obesity" by Khullar. Both pieces take a look at perceptions regarding a food related issue and attack them from an educated point of view. When taking a look at the credentials of the authors, one sees that these are two people who have professional connections to the statements they are making, Khullar being an aspiring doctor & pre-med student, while Surowiecki is a financial columnist and journalist who is using a political happening to talk about an issue regarding portions and federal regulations. I noted that the pieces are similar in their rhetoric, using a casual tone to present factual information. These are not academic sources by any means (a magazine article from the New Yorker and a blog post respectively), and the less serious tone benefits the material well in each instance.

Surowiecki's piece made me ponder on why we are so prone to overeat/over-drink just for the sole reason that portion sizes have skyrocketed in the last 3 or 4 decades. I believe it is exacerbated by our attitudes regarding instant gratification and a glorification of pleasure and convenience that pervades the country's collective mind. We as consumers always want to just continue consuming and consuming, believing all the while that they are getting a bargain on their 10$ purchase from McDonalds that increases their chance for heart disease. Rhetorically speaking, he tackles his topic from a political standpoint, disseminating its message in an informative manner. He shares stories of studies in different instances to back up and almost frame his arguments. I like his choice to end the article with likening the people effected to lab rats and subjects of experiments, after using social experiments as examples for the majority of the piece.

Khullar's article comes from a casual source, a blogpost, but is a bit more academic in nature due to the background of the author himself. He was a pre-med student writing about issues he'd been directly working with in his short time in his field. He brings forth personal anecdotes coupled with evidence to support his claims. He even proposes a few solutions to his issue, the Shaming of Obesity, at the end of the article. I also enjoy the rhetorical choice of including himself blatantly in the middle of the issue instead of distancing himself as the author, sharing his own experiences that shaped how he views the obesity epidemic. Speaking about the content purely, my topic of my research essay aligns with the issue of giving the poor options that are healthier and more convenient than fast food, so it gives nice perspective into my own topic I'll be delving more fully into in the next week or so.